7 - Nazi Berlin

Summary

Adolf Hitler sought to transform Berlin as capital of the Nazi Third Reich. Berlin’s topography of power changed dramatically, including the construction of grandiose new buildings and the imposition of ideological visions on both housing and public spaces. Nazi plans for ‘Germania’ were never fully achieved; instead, the impact of Nazi rule was destructive. The overwhelming majority of Berlin Jews who did not flee abroad in time were ultimately deported to ghettos, slave labour, and extermination camps, as were Roma and Sinti; only a tiny minority survived. During the war, Berlin’s already militarised architecture was massively augmented by the building of flak towers, bunkers and air-raid shelters. By the time of defeat in 1945, the city lay in ruins, devastated by the effects of bombing and having been forced to continue fighting to the last. Surviving Berliners eked out a living among ruins, searching for food and fuel, and fearing rape or robbery by Soviet troops.