Kolmannen valtakunnan vieraana

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kolmannen valtakunnan vieraana is a 1936 essay by Finnish poet and journalist Olavi Paavolainen. It is based on his experiences in Nazi Germany in 1936 where he encountered many members of the Nazi cabinet including witnessing a speech by Josef Goebbels. The essay, controversial at the time is an ironic criticism of Nazism.

Paavolainen, among a handful of other writers from the countries around Baltic Sea, was invited to participate in the summer camp of a German writers' group supported by the Nazi Government with the intention to promote its views amongst Baltic poets and writers. The group took its visitors around Northern Germany to see sights that were considered beneficial for promoting the Nazi ideology. Among these sights was the massive Nuremberg Rally, which Paavolainen seemed to found rather overwhelming, in regard to both ideological and aesthetical aspects, as it is discussed throughout the book.

Whilst in Germany, Paavolainen met Nazi politicians, writers, young enthusiasts, and intellectuals and attended an assembly of the female wing of NSDAP where Josef Goebbels was addressing the female audience. In the book, Paavolainen described the female crowd with disdain and wrote in reference to Goebbels:

“

This small man is all nerves and brain - heart and soul are missing. His vanity is obvious.

”

Kolmannen valtakunnan vieraana however was a major success and but right wing radicals, who drew inspiration from Nazism, reviewed it objectively.

[edit] Extract

“

It is an old truth, that fanaticism does not tolerate bantering. The young nazis, who, under normal circumstances are joyful, sociable and great humorists, turned grave like Repenter monks, when the conversation turned to the dogmas of national socialism.^[1]

”