WWII Post #1: Eleanor Roosevelt (Maria Nunez)

My husband, Franklin, and I are both astounded by the rapid growth of extremism in much of Western Europe and Russia.  This rapid growth of extremism is occurring because Adolf Hitler strongly believes in extreme nationalism, or extreme pride in one's country.  He also believes in racism and thinks that Arians are far superior to Jews.  He believes that Jews are a separate and inferior race altogether.  This is referred to as anti-semitism, or prejudice against the Jewish people.  I stand behind my husband and fully support him.  I will advocate on behalf of European refugees who want to come to the United States.  In addition, I will promote issues that are important to American troops, work to boost soldier's morale, encourage volunteerism on the home front, and champion women employed in the defense industry.  I will also push for the continuation of the New Deal programs during the war.  I think that these are important issues so I will devote all of my time to these political and social causes.

Young Austrian Woman (Amin Rajaee)

Extremism is known as the support of ideas that are far from what the majority of people would consider reasonable. In recent years, us women have been losing our ability to take advantage of career and educational opportunities. We were discouraged in reaching for higher education. Somehow, women were still seen as key contributors in Nazi social policy. Extremism has been growing and it's becoming quite frightening for not only women but many others also. Adolf Hitler was the ignition to this wildfire devastating much of Western Europe and Russia. Antisemitism was a belief that Hitler followed and it was not needed in these countries that have already been disrupted by him. Austria must protect itself from more disastrous nightmares crossing its borders. Extremism must be diminished in other countries so it does not spread and create more possible world wide issues.

Frankelin D Roseavelt(Spence)

Frank here, 

I am honestly bewildered by the vast growth of extremism in Western Europe and parts of Russia. This awful trend has been started by the one and only, Adolf Hitler. This man seeks power and will do just about anything to do reach his goals. He rules over his people and drills such nationalism into them that they believe that the words he speak are undoubtably true. Being the President of the United States, I must ponder my actions. I have taken time to deliberate the correct move for our country, and although I will never be certain which is the correct path for our beloved country, I believe that we should avoid entering this conflict. To keep our country politically stable and just, we must steer clear of the trend sweeping through Europe. 

Charles de Gaulle (Kristin Carosotto P5)

Actions depend on the circumstances. It is moral for leaders of a country to become extremists but only to a certain extent and when this extremism is for the greater good. Now, when it comes to the argument of extremism in Germany I disagree with the crimes that are being committed. This extremism in not for the greater good. I myself believe in three major tenets: A powerful executive, heavy involvement of the state in the economy, and complete independence in foreign policy. Although this may seem extreme to some I only enforce these three beliefs because it is for the good of the country of France and the people. Hitler, or other powerful leaders in Germany may argue that their actions are for the benefit of the country and their people yet they are to condemn a whole race. Extremism can help greatly depending on the actions that are wanted to be carried out, and the results of these actions. Extremism that benefits the state and the people is worth the control. Extremism that is dictatorial and does not benefit the majority is not civil nor just.

Dwight Eisenhower (I. Iannotti)

Hello, my name is Dwight Eisenhower and as patriotic American man as well as experienced World War Veteran I am disgusted by the rise of extremism in much of Western Europe and Russia. Not only am I surprised by the complete lack of human rights given to these citizens, but I am baffled by the people's tolerance of such scarce freedoms. I do thoroughly believe that stability is necessary in a country, and that especially German citizens are craving this after the complete collapse of the German economy after World War I. However it is wrong for these people to sacrifice so much for a stable country through a fascist dictator. Although the citizens are welcoming this totalitarian government, they are completely unaware of the chaos and violence it will bring. These people are being set up to be prisoners of their own country! Something must be done about this, and as an American and more importantly, a human, I find it the duty of the U.S.A. to aid these countries for many reasons. From the days of our founding fathers we have put a large value on human rights and we are one of the most powerful countries in the world, making America the perfect nation to save the citizens of these countries before complete violence erupts in Western Europe. The propaganda and nationalistic ideas of Hitler, Stalin, and Mussolini are very appealing to the public making it highly unlikely that the citizens with stand up against the dictatorship on their own. War will ultimately become necessary, although it is dreaded and no one enjoys it, violence will quickly become our last resort to stop these fascist dictators before they reach a level of power that cannot be defeated.

London Working Woman (Alec Gannon)

London Working Woman (Alec Gannon)

 In a time that there was little to be proud about, I was proud of the fact that over three million of us underprivileged workers had decided to go on strike. In a depression of such poor conditions, the Conservatives showed no care for us workers. Thus, neglected and mistreated, I joined a strike along with millions to fight for the prevention of wage reduction.
Now, 7 years later, and my wages still low, there remains few things to be proud about in London, much less Europe. This is particularly due to the growing concept of extremism. In places such as Germany and Russia, extremism has been a great influence on people. And that scares me. I am scared by the fact that one individual can have so much power, and therefore a nation can allow for so many awful things. If these rulers continue these immoral actions that violate natural rights, they must be stopped. It started because as the Depression dragged on, the people of Europe lost hope. Germans and Russians were miserable and desperate and thus a leader with radical solutions to these problems appeared to them as the best leader for their country. But I see no hope in a man such as Adolf Hitler. I see hope in a nation which gives their people a voice. And although my voice may be difficult to hear, extremist rulers would not even allow a working woman like me to speak.

Winston Churchill (A. Buckley)

Circumstance is everything. As a leader of an army and a man with a military past, I know first hand what is going on with my fellow people of Britain, however some extremist do not. Extremism is naturally growing in Western Europe and unforunetly in Russia too, beacuse after the devestations that some countries faced with World War One, nations dont know where to turn or who to lead them. That is when the real extremist step in. The ones who do not truly know what their country needs, ones who only seek power, those are the ones who need to be stopped. Some extremist such as the ones who know what their country truly is in need of and act out of honor, those are the ones that I have no problem with and can also relate with. You see, this vast growth of extremism does not have to be a negative thing, it is the power hungry ones who have to be stopped and have to be tamed.

Aldolf Hitler (Nick DiBiasio)

Guten Tag! Let me first get started by telling you that I am indeed a pleasure to be called the fuhrer in this wonderful and delighted place they call Germany.  Mine and others goals are to make this a better place by adopting extremism.  Many people see the growing extremism as controversial but Europe and Russia need to leave their old ways and accept the new and better extremism. All my life I was faced with challenges, especially as fighting in World War II, but now I accept the way of extremism. Although at first extremism may come off as dictorial and harsh, we now will achieve progression through Europe and Russia. If we don't progress Germany, the rest of Europe and especially Russia we would still be fighting debt, bad leadership, and a divided nation. With growing extremism, countries will be able to reach their full potential. To end things on a positive note, realize that extremism is the end of depression throughout your country and only good things will come.

Parisian Business Owner (S. Basler)

            Lately it seems that life has been everything but easy.  No matter how much I work, I can never seem to  obtain the income I need to help my family survive. It is difficult supporting a family of four on my own. When my husband was killed during World War I, I was heartbroken, yet I knew that if I wanted to help my family, I would need to create my own business. I couldn't take over his job in carpentry, but I knew that with time I could open up my own dress shop. And so, the work began. Every day, I wake up before dawn, sewing dressing, ironing and cleaning clothes, and cleaning the shop. Yet, ever since the Great Depression struck America, business has not successful. As the value of money decreases, goods have less and less value. On top of that, many of my customers can no longer afford the dresses that I sell, giving my family little money to live off of.
             One day during work, I overheard a group of women talking about the rise of extremism throughout the world, and to be honest, it scares me. How can one group of so called "powerful" human beings take over and change the lives of everyone around them. These leaders are taking control of everything and forcing people to follow in their footsteps; and if they do not follow, punishments are insisted upon them. I fear for my family. If my business gets taken over, or my money is forced to go to the government, my family will be left without food or a place to stay. If you ask me, I think that we need to stand up against these unjust rulers and do something to stop them. However, I am only a meek women, and know little about starting riots and rebellions. I can only hope that things will not get to far out of hand.

American Women Factory Worker (Mikayla Gempp)

Hello, I am a factory women worker in America. I have recently been hearing about the overtake of Adolf Hitler in Europe where there is now a growth in extremism. What Hitler is doing over in Germany as well as the Soviet Union in Russia have seem to be causing bad life styles in everyone who is living over there. The way people are being taught by Hitler and Stalin are making Europe and Russia weaker places. They are using terror to get the ruling they want. Women are losing their freedom and are becoming unequal with men. Their lives are now already set out for them by Hitler and Stalin. Also, many innocent people are outcasted as well as executed. In Germany, Jews are considered outcasts and evil. In Russia, anyone seem as a threat to Stalin was executed. People should be given freedom and shouldn't be controlled with everything they do. Also, the use of propaganda to persuade citizens in Europe and Russia. These ways are wrong, we should stop these leaders need to be stopped before they gain enough power to completely control Europe and Russia.  A possible war could break out again and it may be worst that the World War 20 years ago. Here in America, we can't go over and simply execute this power leaders, but I think that we should stop them before something happens to us.

Joseph Stalin (Grace Mahoney)

Hello, my name is Joseph Stalin. I was born on December 18, 1878. I came into power in the Soviet Union on April 3, 1922. I am a leader of the communist party, and I firmly believe in everything I stand for. I think that the rise of growing extremism is a great thing. In order for the communist party to become more accepted, we need the people already a part of it to feel strongly about it. We need them to become even more extreme in their views, so that they can spread the word. A lot of people believe that communism won't work, or that it is taking away people's freedoms-- that couldn't be further from the truth. We need more extremists to let people know that communism will make our country better than it ever has been. The reason extremism is growing right now is because World War I has just ended, and people are looking for solutions to a lot of the problems that it caused. Communism is the answer to those problems! If I were to do anything about growing extremism, the only thing I would do would be try and make more people extremist, and try to get rid of anyone who doesn't agree with communism. In fact, I think that's what I'll do...

Benito Mussolini (J. Bernard-Sasges)

Finally! Western Europe and Russia have finally made the good decision of abandoning the old conservative ways of government and have adopted extremism! I'm sorry, let me introduce myself. My name is Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini. I am an Italian-born man, now "Il Duce" or the leader, of the National Fascist Party. I am currently Prime Minister of this nation of endless potential, Italy, and have been since 1922. Europe has, for so many years, been digging themselves further and further into a hole of unstable governments and weak economies and armies. Now with the bright future of the extremist movement in Western Europe, we will finally give the people of Italy, Europe, and the world what they deserve: Progress! It is time we unleash the true potential of this wonderful nation, and the only way to do so is by pledging absolute allegiance to Italy! Lavorare e Combattere per la Patria, per la vittoria!

Mussolini (K. Gammino)

Ciao, I'm Benito Mussolini! You'd probably recognize me if you saw the Italian flag waving behind me or a group called the Back Shirts by my side. My people call me Il Dulce, so if you want, call me Il Duce. Anyways, I guess we are here to talk about extremism among Russia and the rest of Europe. Personally, I think extremism is a great idea. For you pests that do not know what extremism is, it is the ideology of doing/ thinking what wouldn't be accepted. As a leader, I believe in extremism. The group that I formed, the Black Shirts, focuses on violent action. We use terror and intimidation to run the nation how we please. So what? We are running a nation over here! We are strong, and it is working for us! The spread of extremism will do nothing but justice for your country. Just take a look at Italy. From a ruler to a ruler, I assure you it is the way to go. Extremism is happening in this very moment because it is needed to run a successful nation! If there is one thing that needs to be done about extremism, it should be expanded!

Josh Fradin Italian Peasant Women

Right now it is not safe being an old Italian peasant during this rise of Extremism. I am not able to make a honest living because I am not even making minimum wage. I am loosing my rights that ordinary peasants used to have and we are disappointed we don’t have them anymore. What Hitler is doing in Germany is far too extreme and unreasonable. His anti-semitic belief is not needed and the Jews are suffering because of it. I am starting to get worried that something like Hitler’s rule in Germany will happen in Italy which would put me in misery. I would have to agree with a ruler who is unfair and unjust and if I don’t people would think less of me. When Mussolini ruled in Italy, people in Italy were scared because he used terror and other acts to make people like and agree with him. Mussolini during his reign controlled the economy and felt that the need of the individual is below the need of the state. I feel like Hitler has taken Mussolini to a greater extent. For example Hitler order bombings on citizens in a city in Spain to practice bombing from the sky. Hopefully this rise of Extremism has a downfall soon.

Jewish Refugee (Margaret Rodrigue)

Out of all those who seek religious salvation, it is us Jews that face the harshest battles. I fear this growing extremism in western Europe and Russia with every ounce of my being. I fear Hitler, I fear his domination of my homeland. I fear his ideals and his willingness to clear the world of our presence as Jews. It is unheard of, wiping out an entire race for the sake of preference. I blame the weakness of the Weimar Republic in addition to the atrocities of the Great Depression. The government was paralyzed. Fearing a communist takeover, the government was and forced to allow Hitler to carry out his unification of Germany. With this unification, also comes his belief in anti-Semitism, pushing me here, away from my Germany. I can only imagine what will soon happen if this extremism persists. I wish there could be something done about this, but in my mind there is little hope for change. He is too smart, and too driven. The only answer would be to gather enough people who believe so strongly in change and the voice of the common man to take down this figure of oppression, Adolph Hitler, but even then it seems next to impossible.

Francisco Franco (Emily Abbott)

My name is Francisco Franco and I am from Spain. Since December 4th, 1892 I have been a dictator of Spain and do not plan on backing down anytime soon. I come form a military background and as of right now I am the youngest general in all of Europe. When I heard that the government was switching from a monarchy to a democratic republic, I could not believe it. I was frustrated and didn't know what to do at first but I knew I didn't like it. This is one of the causes of the rise in extremism in Eastern Europe and Russia, I think. As a result of this it is causing tension between other countries. First thing I can think of that needs to be done is to go back to a monarchy or even a dictatorship.  If war comes of this then so be it, I have my allies and I am not afraid to use them that is for sure. This rise of extremism though, has to stop and I am willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.

George Marshall (Milan Toljan)

My name is George Marshall Jr. I held the position of General of the Army, Army Chief of Staff, Secretary of State, and Secretary of Defense (exclusively) from 1939-1951. I commanded troops in both World War I and World War II, along with several other conflicts. The rising extremism in Western Europe is causing international tension. This tension is opening the world back up for another global conflict. All that is necessary is a spark to ignite the hostilities. In my opinion this growing extremism is the cause of an international economic deficit. This along with some countries remaining quest for vengeance all surmount to the requirements for total war. I believe the only way to defuse this situation is to stabilize the international economy once again. By transitioning all governments to a diplomatic base, and allowing for a free economy/market we can achieve this stable economy. Though with the extremist and communist views this much needed stabilization is impossible.        

WWII Post #1 4/28/14

Comment on the rise of growing extremism in much of Western Europe and Russia.  In your view, why is it happening and what, if anything, should be done about it?

(Please remember to post the perspective of which you are commenting on with your name in parenthesis.)  ex. Josef Stalin(T. Garno)