1957
1958

SS officer initiation(1938)[1600x1169] (i.imgur.com)

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[–]nickmista 254ポイント255ポイント  (135子コメント)

The Nazis really had a knack for creating grand and imposing structures and events. Things like this with the lighting and huge pillars at the back. Not to mention their plans for enormous buildings/museums(führer museum pictured) in the future and the reichsadler grandly placed on the back wall of halls. It's got a really eerie but grandiose feeling.

Edit: Bonus Nuremberg rally. Does anyone know of a subreddit for this type of thing? Impressively large buildings, gatherings or human efforts. Like when you see a huge dam and are amazed by its size, or like in the Nuremberg rally picture just thousands of people lined up in rows. It's hard to explain what I mean, but if you know of a subreddit let me know.

[–]juggerthunk 69ポイント70ポイント  (24子コメント)

The Nazis took a TON from the Romans. In this scene, note the very Roman-looking architecture. The arches, the lions and the fire as a light source. The golden eagle on red looks to be taken almost directly from SPQR standards.

[–]CarolinaPunk 28ポイント29ポイント  (19子コメント)

Roman you say?

Behind the Speaker https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Obama_Health_Care_Speech_to_Joint_Session_of_Congress.jpg

[–]mdp300 7ポイント8ポイント  (2子コメント)

Yeah, that was definitely on purpose.

[–]sdcinerama 4ポイント5ポイント  (1子コメント)

Yes, but when the British and Americans appropriated the fixtures of the Greco-Roman tradition, it was in homage to the values of the political and cultural contributions the Roman republic and empire gave to Western Civilization.

The Nazis used that stuff to emphasis strength and conquest to the exclusion of all else.

[–]lostpatrol 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yeah, the British didn't use it to emphasize their conquest of most of the known world, and the Americans never excluded any race they kept as slaves, in camps or used as forced labor.

[–]thund3rstruck 6ポイント7ポイント  (2子コメント)

Lots of fasces are used to decorate the interior of the Senate Office Buildings in Washington (more familiar with those than the House) to include sconces, pillars, doors, and passageways. Adaptation of Roman architecture and symbology is not a new concept.

[–]CarolinaPunk 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

True but a lot of people assume it's nazi architecture

[–]thund3rstruck 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Oh just realized it's you! Hey, /u/CarolinaPunk.

And I don't know, I feel like in DC it's pretty clear we're emulating the Romans, especially since the architectural conventions of the city were established before the rise of Nazi Germeny.

[–]Dingo-Eating_Baby 2ポイント3ポイント  (4子コメント)

What am I looking for here?

[–]Uphoria 7ポイント8ポイント  (2子コメント)

Do you see the golden 'pillar' statute/plaques on either side of the American flag?

This is that symbol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist_symbolism

[–]Celliers 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

The two fasces? The seating arrangement? I don't actually know...

[–]firesquasher 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Ahh yes... I remember this Obamaclese.

[–]Red_Dog1880 -1ポイント0ポイント  (6子コメント)

Wow, damn...

I know it has a different meaning, but that's eery.

[–]SicilianEggplant 0ポイント1ポイント  (5子コメント)

It's merely an effective way for a bunch of people to better see/hear someone.

[–]dbx99 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

amphitheater seating. Works for college lecture halls, senate halls, Klan gatherings, U2 concerts

[–]Red_Dog1880 -1ポイント0ポイント  (3子コメント)

No, look at the 2 images behind the speaker.

It's 2 images of the Fasces, a well known symbol of fascism. But like I said, in the US it seems to have different meanings.

[–]SicilianEggplant 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

Fascis? You mean a bundle? As in the bundle of sticks the bird is holding?

It's a symbol that fascists have used, but the US heavily borrowd from Roman culture just as much as anyone else. We changed how we saluted the flag because the Nazi "stole the salute" (also from the Romans).

While the Nazi took that salute and kind of made it theirs, the faggot doesn't belong to any specific group. Unlike the fascist party that came from that, they didn't really take it over it like the salute. It's practically part of our Great Seal (although it's the 13 arrows instead), and is used in various forms on our currency and elsewhere.

[–]Red_Dog1880 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

No idea why you're being downvoted.

I mean these ones, just to clarify.

I know the symbol was in use by other civilisations and to this day by the US, but just like the Swastika for the Nazis the Fasces definitely is mostly associated with Italian fascism, it's a bit odd to see how it escaped the same scrutiny as the Swastika after the war ended.

[–]WhenceYeCame 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

very Roman-looking achitecture

Uhh thats Gothic mate. Widely considered as a departure from classical architecture.

[–]juggerthunk 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I know very little of the differences between the two. The arches just reminded me of ancient roman structures like aqueducts or the Colosseum.

[–]McHardism 141ポイント142ポイント  (88子コメント)

Red. Black. Skulls, bones and daggers. Monolithic pyres. Why did so much of the Nazi design, large and small, look "evil"? Or is it that we now think of the Nazi aesthetic as evil when before WWII it was just neutral?

[–]Toppo 41ポイント42ポイント  (3子コメント)

Many great powers in Western countries draw from the Roman Empire. The color red and eagles originate from Roman military ensigns like this. Roman architecture has influenced many governmental styles like Nazi architecture, the United States, Russian Empire, Napoleonic France. Heck the art historical period Empire style originates from Napoleonic era when parallels between France and Roman empire were made in art.

We have learned to view the Nazi interpretation of all these interpretations as evil, but what Nazis did was not something unique. For example here's a photo of German helmets piled as a pyramid in New York, under the eagle of the US, after WWI. And here's another of the same one.

[–]tomdarch 17ポイント18ポイント  (0子コメント)

You're missing the counterpoint of Greece, and also the distinction between the Roman republic versus its later imperial period. Many American and some European buildings intentionally reference Greek architecture - specifically Athenian, as a means of evoking that culture's "invention of democracy." At the other extreme, Nazi and some other architecture intentionally referenced Roman Imperial iconography in order to evoke the image of an imperial power, with an emperor, which invaded, militarily dominated and exploited a massive area.

The US Capitol Building is a mess in terms of its iconography.

[–]best_of_badgers 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

It's made quite explicit in the decor of Versailles.

[–]iForkyou 15ポイント16ポイント  (2子コメント)

Someone is going to post that Mitchell & Webb sketch again really soon.

[–]Farun 51ポイント52ポイント  (4子コメント)

Honestly, it doesn't look all that evil to me. It's just very militaristic and its symbolism deals heavily with death. I'd agree that seeing it as evil is mostly because of the connotation nazi gear and symbols have.

[–]offguard 40ポイント41ポイント  (1子コメント)

Consider that only 20 years earlier, the biggest and most brutal war in history had been fought by their fathers/uncles/older brothers, many of whom had never returned, and many more of whom returned shattered either physically or mentally or both (Hitler among them).

Symbols of militarism and death probably had a different meaning to them. More evocative of things like revenge, long-awaited victory (seeing WW2 as a continuation of WW1), etc. than "evil".

[–]e2hawkeye 23ポイント24ポイント  (0子コメント)

The German teenagers of WWI were the German adults of WWII. A lot of those teenagers got pretty used to eating supper out of a can while sitting next to the corpses of their friends. A partial explanation of their indifference to off the hook levels of violence toward people not considered their friends.

[–]tomdarch 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

But who does that sort of stuff, in that style, and it isn't at least a little evil? It's not like there are 20 examples of officer induction ceremonies held at night with flaming cauldrons, skulls and red curtains where in 17 of those cases, the result was pretty much OK.

[–]seius 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

It's not evil, if you look at German and French history, a ton of these things come from rome and paganism. I can't really see how pyres at night and massive structures are evil, you just have that opinion due to historical propaganda against that aesthetic.

[–]MikoSqz 123ポイント124ポイント  (58子コメント)

They were going for "badass". Skulls and bones and daggers and black and red are "badass". The different between reading as "badass" and as "evil" is slight.

[–]lobsterrocket 24ポイント25ポイント  (21子コメント)

[The different between reading as "badass" and as "evil" is slight.] I agree but I think the difference is all in the follow-through. Wearing skulls and daggers while playing guitar on the back of a chainsaw motorcycle is baddass. Hunting and killing innocent people while wearing skulls and daggers is evil.

[–]untaken-username 13ポイント14ポイント  (2子コメント)

But what if you need lots of living space in order to play guitar on the back of your chainsaw motorcycle?

[–]Rhamni 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

I hear Russia has lots of living space.

[–]Wolf_Hook 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

B..but mein lebensraum!

[–]Zealotux 51ポイント52ポイント  (16子コメント)

Just keep in mind that the "innocent people" were not that innocent in the eyes of a nazi in 1940, evil is a very subjective thing and while most of today's western people will look innocent to you they surely are infidels to the eyes of some.

[–]dbx99 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

What does this say about us then?

[–]Calorie_Mate 8ポイント9ポイント  (0子コメント)

They were not going for "badass", that's not true. What you consider "badass" is just the outcome of a very strict and rigorous approach to attire and symbolism.

The colour scheme is based on the flag, which in turn is based on the flag of the German Empire, since the Nazis denounced the flag of the Weimar Republic, which's black-red-gold stood for democracy.

And the skull symbol already had history in German empires. It has already been used by the Prussians(as a sign of remembrance and revenge) and Weimar Republic. For the Nazis, it had a similar meaning, that one should always put his self at stake for the life of the community.

[–]Saint947 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Navy Seals still use skulls today; you're absolutely right about the "badass" thing.

[–]TheClassyRifleman 10ポイント11ポイント  (0子コメント)

Are we the baddies?!

[–]chrispscott 6ポイント7ポイント  (1子コメント)

A lot of the skull imagery was left over from the Prussian military tradition. The deaths head was very common in the Prussian Cavalry and the Nazis were all about a return to an imagined glorious past. It was at least partly meant to recall that.

[–]McHardism -1ポイント0ポイント  (0子コメント)

I think that's part of the explanation. The Third Reich was an ideal based on burning hatred and exclusivity, which are factors completely independent of Prussian aesthetic that may have guided or informed their look.

[–]jrob1313 15ポイント16ポイント  (0子コメント)

Your second question is spot on.

[–]Blewedup 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

my understanding is that himmler was very much into the occult. there are many elaborate theories that himmler was summoning old pagan gods and that the SS were the human embodiment of their return to earth.

i don't know too much about it, but some interesting stuff here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazism_and_occultism#Claims_of_Nazi_occultism

[–]GrimClippers11 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Many of the German military emblem and symbols that today we associate with the Nazi's are actually much much older and were simply continued from centuries old Prussian traditions or were revamped in order to foster a sense of national pride and heritage.

[–]godofallcows 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Always relevant.

[–]nickmista 4ポイント5ポイント  (1子コメント)

I was wondering the exact same thing. I think the evil feel of it isn't unique to Nazism though and is something that has existed long before Nazism.

I believe the evil feel comes about from a combination of the colour scheme and also the large imposing designs. The black and red that is predominantly used both have fairly negative connotations. Death, blood, disease,war etc. Combined with the foreboding structures which assert power and dominance the feeling is one of a powerful organisation which has a colour scheme which for centuries has been associated with negative feelings.

Not to mention the dim lighting and fires give off an air of Satanism, pagan worship etc.

I wonder if they did that on purpose? Whether the 'head stylist' for Nazism thought "let's make us look as evil as possible". If that's the case, I wonder if they felt they they were evil and just didn't care?

[–]XISOEY 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Himmler (the head of the SS) was very interested in occultism and it's no coincidence that a large part of the SS's ceremonies had this air of Paganism.

[–]CharadeParade 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Many US military units use skulls and or crossbones as symbols. One SEAL team uses the punisher logo. Stuff like that is common in militaries.

[–]jackalsclaw 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToKcmnrE5oY

[–]death-adder 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

I thought about this not to long ago, and I like to play devils advocate particularly when it comes to the whole 'deaths head' is a symbol of evil argument. When comparing war crimes side by side, it's easy to recognize that the USSR was responsible for far more deaths in Stalin's genocidal campaign. Even the U.S and other allies do little to disguise the fact that war crimes occurred (Shooting of prisoners, torture etc). Whether or not the men responsible for these crimes were ever brought to justice becomes unimportant. It is very clear that regardless of the level of involvement, the stigma of 'criminal' and 'evil' follow you only when you are part of the losing side. Not to long ago a Luftwaffe pilot was speaking at the Air Force Gathering of the Eagles ceremony. It was disturbing to hear Members of the US Air Force talk so negatively about a man that truly was doing nothing more than fighting for his country and family, but that's what happens. History is distorted through a lens crafted by the victorious.

Ironically, the F-16 detachment in the area's current patch is a skull in a top hat.

[–]McHardism 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

Evil is a clunky word and should only rarely be used. Stalin himself was certainly a close approximation of evil. But it doesn't mean his commanders and troops were so. The Nazis on the other hand had an ideology that trickled down all the way to the infantryman, one redolent with hate and unbridled bigotry. Anyway, with ven though the Soviets didn't lose, we still openly despise their wartime leader as an evil despot. Also, that F-16 patch is totally jokey. It's a goofy indulgence compared to the Nazi skulls, in my opinion. Now the fact that he U.S. calls one of its major drones the "Reaper" is kind of sick.

[–]death-adder 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

But what your implying is that the ideology of the Nazis was universally embarrassed. People who spoke out against Hitler and the ideology (Much like in the USSR) were punished. Even in the United States today you see speaking out against government is met with consequences, not necessarily as severe obviously but none the less. I personally do not support gay marriage, in the US that opinion is contradictory to what the social progression is right now. This is just a social issue, but still I keep my mouth shut about it for fear of the consequences.

I understand the patch is a joke, but the individual who made the quip about the former Nazi pilot was likely part of the 310.

The US military in my opinion uses much more graphic symbols in allot of there worn patches. Simple example. I think that because of the history behind the Nazi death skull, there is a much harsher stigma towards it much like the symbol SS or even the swastika. There is no direct correlation with 'death' other than what history has made them out to be.

[–]123whoa -1ポイント0ポイント  (1子コメント)

nachos. lemonheads. my dads boat.

[–]McHardism -2ポイント-1ポイント  (0子コメント)

schnizel, marzipan, boot meines Vaters

[–]Red_Dog1880 10ポイント11ポイント  (2子コメント)

Their so-called 'Cathedral of Light' had to leave a lasting impression on those present.

[–]yourethevictim 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Seeing photographs like these makes it all too easy to imagine how young, impressionable Germans were swept up by the Nazi movement. It was grandiose, glorious, empowering, unifying... and, of course, ultimately horrifying, but hindsight is 20/20.

[–]nickmista 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Jesus, that's astounding. I don't even have the words, it's just sort of disturbing but also sort of really incredible to look at.

[–]fightONstate 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

The architectural style is called (more generally) Stripped Classicism, for anyone that's interested.

[–]frukt 11ポイント12ポイント  (3子コメント)

The whole visual image of the Third Reich was pretty much the work of Albert Speer. He was also Hitler's right hand man for years and had plenty of time to write memoirs at Spandau prison after the war. It's a unique historical document, heartily recommended reading for anyone interested in the era. He's also "credited" with the war lasting roughly two years longer than it should have, as he was excellent at increasing the efficiency of the German war machine even under stress of massive Allied air raids as the Minister of Armaments since 1942.

[–]nickmista 3ポイント4ポイント  (2子コメント)

That's really interesting, I'd never heard of him before. Thanks for posting, I'll look into those memoirs.

[–]GumdropGoober 4ポイント5ポイント  (1子コメント)

His legacy is really controversial. During the Nuremberg trials he became infamous as "the Nazi who apologized", accepting responsibility for the actions of the Third Reich in their entirety. He claimed to not fully appreciate the nature of the slave workforce used after '42 to dramatically increase German war production, even as cities burned. On the flipside, he intentionally disobeyed Hitler's scorched earth policies in the last few months of the war, which would have crippled Germany economically-- and then had the balls to travel into Berlin just prior to the Soviet encirclement and tell Hitler to his face that he had done so.

[–]ming_the_merciless 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Speer wrote a memoir that detailed his role in aggrandizing Nazi Germany called "Inside the Third Reich". Fascinating read.

[–]ryken 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

The structure was actually built in the 1800s, but the Nazis did gussy it up and make it more Nazi like.

[–]kurburux 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

The nazis put a lot of preparation into mass group events like this. There was music, torches, burning fires (no electric light at all), all were supposed to look into one direction, fitting clothing, etc. This all aimed at the emotional (and somewhat primal) side of people. The people should feel themselves as a part of a big, mighty group. There shouldn't be rational thinking or place for an individual or criticism.

This counts for this event with officers just like for an event with civilians.

[–]rayne117 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

Why are there so many bald men in your second picture? I thought Nazis cared about "pure" blonde hair genes. Why are all these dudes fat with brown balding hair?

[–]MissVancouver 15ポイント16ポイント  (0子コメント)

Blond was the ideal, not a a necessity. And baldness is a sign of masculinity, which wasn't seen as a "bad" thing back then. It shouldn't be today, either.

As to them being fat.. they're all sitting so their body shape is being compressed. The average person back in the late 30s was actually a lot skinnier than today.

[–]Chrisixx 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

They really went for the whole Roman Empire meets batshit evil mashup.

[–]MAXSquid 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

The selection of large and intimidating men for the SS, and the Nazi era architecture, played into fascism; a physical representation of the ideology, how it looms over and controls the people.

[–]TheElbow 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

/r/fascistarchitecture

Not really a sub, but you can google that term and find great examples. You're correct, it's designed to be imposing. Washington D.C. is full of examples too, appropriately or not :-p

[–]J9suited 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

It really looks like something out of retro Star Wars

[–]absinthe-grey 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

The style of 'stripped classicism' was used all around the world at the time -not just the Nazis. Have a look at the FED building built in 1930s

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eccles_Building#/media/File:Marriner_S._Eccles_Federal_Reserve_Board_Building.jpg

Or the Parliament building in Finland

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stripped_Classicism#/media/File:Parliament_building_Finland.jpg

[–]AintEzBnWhite -1ポイント0ポイント  (1子コメント)

The Nazis really had a knack for creating grand and imposing structures and events.

You are not wrong ... AT ... ALL.

.

The pic OP posted can safely be filed away as yet another example of a situation where the reality of it is more "awe-inspiring"/staggering than the vast majority of fictional recreations of similar event(s).

As I suspect most people, who themselves were previously ignorant of the actual scale of the reality, would likely scoff and find the "fictional account" to be painfully exaggerated/over-dramatized as if it came straight out of a well-funded, yet over-the-top, Hollywood production.

For example, OP's picture really does look even more "grand", in scale at least, than the scene in "Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade" where Indiana Jones(Harrison Ford) infiltrates a similar, yet less grandiose(even if factoring in the giant book bonfire, LoL) Nazi rally/parade in an effort to snatch the hot blonde snatch and rescue his Father(Sir Sean Connery).

As /u/nickmista pointed out, the Nazis, above any other entity I can think of offhand, seem to have had a penchant for pulling off this phenomenon.

.

Anyway, thanks for posting, OP.

[–]nickmista 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Haha, I'm not OP and I am /u/nickmista. I appreciate the response though, and the similarity to that scene in the last crusade is remarkable. I seem to remember thinking when I watched it it seemed overly dramatised and that they surely wouldn't have such evil looking gatherings etc. Nope, I was wrong.

[–]sterling_mallory -2ポイント-1ポイント  (0子コメント)

That museum straight up looks like a prison.

[–]fragenstein 77ポイント78ポイント  (16子コメント)

FYI They are standing in the Odeonsplatz in Munich, Germany. The background is the Feildhermhalle.

[–]Farun 25ポイント26ポイント  (0子コメント)

*Feldherrnhalle

Sorry, that kinda bothered me. It means "Commanders hall" or more literally "field commanders hall".

[–]real_jeeger 6ポイント7ポイント  (5子コメント)

It was still used for initiation ceremonies by the German army up until the nineties, when they noticed that this really wasn't sending the right signals.

[–]coolsubmission 5ポイント6ポイント  (4子コメント)

meh. The current german army still likes to use places for their ceremonies which the nazis used. And i think that these ceremonies have kind of a nazi vibe. e.g. the "Großer Zapfenstreich". Example from 2005 Example from 2002

[–]thund3rstruck 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

I'd be interested to know if these sort of ceremonies started during the Third Reich or were merely adapted by them. The tone and setting for these things seems to be uniquely German.

[–]real_jeeger 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

I was talking about the Feldherrnhalle specifically.

[–]coolsubmission 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

yeah, i know... I didn't want to dispute that, just add that in other places in germany they don't care about it.

[–]Adan714 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

And it's midnight.

[–]mdp300 3ポイント4ポイント  (1子コメント)

My first impression was that it looks just like the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.

[–]Thorzaim 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Loggia dei Lanzi was what I first thought of as well but apparently it's Odeonsplatz in Munich, Germany.

Oh there we go.

The Feldherrnhalle is a copy of the famous Loggia dei Lanzi in Florence.

[–]Sealbhach 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

What the flames are about:

During some of these events the sixteen dead were each commemorated by a temporary pillar placed in the Feldherrnhalle topped by a flame. New SS recruits took their oath of loyalty to Hitler in front of the memorial.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feldherrnhalle#Sacred_Nazi_site

[–]rincewind83 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

It's always fascinating when I find out that a place I visited has such a significant history attached to it. You have a lot of similar places in Munich.

[–]TheElbow 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Came here to find this out. Thank you.

[–]AndyBreal 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

Oh wow. That's eerie that you can go stand there right where there was a huge Nazi rally in the past. So many of the places were destroyed.

[–]nidrach 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

It's only eerie if you attribute some sort of mysticism to it.

[–]AndyBreal 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I don't think it has anything to do with mysticism. It has to do with it being a part of modern history...a very dark part.

[–]carn2fex 13ポイント14ポイント  (5子コメント)

Whenever I see these photos I wonder how many people pictured here were dead within a few years..

[–]Prufrock451 17ポイント18ポイント  (3子コメント)

About 25% of SS members died during the war, and another 40% were wounded. (There's some double-counting because some of those counted as wounded were later killed, either in bombing raids or after rejoining the armed services.)

So over half of the men in this picture were killed or wounded during the war.

[–]Erazzmus 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

That sounds about right, but where are you pulling the numbers from? Genuinely curious.

[–]Prufrock451 3ポイント4ポイント  (1子コメント)

That's Waffen-SS numbers, actually, which might be higher. Pulled from the Osprey book on the Waffen-SS.

[–]Erazzmus 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Thanks! I wonder if any of the characters of your Rome story would be reminded of images like this when confronted with the real thing?

Personally, I always had a romantic attachment to Imperial Rome up until I played Fallout:New Vegas. You reach a town near the beginning of the game that has been laid waste and enslaved by the Roman-inspired faction (the Legion). You never really meet anyone in the town, and don't have any real connection to it, but the casual brutality just shocked me.

It was then that I realized this was the true face of Imperial Rome; a peaceful village, devastated by an overwhelming force, the inhabitants enslaved and taken away from their homes for no better reason than that it was convenient for the Roman elite. No benefit of culture or progress could make that worthwhile. Very eye-opening for me, and I don't look at history the same way any more.

[–]GumdropGoober 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well we know what all that blind fanaticism got them.

The final shot with the Berlin flyover has the Sportpalast Speech playing, where Goebbels famously shouted: "I ask you: Do you want total war? If necessary, do you want a war more total and radical than anything that we can even yet imagine?" The crowd then cheers loudly.

Well they fucking got total war.

[–]Neuchacho 25ポイント26ポイント  (12子コメント)

I find it funny that pictures like this didn't just scream "evil, world conquering force" at the time (mostly hindsight, I imagine, but still). Now we're at a point that this would be clichè.

[–]gaviidae 68ポイント69ポイント  (10子コメント)

They didn't have decades of movies using similar styling to portray evil that we have now.

[–]Neuchacho 7ポイント8ポイント  (9子コメント)

It just makes me really curious as to what our version will be in 80 years, if we have one.

[–]gaviidae 35ポイント36ポイント  (4子コメント)

The Soviet accent is the latest version. If you hear a Soviet (Russian) accent you automatically think "bad guy" in movies. It is part of why Putin looks so badass to Americans. He fits the stereotype our media has created.

[–]Typical_Whiteboy 2ポイント3ポイント  (3子コメント)

Or did the Russians create a stereotype that our media saw and used in their work?

[–]bobbertmiller 0ポイント1ポイント  (1子コメント)

In soviet russia, stereotype creates you?

[–]Typical_Whiteboy 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

I'm just sayin, you see a lot of Russians portrayed as wearing adidas track suits. Because they actually wear adidas track suits a lot.

[–]GumdropGoober -1ポイント0ポイント  (0子コメント)

America is crushing Russia culturally, so... not really.

[–]danbuter 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

Men in business suits telling oblivious wage slaves, "You, too, can be successful!".

[–]nidrach 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Depends on who wins the next war.

[–]Jeyts 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Just watch a Time Warner commercial

[–]Comafly 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Just watch House of Cards.

[–]Prufrock451 10ポイント11ポイント  (0子コメント)

They deliberately borrowed Roman motifs exactly because they wanted to project the image of force and domination.

[–]rag3train 19ポイント20ポイント  (4子コメント)

I feel like shit is some shit out of Indiana Jones with all the grandiose fire. Incredible image.

[–]dotMJEG 3ポイント4ポイント  (3子コメント)

Yeah I thought it was a still from Raiders of the Lost Ark for a second.

[–]gameoverplayer1 -2ポイント-1ポイント  (2子コメント)

You two need to read a fucking book once in a while.

[–]dotMJEG 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

...what?

Where the hell did that come from?

[–]RobertNeyland 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Where the hell did that come from?

I think it is close to a line from the third movie in the Indiana Jones series that's being discussed above.

[–]Foolski 48ポイント49ポイント  (4子コメント)

Because that doesn't look evil and cult-ish.

"Are we the baddies?"

[–]Werewolfdad 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

This is my first thought every time I see imagery like this.

[–]pumpkincat 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

I can't watch this enough.

[–]comfypepe 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

The reason this looks evil and cult-ish that most modern movies use this style to portray evil nowaday.

[–]CharadeParade 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Reading about Himmler's obsession with the occult is pretty fascinating. Hitler wasn't to into it, for him it just served a purpose. (Unification, creating a religion of sorts). But Himmler was up to some weird shit.

[–]NSobieski 6ポイント7ポイント  (4子コメント)

I was wondering what those pillars say. The upper text is Zum Appell, which means something like Time for Roll Call. After looking around, I found a video of a similar ceremony and apparently the lower text is names. Can't see how all those people would fit though, so perhaps only upper echelons are included.

[–]Solifluktion 10ポイント11ポイント  (2子コメント)

Afaik those are the names of the 16 Nazis who died during Hitlers Putch attempt, the so called Blutzeugen (Bloodwitnesses)

[–]psychedelic_tortilla 5ポイント6ポイント  (1子コメント)

Exactly!

Random fact: When passing the monument for those sixteen Nazis who were killed during the Beer Hall Putsch of 1923, located on the eastern side of the Feldherrnhalle, people were required to render the Nazi salute. To avoid this, many used the little street behind the hall, called the "Viscardigasse", to cross over to the other side, thus passing the Feldherrnhalle on the west, where they didn't have to salute. This alley is since also known as "Drückebergergasse", which means shirker's alley in German.

[–]NSobieski 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Very interesting! Found this (German) wiki page: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr%C3%BCckebergergasse

It sounds a bit like the US tomb of the unknown soldier, having a round the clock honor guard.

[–]ThatPelican 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

This looks like something out of Wolfenstein: The New Order. For as fucked us as they were, the nazi's sure had a sense of style.

[–]scrambledpancakes 7ポイント8ポイント  (6子コメント)

Did anyone else start singing The Imperial March in their head when looking at this picture?

[–]e2hawkeye 3ポイント4ポイント  (4子コメント)

No, but I can see that. It was probably more like the Horst Wessel song.

[–]Red_Dog1880 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

Which is, despite it's connotations, a really badass song.

[–]e2hawkeye 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

It is. Some NFL team should use that song with English lyrics about flags and freedom and eagles and sing it at halftime rallies and see how long before anyone puts two and two together. I'd give it a whole month.

[–]sdcinerama 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

John Williams actually wrote a few pieces for the NFL a few years ago and I think they might still be in use for Sunday Night Football.

[–]JazzinZerg 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Not available in Germany BTW. Now isn't that ironic?

[–]sdcinerama 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

I'm hoping you see a scene like this in Episode 8 or 9 when Stormtroopers get initiated into the ranks of the First Order / Empire.

[–]_Standard_User_ 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

Do we see the Saxony coat of arms above the columns?

[–]Astrogator 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yes. Munich was founded by the Duke of Bavaria and Saxony, Heinrich the Lion.

[–]universalLight 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

That is the sickest shit I've ever seen

[–]punkerjumper 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Reminds me of my infantry ceremony at honor hill, but the grunt version instead of officers and minus the nazi bullshit

[–]Jackomo 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

'So ya, thought ya, might like tooooo go to the shoooww.'

[–]coolsubmission 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

The german army still likes theatrical marches with torches and Stahlhelm Picture

[–]moeburn 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

This gives me a real "Are we the baddies?" vibe

[–]ButtGardener 0ポイント1ポイント  (0子コメント)

Say what you want about the Nazi's but you can't deny their ceremonies where bad ass.

[–]Branch3s -1ポイント0ポイント  (0子コメント)

"Is this not what you expected to see?"

[–]WadeWilsonforPope -1ポイント0ポイント  (0子コメント)

How did they not know they were the baddies?

[–]MeteorProof -4ポイント-3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Nigel, are we the baddies?

[–]JustSayAnything -3ポイント-2ポイント  (0子コメント)

When I see old pictures like this, it makes me wonder if any of the soldiers stopped and were like, "Are we evil?". And then someone showed me this

[–]manvsnig -4ポイント-3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Its beautiful things like this that make me proud to be white.