How much did the Nazis influence modern culture?

[Machjo]

Many of us probably know how Nazi Germany nearly totally suppressed the Swastika at least outside of certain religious communities even till this day, at least in the West (though it would appear to have had less of an impact in the East, from India to Japan especially, where it continues to be widely used today, albeit more cautiously when it involves the sale of commercial products to the West). Prior to the Nazi era, the Swastika was commonly used across the West within many other more secular contexts, as a good luck charm, for decorative purposes, etc.

As Nazism grew, Rudyard Kipling had the Swastika removed from some of his books to avoid any false association between his beliefs and Nazism; and many abandoned the Swastika as a good luck charm on sports uniforms or pilots' suits, for decorative or other purposes. Even today, the only Western vestiges of the Swastika outside of certain religious or Neo-Nazi contexts are to be found among official symbols that had used the Swastika before the rise of Nazism and had simply continued its maintenance to this day, such as on the flag of the Finnish Air Force.

I was surprised to learn recently of further influences of Nazi Germany's on Western culture. As it turns out, the US Pledge of Allegience from the late 1800s up to almost the end of 1942 was accompanied by the Bellamy salute, almost indistinguishable from the Nazi Salute. It was no coincidence that the Americans had dropped the Bellamy Salute; depending on the angle of a camera, the Bellamy Salute looked just like the Nazi Salute, especially in the absence of the US flag in the picture to show what it was the saluter was saluting.

Seeing that the Nazis had in fact adopted and appropriated many Western symbols, I'd be curious to know in what other ways Nazism may have killed off many Western traditions which are for the most part all but dead today except in their association with Nazism in the popular imagination even if they were not even originally Nazi symbols. Among some of the Western traditions Nazism had unintentionally suppressed to this day could be read about here:

Swastika - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bellamy salute - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please add any more you know about as you come across it.

 

[damngrumpy]

The Swastika was indeed a symbol used around the world for over 3000 years but
it became a German symbol in the days during and right after German unification
to be a symbol of unity and nationalism. The Nazi movement, made it a focal and
nationalistic emblem of National Socialism an extreme right wing conservative
ideology. Nazi movements came to the fore during the depression and fostered an
us against them attitude. If was based on violence and fear, first with the Brown
Shirts and they were dissolved in favour of the SS. The Swastika is in fact the over
all symbol of hate. The Nazi Movement was born in western culture in Germany
and spread to Italy and parts of eastern Europe. Nazism is not part of the great
Japanese Empire that would sweep across Asia. The Japanese, had and ancient
religion, I believe it was some form of Shinto, that gripped the Asian World, it was
extreme conservative, even Nationalistic, but it never based itself on the same
principles of Nazi belief. The Japanese were not anti Jewish either.
If you look closely at the special service uniforms of the USA they have a very
similar skull and crossbones as the SS uniforms.
Fanta Pop was the Coca Cola version of soft drinks produced in Germany to avoid
using the licensed coke label for instance. Some famous companies supported the
Nazi war effort. BMW, Mercedes, Krupp, Siemens and a host of others.
Today no one thinks about it for a minute.

 

[Omicron]

They taught Wall street how to advertise, and they taught Harper how to control his cabinet.

 

[Machjo]

They taught Wall street how to advertise, and they taught Harper how to control his cabinet.

Good laugh. I was thinking more though of how the Nazis have changed the meaning of traditional symbols, resulting in Western culture having abandoned them to varying degrees, such as the relative death of the Swastika and the Bellamy salute. Though of course I'm sure they may have left other legacies by adding to our cultures too, though I can't think of any example off the top of my head. It seems for the most part their contribution for the most part is in having killed off various Western symbols.

 

[Bar Sinister]

One of the best known "traditions" of the modern day Olympic Games, the torch relay and the lighting of the Olympic flame is Nazi in origin. Hitler's Contribution to Olympic Pageantry

The Nazi salute BTW was copied from the Italian Fascists who in turn copied it from the salute given to the Roman Emperor.

 

[Cliffy]

I think that the fascination with Nazis, pro or con, can be attributed to the fact that, on a sub conscious level, most people are becoming aware that they won the war.

 

[YukonJack]

We have been told, repeatedly, that Hitler enjoyed the music of Wagner.

So, I decided to find out for myself if Hitler was right.

Well, one redeeming quality out of a hundred ain't bad!

Wagner is great, although somewhat heavy.

 

[petros]

more than you'll ever know.......

 

[Just the Facts]

I think he admired Wagner to some extent because of Wagner's anti-semitic politics. I don't know if that's true though. Unfortunately, a lot of talented people have questionable ideologies.

 

[petros]

Where did the money come from?

BTW it was the American Eugenics movement that sparked the whole race thing.

 

[Machjo]

I think that the fascination with Nazis, pro or con, can be attributed to the fact that, on a sub conscious level, most people are becoming aware that they won the war.

I would say you're correct to a degree. After all, if we can no longer touch symbols that the Nazis appropriated, then the Nazis successfully stole various Western symbols, and few have stood up to take them back.

 

[Tonington]

Where did the money come from?

BTW it was the American Eugenics movement that sparked the whole race thing.

And BC and Alberta were jurisdictions where it remained official government policy until 1972.

 

[petros]

They cherry picked various occult themes from around the world. The swastika is a buddhist symbol for the sun.

And BC and Alberta were jurisdictions where it remained official government policy until 1972.

It never really went away, they just started pumping the undesirables full of booze, high fructose sugars, fat, street and Rx drugs and guns which makes them really sloppy and prone to the HI Virus.

 

[YukonJack]

And BC and Alberta were jurisdictions where it remained official government policy until 1972.

Proven without a doubt by the presence of concentration and death camps throughout Alberta and BC.

Whhooooops, were those concentration camps not set up by some slimy Liberal Prime Minister?

 

[petros]

Nothing to do with eugenics YJ.

YJ you do realize that if you came to Canada a generation earlier you yourself would have been in a concentration camp. Go spend time at Riding Mtn/Onanole MB and see just how eastern Europeans like yourself were treated by Canadians.

 

[Tonington]

Proven without a doubt by the presence of concentration and death camps throughout Alberta and BC.

Whhooooops, were those concentration camps not set up by some slimy Liberal Prime Minister?

A lesson in Canadian politics for you YukonJack, the Prime Minister does not make provincial laws. United Farmers of Alberta introduced the Sexual Sterilization Act, not Ottawa.