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1929: The Great Crash,
BBC 2 Broadcast Wednesday 9th October 2009
A Documentary Review by Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc Sci, Cert Hum
Reviewed October 2009: Contact Reviewer Here |
 The Wall Street Crash of 1929 has probably become more well known because of the recent global ecomonic meltdown, which had its origins in Wall Street.
But it is easy to blame the bankers and money-men who trade to the value of millions each and every day; it is easy to complain at their slightest mistake because of its global implications.
This documentary, broadcast by the British Broadcasting Corporation, attempts to analyze not only Wall Street, but the whole culture of money, bonds, stocks and securities.
In exploring the causes of the 1929 Wall Street Crash, surviving eye-witnesses describe the biggest financial catastrophe in history: Karen Blumenthal of the Wall Street Journal and author of 'Six Days in October' helps explain how history has indeed repeated itself in that "human folly and greed are much stronger forces in financial affairs than reason and restraint - a concept brought home by the recent financial catastrophe.
Using first-hand testimony and the testimony of relations this programme attempts to offer a personal view of the crash - both the shoeshine boy and various bankers have their say.
However, in offering some personalization to a global incident the programme lost its effect: The Wall Street Crash affected almost every country in the world, including Germany who had been saddled with debt to the Americans ever since the dictated peace of World War I.
In devoting little over three minutes to the effect of the Wall Street Crash on other countries, it still managed to squeeze Great Britain into those minutes alongside Germany. There is so much more that should have been said about the world-wide impact of the Wall Street Crash that its absence almost makes this documentary a total failure.
1929: The Great Crash A Documentary Review by Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc sci, Cert Hum
Copyright © 2009 Douglas Brough: All Rights Reserved
Read the Full Review Here
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Bombing Germany!
Broadcast: Military History Channel, Monday 21st September 2009 (UK)
A BBC-History Channel Co-Production
A Documentary Review By Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc Sci, Cert Hum
Reviewed September 2009: Contact Reviewer Here |
“German civilians were supporting the Nazi war effort: That made it total war and justified the bombing of civilian targets”
Paraphrased comments of a RAF Bomber Command Pilot
What this pilot states is that collective guilt is acceptable: In other words that the Allied Air Forces had the right to kill civilians because of the governmental hierarchy in place at that time.
The subject of this documentary review by Douglas Brough is the delicate subject of the area or carpet bombing of mainly civilian targets in Germany by the Allied air forces during World War II; A subject that has sustained continued controversy ever since the end of hostilities in 1945.
Portrayed through a blend of archive footage, colour reconstructions and documents laying in what I assume is the shell of a bombed building, this effective photography seeks, from the outset, justification for what is in effect a war crime right from the outset with archive footage of a Luftwaffe bombing raid on London, UK: It must be noted however, that in accepting the Luftwaffe did indeed bomb London, two wrongs do not ever make a right.
The first half of this documentary reasons one excuse after another in the rationale of why whole areas where bombed instead of specific targets: Pilot error, technical errors and even the weather were reasons cited concerning why the RAF and subsequently the US Air Force carpet bombed Germany
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Dresden, Germany after the Carpet Bombing of Civilian Targets | instead on hitting specific targets.
Whereas there is some deviance from the sense of inconceivable justification in subsequent parts of “Bombing Germany”, it still remains a fairly biased view of a military action felt by some military commanders that couldn’t win the war but nevertheless an action they were going to continue with at all costs, no matter what the cost in civilian casualties.
In 1944 for example, over 60% of the overall bomb tonnage was dropped on German towns and cities: In other words over 60% of Allied bombs were dropped on civilian targets despite some British military commanders confirming that it was a breach in international law.
British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill was intent on proving to Russian leader Joseph Stalin the might and power of the British and American air superiority and destructive power. ‘Bombing Germany’ briefly considers the case of the firestorm of Dresden, though nowhere near enough time was spent on this war crime. It does however identify the targeting priorities of the Allied air forces; in the case of some towns their military worth was not important whereas how they would burn was – their destructibility invited their destruction.
‘Bombing Germany’ did identify some of the smaller towns and villages which were not considered as priority one targets but nevertheless were destroyed. The area that has become the new town of Vogtsburg was identified as a target as were other towns such as Effingham that had no priority one targets and only one priority two target, a power switching station but as the American pilots were briefed to bomb the communications and transportation infrastructure it was heavily bombed, destroying 80% of the town because it had a second class road going through it and that was considered a legitimate transportation target.
But what brings this documentary up to date are the comments regarding the bombing of German towns and cities. These actions were not expected to end the war but had a generational deterrent for future generations: In other words the bombing of German civilians was accepted because it would deter future generations of Germans from doing anything opposed to Allied supremacy.
So much for international democracy! But it has highlighted an attitude that still persists to this day, that all of the German people were, are and remain responsible for the crimes of the Nazi Regime, highlighted by the words of past British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who opposed German unification in the 80’s fearing that they would repeat history. What became evident throughout this documentary is the depths the Allies were prepared to lower themselves to in order to crush the German people.
They were prepared to commit the crimes, crimes that were subordinately considered by Max Hastings, author of Bomber Command, as a moral blemish on the conduct of the Allied powers.
A blemish he stated. I would suggest it was more to do with the genocide of the German people.
Bombing Germany! Broadcast: Military History Channel, Monday 21st September 2009 (UK) A BBC-History Channel Co-Production A Documentary Review By Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc Sci, Cert Hum
A Website Review by Douglas Brough Bsc (Hons), Dip R/S, Cert Soc sci, Cert Hum
Copyright © 2009 Douglas Brough: All Rights Reserved
Read The Full review Here
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Copyright © 2009 Friends of Germany Coalition, Douglas Brough and/or respective authors: All Rights reserved 