Why was hermann goering important

He was put on trial at Nuremberg on charges of crimes against humanity and waging war. Of the senior Nazis on trial, he was the only one to put up a forceful defence and on occasions had the courtroom laughing with his comments. This did not save him and he was sentenced to be hanged. Goering was due to be executed on October 15th Just hours before his execution, he committed suicide by taking cyanide thereby cheating the hangman.

It is a blessing for Germany that in Hitler the rare union has taken place between the most acute logical thinker and truly profound philosopher and the iron man of action, tenacious to the limit. Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany. Adolf Hitler killed himself on April 30th, - just days before Germany's unconditional surrender.

Berlin was…. Adolf Hitler. His desire to create an aryan race was paramount in his ethos and political campaigns. Arrested by the Allies, he committed suicide in his cell before his verdict in Nuremberg. To the psychiatrist Leon Goldensohn, he declared that he was aware of rumors about the extermination of Jews but that he was busy with other matters, which prevented him from investigating the matter.

He added that if he had known something, he could probably not have done anything to prevent it. Nazi Europe. Gore Vidal was best known as a prolific American writer but was also famous for frequent talk-show appearances and witty political criticisms.

Lesley Gore was a singer-songwriter known for her smash single "It's My Party. By winning wars and expanding territories, he established Prussia as a strong military power. Max Weber was a 19th-century German sociologist and one of the founders of modern sociology. He was condemned to hang as a war criminal in but took his own life instead.

Olivia Rodrigo —. This decree applied to "property of citizens of the former Polish State within the territory of the Greater German Reich, including the incorporated Eastern Territories", and provided in part:.

The agency having jurisdiction in accordance with Section 12 may allow further exemptions. If the property is required for the public welfare, particularly in the interests of Reich defense or the strengthening of Germanism. If the owners or other title holders immigrated into the territory of the German Reich as it was then delimited, after October 1, The spoliation of Soviet territory and resources and the barbarous treatment inflicted on Soviet citizens were the result of plans long made and carefully drawn up by the Nazis before they launched their aggressive war on the Soviet Union.

The Nazis planned to destroy the industrial potential of the northern regions occupied by their armies and to administer the production of food in the south and southeast, which normally produced a surplus of food, in such a way that the population of the northern region would inevitably be reduced to starvation because of diversion of such surplus food to the German Reich. The Nazis also planned to incorporate Galicia and all the Baltic countries into Germany and to convert the Crimea, an area north of the Crimea, the Volga territory, and the district around Baku into German colonies.

Their plans were to Germanize or destroy. By 29 April , seven weeks prior to the invasion of the Soviet Union, it appears that Hitler had entrusted Goering with the over-all direction of the economic administration in the area of operations and in the areas under political administration. It further appears that Goering had set up an economic staff and subsidiary authorities to carry out this function. The form of organization thus created by Goering and the duties of its various sections appear more clearly in a set of directives "for the operation of the economy in the newly occupied territories" issued by Goering, as Reich Marshal of the Greater German Reich in July By the terms of these directives, it is stated "The Orders of the Reich Marshal cover all economic fields, including nutrition and agriculture.

They are to be executed by the subordinate economic offices. One subdivision of this staff, entitled "Group La", was charged with the following functions: "Nutrition and Agriculture, the economy of all agricultural products, provision of supplies for the Army, in cooperation with the Army groups concerned. As appears from the foregoing documents, it was a subdivision of the economic organization set by Goering, the Economic Staff, East, Agricultural Group, which rendered a top secret report on 23 May , containing a set of policy directives for the exploitation of Soviet agriculture.

These directives contemplated abandonment of all industry in the food deficit regions, with certain exceptions, and the diversion of food from the food surplus regions to German needs, even though millions of people would inevitably die of starvation as a result. Minutes of a meeting at Hitler's Headquarters on 16 July , kept by Bormann, disclose Hitler's announcement that the Nazis never intended to leave the countries then being occupied by their Armies.

The Fuehrer further declared that although the rest of the world was to be deceived on this point, nevertheless, "this need not prevent us taking all necessary measures-shooting, desettling, etc. Goering was present and participated in this conference. As a final illustration, it appears from a memorandum dated 16 September that Goering presided over a meeting of German military officials concerned with the "better exploitation of the occupied territories for the German food economy" and that in discussing this topic, Goering said:.

The rates are adjusted accordingly. The supply of the German non-military population follows and only then comes the population of the occupied territories. Even if one wanted to feed all the other inhabitants, one could not do it in the newly occupied eastern areas. It is, therefore, wrong to funnel off food supplies for this purpose, if it is done at the expense of the Army and necessitates increased supplies from home. In , Himmler became Chief of the German Police.

Goering was thereafter able to devote his attention chiefly to the tasks of creating the German Air Force and preparing the nation economically for aggressive war. As was inevitable from his position, however, Goering continued to be concerned from time to time with the institutions of his creation, such as the Gestapo and the concentration camps.

For example, on 14 February , he sent the following teletype to Himmler:. At the same time I ask you to put at my disposal as great a number of concentration camp [K Z-] convicts as possible for air armament, as this kind of manpower proved to be very useful according to previous experience. The situation of the air war makes subterranean transfer of industry necessary. For work of this kind concentration camp [K Z-] convicts can be especially well concentrated at work and in the camp.

Such installations are necessary in order to secure production of the now fully developed most modern airplanes. The Fuehrer upon his visit in Insterburg has attached great value to these airplanes. Intermediate negotiations have already been held between my and your departments. I would be especially grateful for your support in carrying out this task. An increase to a total of 90, prisoners is contemplated.

There follows a report on the use of concentration camp prisoners in the aviation industry. Any continuation of these experiments seems essentially unreasonable. However, the carrying out of experiments of some other kind, in regard to perils at high seas, would be important. These have been prepared in immediate agreement with the proper offices; Major M.

Weltz will be charged with the execution and Capt. Rascher will be made available until further orders in addition to his duties within the Medical Corps of the Air Corps. A change of these measures does not appear necessary, and an enlargement of the task is not considered pressing at this time. It is urgently needed at another place and therefore can no longer remain in Dachau. That Milch kept informed of the progress of the experiments may be seen from the following letter which he sent to Himmler on 31 August I have read with great interest the reports of Dr.

Rascher and Dr. I am informed about the current experiments. I shall ask the two gentlemen to give a lecture combined with the showing of motion pictures to my men in the near future. Thus it is clear that the highest circles in the Air Ministry, of which Goering was the head, were interested in these experiments.

As was to be expected from his position as Number 2 Nazi, Goering took an active part in the waging of the Nazi program of persecution, the ultimate purpose of which was the extermination of all Jews. To quote from Goering's own book:. Whatever has happened so far has been done in a state of necessity, in the interest of our own people; it was a reaction against the ruin which this race has brought upon us.

In , Goering, as President of the Reichstag, in a speech urging that body to pass the Nurnberg race laws, said:. He did not want equality and therefore we energetically reject any attempt to falsify the concept of race purity by making it equivalent with racial equality. We have never accepted such an idea and therefore we must reject it in our laws likewise and must accept that purity of race which nature and providence have destined for us.

Today Vienna cannot rightly claim to be a German city. One cannot speak of a German City in which , Jews live. This city has an important German mission in the field of culture as well as in economics. For neither of these can we make use of the Jews. In the late fall of , using as an excuse the murder of von Rath, Secretary of the German Legation in Paris, the Nazi conspirators, acting within the frame-work of economic preparation for aggressive war, began the complete elimination of Jews from economic life, preparatory to their physical annihilation.

Goering as head of the Four-Year Plan, was in active charge of this phase of the persecutions. The first step in his campaign was a law requiring registration of all Jewish-owned property. Armed with the information thus secured, the Nazi conspirators were fully prepared to take the next step. The killing of von Rath in Paris on 9 November was made the pretext for widespread "spontaneous" riots, which included the looting and burning of many Jewish synagogues, homes, and shops, all of which were carefully organized and supervised by the Nazi conspirators.

Goering was fully informed of measures taken. Goering made the purpose of the meeting clear at the outset. He said:. I have received a letter written on the Fuehrer's orders by the Stabsleiter of the Fuehrer's deputy, Bormann, requesting that the 'Jewish Question be now, once and for all, coordinated and solved one way or another.

And yesterday, once again did the Fuehrer request by 'phone for me to take coordinated action in the matter'. Naturally a number of legal measures shall have to be taken which fall into the sphere of the Minister for Justice and into that of the Minister of the Interior; and certain propaganda measures shall have to be taken care of by the office of the Minister for Propaganda.

The Minister for Finance and the Minister for Economic Affairs shall take care of problems falling into their respective resorts. Goering then said that it was not sufficient to have demonstrations and to burn down Jewish property. In such cases the real loss usually fell on German insurance companies.

He continued:. We have not come together merely to talk again but to make decisions, and I implore the competent agencies to take all measures for elimination of the Jews from German economy and to submit them to me, as far as it is necessary. He will be compensated. The compensation is to be listed in the debit ledger and shall bring a certain percentage of interest.

The Jew shall have to live out of this interest. It is a foregone conclusion, that this aryanizing, if it is to be done quickly, cannot be made in the Ministry for Economy in Berlin. Therefore, we must begin here, according to the rules previously laid down. These stores are excluded from aryanizing at once. Their stocks are to be made available for sale in other stores; what cannot be sold, shall be processed through the "Winterhilfe" or taken care of otherwise. However, the sales values of these articles shall always be considered, since the State is not to suffer but should profit through this transformation.

For the Chain and Department stores-I speak now only of that, which can be seen, certain categories have to be established, according to the importance of the various branches. Naturally, this amount is to be set as low as possible. The representative of the State shall then turn the establishment over to the "Arian" proprietor, that is, the property shall be sold according to its real value.

It is easily understood that strong attempt will be made to get all these stores to Party members and to let them have some kind of compensations. I have witnessed terrible things in the past; little chauffeurs of Gauleiters have profited so much by these transactions that they have now about half a million.

You, gentlemen, know it. Is that correct? Specific measures to effect the "Arianization" of Jewish businesses were then discussed. A representative of German insurance companies was called in to assist in solving the difficulties created by the fact that most of the Jewish stores and other property destroyed in the rioting were in fact insured, in some cases ultimately by foreign insurance companies.

All present were agreed that it would be unfortunate to pass a law which would have the effect of allowing foreign insurance companies to escape from liability, and that moreover, so far as the insurance companies were concerned, they had made a bargain and should stand by it. The defendant Goering then suggested a solution:. I don't even dream of refunding the insurance companies the money. The companies are liable.

No, the money belongs to the State. That's quite clear. That would indeed be a present for the insurance companies. You make a wonderful Petidum there. You'll fulfill your obligations, you may count on that. It is impossible here to quote further from the extensive discussion of all phases of persecution of the Jews which took place at this meeting. It is sufficient to point out that on the same day Goering, over his own signature, promulgated three decrees putting into effect the most important matters decided at the meeting.

The third decree took care of the insurance question raised in the morning's meeting, by providing that insurance due to Jews for various losses sustained by them was to be collected by the State.

For other examples, the energetic manner in which Goering took part in driving the Jews from economic life at this period, see: PS; PS. As the German armies moved into other countries, the anti-Jewish laws were extended, often in a more stringent form, to the occupied territories. Many of the decrees were not signed by Goering himself, but were issued on the basis of decrees signed by Goering and introducing the Four-Year Plan in the occupied territories.