Guest Post By Professor Neufeldt-Fast: Political Rally At The Foot Of Holy Mountain 1935

Arnold Neufeldt-Fast is Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Theology at the Seminary at Tyndale University in Toronto. Here, with his permission, is a part of what he posted on Anabaptist Collective--A Mennonerds (Facebook) Group. 

1933 postcard courtesy of Professor Neufeldt-Fast: "What the King (Fredrick the Great) conquered, the Prince (Otto von Bismarck) shaped, and the Field Marshal (Paul von Hindenburg) defended, was rescued and united by the soldier (Adolf Hitler)."

Around the time of the summer solstice well over 10,000 people gathered tightly-packed under a gloriously clear evening sky in the outdoor amphitheater at the national “holy mountain” (“Heiligen Berg”).

On June 22, 1935 a key national leader--Reich Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda Minister Dr. Joseph Goebbels--arrived by plane and entered the flag-draped stage together with the state governor. Words of thanks were extended to those who worked hard behind the scenes to make this possible.

The event was covered in detail by national newspapers and the following is a composite of the speech.

The iconic rocky monument was birthed out the spirit of the nation and carved out of stone--a visible expression of national vision and inspiration for future generations.

There is no better place to celebrate the nation’s greatness and to pay tribute than beneath this magnificent, incredible majestic mountain. It embodies the nation’s will, and will stand forever as an eternal tribute to our people and our freedom—the most exceptional nation to exist on earth. In hundreds of years people will still come to come to this rocky site and the monument our people created. They will stand in awe, of how it inspired a new national focus for the challenges of this day.

The ruling party’s purpose from its early years has been to protect the state from within. The security of our own people has always been our first task through this term of office.

Internal law and order is one of the pillars upon which our state rests and will live eternally. We will never allow an existential threat from within to take root and attack our liberty. The other pillar is our armed forces who secure our borders. Internationally we are sometimes accused of worshipping the state; that’s the furthest from the truth. It’s not about the state, but about our people. We must take care of our nation first.

There is new energy stirring and rising from within to make us great again. Maybe our prayers have not been perfect, but our works have displayed divine blessing (applause). God has helped us. That’s why we have the right and privilege to celebrate in this way this evening. That is why can look full of awe and fervor at these flags and salute. While we carry the responsibility for the nation today, we summon the bravery and determination of our national ancestors.

People across the nation are flocking to our movement because in other parts of this great nation there was nothing of our nation left to be found. But a new age is dawning again. We do not need to be ashamed.

Our party is here to stay, because we alone have the intelligence and the strength and the courage and determination to solve the great tasks that are given to us today. In a world full of enemies, isn’t it a miracle that this movement has been so successful? We know that the problems of future will not be solved alone through understanding and intelligence, but primarily through courage and character. One has to try the impossible to achieve greatness.

We live in the most magnificent country in the history of the world, and soon it will greater than ever before. What makes us stronger than other nations is that we are concentrating our national will to greatness in one direction and on one man. Just think, if our party was not at the helm at this hour, there would be not be seven million but ten or twelve million people unemployed!

We stand united--thousands of men and women stand at this iconic rock site—with hearts that swell with pride, in contrast to our pitiful, capitulating opposition who are ashamed.

Other nations once viewed us with contempt as well. Now they view us with respect. When we started, we made the commitment to fight for liberty and national sovereignty. We’ve stayed true to that commitment, and tonight at the celebration we speak up loudly and strongly to recommit ourselves to that struggle and resolve to defend the integrity of our country.

The newspaper reports described the dramatic music deep in the woods, and bright, flaming lights across the rock faces under the starry sky. In this way the celebration came to a close.

Six weeks later Dr. Goebbels held a larger rally in Essen where he took aim at agitators, the press, and social democrats—and clarified the party's positive stance toward the churches. Again a composite summary of that August 4 address:

It is clear that we know who our enemies are and that we will throw them in the dust (to great applause). The agitators are the radical left-wing (he calls them social democrats, even Bolsheviks) and Germany has the Party to thank that they have dealt with them. Especially if by chance a Jew is arrested and held by police, fake foreign press tries to make a public crisis out of it. If you look at a Jew the wrong way in Berlin, you will hear the cries of injustice in the fake press from London to Beijing. The foreign press does not rule our country, but we do (passionate applause). We will exterminate any anti-government sentiment. Yet we don’t want to stoke a culture war. We know however that there are certain groups that seem to want a culture war. We will ensure that trouble makers will receive draconian punishments.