The rise of the Third Reich and Nazism was a dark taint in human history. The Nazis showed the world how cruel Man can be. The Nazis brought fear, oppression and death in their wake but a little known fact is that their reign also brought out some things that, surprisingly, benefited man and society long after they were defeated in World War 2. Here are some of things that the Nazis contributed positively to the world.
Note: This article does not support Nazism but merely presents an objective list of some positive developments that happened in Germany while the Nazis were in power.
Respect for animals and their conservation
It is ironic that a regime that permitted the genocide of millions of Jews also actively protected animal rights and its conservation. For example, the government in 1935 enacted a national hunting law that regulated how many animals are killed each year. The law also enacted specific times during the year as the official hunting season. The stipulations of this national hunting law were eventually adopted by other countries.
Anti-smoking movement
Way before the anti-smoking movement became fashionable, the Nazis were already leading that bandwagon. Even though anti-tobacco campaigns were mounted in various countries in Europe in the 1930s it was only in Nazi Germany where the campaign gained some serious muscle. It was decreed that there should be no smoking in restaurants and public transportation. The advertising of cigarettes was also regulated. Taxes on tobacco was also raised and medical organizations also claimed that smoking can increase the likelihood of miscarriages (which turned out to be true). If the other measures seem familiar, it’s because these are the same policies being implemented to reduce smoking, if not totally eliminate it.
Rocketry
If not for the developments in long-range weaponry brought about by Nazi scientists we wouldn’t even have conquered space. The man who invented rockets was Wernher Von Braun, who was a member of the Nazi. Von Braun will help the Germans develop missiles that proved to be a huge thorn on the side of countries opposed to it,
specifically England. He will eventually migrate to the US and help it develop new rockets that are the precursors of the more modern rockets that will bring man to outer space.
Advancements in Filmmaking
Adolf Hitler knew a lot about propaganda so he enlisted people to shoot footage of the Nazis and the military to be used as propaganda films. It is from these actions that developments in filmmaking were achieved. Majority (if not all) of these achievements can be attributed to Leni Riefenstahl, who directed the Nazi propaganda film Triumph of The Will. The techniques she used in filming this propaganda piece are still used today.
Highways/Modern roads
The concept of the autobahn may not have been originally German, but it
was Nazi Germany that completely supported the idea and embraced it like no other. We can attribute the modern roadways all over the world to the efforts made during the time of Nazi Germany.
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