I recently watched a Netflix documentary series, Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on trial. The series is loosely based on the diaries of journalist and war correspondent, William Shirer, and his reporting and experiences while in Europe and Germany during the era of Hitler’s rise to power through to his launching all-out war on most of Europe and England. From his experiences Shirer went on to write his classic book, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A history of Nazi Germany.

I found this series illuminating in terms of learning about how Hitler rose to power. We meet Hitler as a young boy, through to his becoming a soldier in World War I, to his rise in what was initially a small political party. Eventually his popularity grew enough that he was brought into the government fold, as it was felt he was more controllable in the tent rather than out. How wrong that proved to be. But it wasn’t just this decision that would eventually lead to World War II.

The opportunities to stop Hitler were numerous yet, like a plane crash, a series of events and people were key to eventually giving him the ultimate grip on power. Many people were responsible for his ability to ignite war and enact murder including those in political power such as Stalin and Mussolini, as well as his closest confidantes who were evil men.

Although the series is dogged by some annoying acting sequences of the Nuremburg trials mixed in with actual footage, and some poor casting in the role of Hitler, it is still worthwhile watching.

The series also sent a terrible chill up my spine. A terrible sense of foreboding. Watching the rise of Hitler and the unwavering support of the people who cheered him on, whether in ignorance or agreement, had me realising the parallels of those times with world politics of today.

It reminded me of how easily we can allow wrongs to pass by without raising our voice against them. How much easier it is now for false or misinformation to allow evil to sneak in a side door. And sometimes it’s not even false information, but rather information about only one side of a story, leaving out important context that shows you the full picture. How we can listen to rhetoric and agree with it about other people from other countries, races, or religions nodding in agreement, without really knowing the truth of people’s lives, circumstances and who they are. How it is easier to not raise your voice or make your vote count. No matter our beliefs it’s so important we understand truth and history.

But we have the power of reading. This is why books are so important. This is why every child around the world needs to learn to read, needs books put in their hands. Whether it’s reading picture books that teach us that we are all different to how people live in different countries around the world, their cultures, the food they love, their religion, books help us learn and understand the world. From early on we can learn tolerance and understand the joy of peace. As we reach adulthood books detail the events in history. Historical novels can help us understand the past so as to help us not make the same mistakes in the future.

I find watching a series such as Hitler and the Nazis, reading William Shirer’s reporting from the time, and simply reading books continually opens my eyes further and further. For this moment in time, it has helped me understand the correlation between the rise of someone like Hitler to some already in power around the world today, and to those aspiring to reach positions of power in this moment. It helps me understand I can make a difference. I am a voice in the collective. I may be one, but lots of ‘ones’ make a ‘many’.

There are always going to be people on the fringes who have radical ideas. How can we have more people in the middle? We need to ensure everyone is educated so as to have access to information, so they can learn empathy and have understanding. How can we do this? It’s simple. Everyone in the world needs the opportunity to learn to read. Literacy can change lives, but literacy can also save lives. •