European Resistance Archive/European Resistance Archive (ERA)

One more thing:

Before the 1st May 1933 the leaders of the union,

of the German Trade Union Federation,

called the workers to go to ‘Tempelhofer Feld’ on that day.

That was such a case where the union men thought it to be a betrayal …

We went out there on our bicycles on the 30th April and celebrated May day out there.

When we came back we stopped to eat somewhere at Samitzsee and had a drink and sang.

The people liked that.

Someone said: “I will do some collecting.”

And the money we collected there, we used for the ‘Rote Hilfe’ (political helping organisation).

That way you could sometimes raise money to finance things.

Even SA people, who were on their way back from the Baltic Sea, gave money.

Worldwide economic crisis, SA-attack on childrens camp

At that time the communists propagated the slogan:

“Who votes for Hindenburg, votes for Hitler and who votes for Hitler, votes for war.”

The Great Depression affected Germany.

There were more than 6 millions of unemployed people.

Companies put signs up: “We do not recruit.”

And the troubles well, youngsters mainly, who did not have a job.

That led to radicalizations.