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• 1 2018-05-22T14:36:14+00:00 Pride/"Around the Gedächtniskirche" 1 plain 2018-05-22T14:36:14+00:00 In “Around the Gedächtniskirche,” Joseph Goebbels suggests the existence of a group of proud German nationalists waiting for the right time to return Germany to its glory. He dreams of a Germany free of the corruptive influence of foreigners, who he represents as debauched and lacking in moral fiber. He describes the “[s]queals and squeaks [of automobiles, that] so assault the ear that the novices run the constant risk of losing their calm disposition,” for instance, and bemoans that the cinema posters show “harlots” (Kaes et al. 1994, 560-561). Goebbels expresses a clear distaste for the new, cosmopolitan, modernist Berlin. In referring to the women he sees as harlots and the men as “so called” men, he ties the presence of modernism and foreigners to immorality (Kaes et al. 1994, 560-561). Goebbels insinuates that these three threats are one and the same.
  
  Goebbels views the Gedächtniskirche as the heart of an older West Berlin, ruined by the constant debauchery around it and waiting for true Germans to return and take control of their city.
  
  Goebbels’ call to the people of Berlin that he sees as its true residents, those who have noticed the presence of the Gedächtniskirche and await the end of the foreign menace to Berlin. He claims that a few thousand people are working toward restoring Berlin to its rightful glory. His pride is in a vision of Berlin that he seems to think existed before foreigners came to Berlin, and in restoring that ideal Berlin.  
  
  Bibliography:
  
  Goebbels, Joseph. “Around the Gedächtniskirche.” In The Weimar Republic Sourcebook, edited by Anton Kaes, Martin Jay, and Edward Dimendberg, 560-562). Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994.