Page 238 - Balancing between the present and the past

Appendix A: The Nazi Party instrument
Dusseldorf, Germany in 1930. Hannes (20 years old) is the son of a man who owns a small factory that makes handmade shoes. One day Hannes meets with his friend Gerd. They talk about the situation in Germany and the upcoming elections. Hannes says: “My father’s company might close down. Since the war ended, everything is getting worse and worse. After the economic crisis of 1923, we began to feel some hope again. But now it is worse than ever. I don’t know how this is going to end. Right now, I still have a job in my father’s business. But when he closes down, I have no idea where to get a job. We have always been wealthy people – and look at us now!”. ‘Gerd replies. “You are right. What has happened to our country? Look at what is going on today. No one has work. Hannes replies: “My father always says that we were better off during the time of the German Empire. What can we do if our country is suffering from a crisis and the winners of the war are hurting us wherever they can? Our politicians are not decisive and do us no good. It’s time that Germany is ruled by someone who knows what he is doing and who really takes the lead. During the last election, I supported the German Democratic Party, but I do not know if they have got the right people to save our country.”
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