Changing Perspectives Speech

Changing Perspectives Speech

Good morning teachers and students. When we aren’t able to change a situation, we are challenged to change our perspective.

A topic that I’m extremely passionate about, and an example of an entire country changing perspective, was during the time of Nazi-Germany and the rise and fall of the Third Reich.

In 1918, the whole of Germany was forced to change perspective. The world had just saddled Germany with the onus of responsibility for World War I. This subjected the country to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, which included massive war repayment. Germany vehemently objected to these terms, although they had no say in the agreement of peace. Here came the
first change in perspective for Germany. The actions forced upon the country prepared them for a generation warped by vengeful bitterness, something that was inexistent before the end of World War I. The feelings held by the people of Germany show that most of all, perspectives can be warped by hostility and failure taken badly.

After the First World War, there was permanent political crisis in Germany. As a result of the previous ineffective government, there were many people in the German public who wanted a return to dictatorship.

This was the perfect time for Adolph Hitler to find his voice, a voice that would soon prove to be cataclysmic to the future of Germany. How the entirety of Nazi-Germany accepted Hitler’s anti-Semitic views came down to personal perspective. Particularly in the nineteenth century, the German’s believed desperately in the idea of a sovereign and invincible power. How a dictatorial regime of such dimensions could come to power so quickly and with little or no resistance proved just how skewed the German public’s perspectives were. They were fanatical Nationalists.

During World War II and the reign of Hitler, Germany was subjected to anti-Semitist propaganda.
This reinforced their perspective on what they already believed: the racial inferiority of the Jewish people. From around 1936, anyone of Jewish decent was being relocated to camps. By 1941, Hitler formulated the "Final Solution", attempting to eradicate all Jews from Europe. This was around the time of the German public’s second change in perspective. By the time the public were hearing rumors of death camps, most chose to ignore them. Some Germans were scared of what would happen if they resisted, or they simply didn’t care because it didn’t directly affect them. They employed an ‘ignorance is bliss’ attitude and chose to turn a blind eye to the killings of the Jewish people. This is something that many people today can probably relate to. How many of you have chosen to ignore something that wasn’t pleasant? Because I know I have.

Even during World War II, the German public was not enthusiastic about the war. As the first signs of the failure of the Third Reich began to show, there was another major shift in perspective. As the fighting dragged on, the German public began to grasp the idea that Hitler was bent on winning at any cost – even if it came to the entire destruction of the country. Most had realised at around 1943 that Nazi-Germany was not going to win the war. As the war got continuously worse for Germany, the extreme sense of Nationalism began to
disappear.

On the second-last day of Hitler’s life, he spoke of the war and the Reich’s failure. He spoke of how he was not responsible for starting the war; that was the fault of the Jews. Nor was he responsible for losing the war; that was the fault of the generals. He didn’t speak one word of regret or remorse for his role of killing millions of people and bringing ruin upon the Reich. During the rise and fall of the Third Reich, he would have been the only person whose perspective did not differ from what it was at the start.

As far as public opinion immediately after the fall of the Third Reich, many, many Germans were incredibly relieved, having already realised that they were fighting a losing battle, and that their leaders were bent on winning at any cost. Even the most ‘loyal’ of the Nazi-party members had realised, by this point, that Hitler had literally lost the plot.

The final, and most recent, change in perspective for the German public is the rekindling of Nationalism.
Imagine if we were put into their situation and were not able to celebrate Australia day. As you all know, having pride in your country is extremely important. It had taken Germany from about 1943 until present to regain some of the Nationalism they showed before the war.

The change in perspective after the fall of the Third Reich, compared to the rise, was phenomenal. In a matter of years the people of Germany went from public displays of fanatical Nationalism, to having even the smallest amount of national pride frowned upon. The Third Reich was not taught in German schools for years.

The changes in the German public’s perspective as a whole from 1936 until the present have been huge. Today, people around the world now accept that parts of the past can be painful, but they’ve got be accepted. Germany’s constant flux in perspective has aided their development as a country and, especially in the last decade, has helped them rekindle their Nationalism. Every time the people of Germany have been unable to change the situation that they were in, they were challenged to change their perspective, and by changing perspective, they were able to eventually move
forward.

Thank you.