Max Schmeling - after the war

Discussion in 'Classic Boxing Forum' started by scartissue, Apr 26, 2014.


  1. bodhi

    bodhi Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    Oct 22, 2009
    Actually, Coca Cola was already well established in Germany before the war. Coca Cola Germany had supply difficulties during the war (wonder why :lol: ) so in 1941 they came up with a new recipe using ingredients available in Germany "Fanta" was born and became the favourite drink of the SS.


    In the early 30s the Nazis did not manage to achieve the majority in the parliament. The most vote they got was in the election in March '33 with 44% (Hitler was already chancellor) despite trying to intimidate and lock up competition. To pass their enabling act in the parliament they needed to ban (KPD) or lock up (members of the SPD) or intimidate (SA was present in the parliament during the voting) the parliament opposition.
    Support grew throughout the 30s due to the seemingly successful economic policies (building the autobahn and building up the military and thus creating jobs) and the perceived restoring of the perceived lost pride after Versailles with their revanchist foreign policy including occupying of Checheslovakia and the Anschluss. Before the war the majority of Germans was still against another war which led to the popularity of the nazis going down when WW2, first time since '33, but after the quick successes it grew again. They were the most popular in '41 after the early successes against the SU but popularity went down after that due to obvious reasons.
    This is just a very crude overview but already there you can see that the popularity of the nazis varied a lot. In the end the majority just wanted to live their lives undisturbed. They did not actively support nor oppose the nazis and changed views based on how beneficial it seemed for them. And then you had the minorities who either supported or opposed the nazis, those who were victims and those who saw it an opportunity to make a career. In short: people.
    Saying "a whole generation denied being or supporting nazis after the war" but "history tells us otherwise" is a very, very simple view on the world. As somebody who had in his family nazis and people who were murdered by nazis I'd ask for some differentiation.


    All true, and nevertheless he advertised the nazi olympics, was a friend of Goebbels and volunteered, despite deemed to old at the time, for the paratroopers. He was also supposed to get an honour membership offered to him by Himmler but rejected it after asking Hitler if he could (who said do as you like).
    Schmeling was not a nazi but he was a patriot who thought he had to do his duty for his country (while on the one hand not questioning who was in charge of it but on the other hand keeping his human dignity). Again, it is not as simple as "he was a nazi" or "he was not a nazi".


    Yeah, he had. The article actually does not mention what Schmeling did between '48 and '54. He did not buy the Coca Cola franchise with the money from his fights, he bought a vinyard. Made it profitable and then sold it. Then he bought a mink farm, made it profitable and then sold it. And with that money he bought the franchise. He later was also very charitable beeing the biggest donor in Germany (until Michael Schumacher) and when he died all his assets went to charity as well.