Transcript[]
Original Version[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby.
Tim and Moby are playing a loud video game with war sounds.
TIM: Oh-- oh, yeah? Take-- take that!
<Crash!>
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Sorry, buddy. I had to do it. You were getting too much power.
MOBY: Beep!
Moby pulls the cord of his game controller loose from the television. Sparks fly from the television.
TIM: Huh, now we don't have any power at all.
Tim reads from a typed letter.
TIM: Dear Tim and Moby. who was Adolf Hitler? From, Emil (Levittown, New York). Adolf Hitler was the dictator, or absolute ruler, of Germany from 1933 to 1945. He was directly responsible for the start of World War II and the mass murder of 11 million innocent people in the Holocaust.
An image shows Adolf Hitler.
TIM: Hitler was born in 1889 in Austria, right on the border of Germany.
A map of Europe shows Austria, next to Germany.
TIM: As a young man, Hitler wanted to be a painter or architect, but he was rejected from art school. For a while, he was a struggling artist, selling original paintings and postcards.
An image shows a painting of a building.
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: He really wasn't such a bad artist, and maybe if he'd gotten into art school, history would have turned out differently. While in his 20s, Hitler fought for Germany as a soldier in World War I.
An image shows soliders arming their guns in trenches.
TIM: He won some medals and was even temporarily blinded in a poison gas attack. World War I ended in 1918, with the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty said that Germany alone was responsible for this first World War.
An image shows the Treaty of Versailles.
TIM: The country was forced to give up a lot of territory and most of its military and make billions of dollars in payments called reparations to some of the victorious countries. Most Germans weren't too thrilled about this.
Images show icons representing Germany's concessions.
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Hitler soon joined a small political party called the German Workers’ Party. By 1921, he had become the party's führer, or leader. He changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party, or the Nazi party for short.
An image shows the Nazi symbol, the swastika.
TIM: Hitler began to attract followers with his fiery speeches. He would rail against the "enemies of Germany" and the Versailles Treaty.
An image shows Hitler speaking from a podium with Nazi Party members behind him.
TIM: In 1923, Hitler led an armed uprising against the German government. It failed, and he was thrown in jail for one year. While in jail, he wrote a book called Mein Kampf, or "My Struggle," which outlined his political philosophy.
An image shows the cover of Hitler's book.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Well, it was pretty simple - Hitler had a racist worldview in which people with Northern European roots were naturally superior to all other people on Earth. He believed that they were a "master race", and it was their destiny to conquer Europe and then the world. Their main enemy was the Jewish people. Hitler believed the Jews were responsible for everything he didn't like, from the Treaty of Versailles to Communism, an-- an-- and even modern art! He also believed that democracy was an inefficient form of government. He believed dictatorship was much better.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Well, after he got out of jail, Hitler initially vowed to take over Germany through democratic means - by having the Nazi Party win elections. In the early 1930s, the Great Depression swept over Germany. High unemployment made the government unpopular, and the Nazis seemed like a fresh alternative.
A graph shows there was high levels of inflation, unemployment, and anger in Germany.
TIM: By 1933, they had won about a third of the seats in the German parliament, and Hitler was appointed Chancellor, or head of the government.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Yep. Hitler and the Nazis were democratically elected - well, sort of. In reality, it was more like they used election results to force their way into getting more power. For instance, in 1933, the German parliament building burned down under mysterious circumstances.
An animation shows a large, official-looking building burning down.
TIM: Afterwards, the Nazis pressured the government to suspend people's basic civil rights and give all political power to Hitler.
An image shows Hitler raising his arm in a Nazi salute.
TIM: And soon, he began fulfilling the promises he'd made in his book.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, free speech and freedom of the press were abolished, so all of Hitler's political opponents were thrown in jail or otherwise silenced. Jews and other minorities were horribly discriminated against.
An animation shows Jews wearing the yellow Star of David on their coats, being forced away by Nazis.
TIM: Hitler began a military buildup almost immediately, and in 1939, his army invaded neighboring Poland. This marked the beginning of World War II.
An animation shows German soldiers marching, with planes flying in formation above them.
TIM: During this time, millions of Jews - and others deemed enemies of Germany - were imprisoned and murdered by Hitler's regime.
An image shows a German concentration camp.
TIM: Eventually, the Allied Powers - led by the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain - ended Hitler's bloody reign.
Images show the flags of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain.
TIM: He and his wife, Eva, committed suicide right before Germany surrendered the war in 1945.
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Yeah, but the fact that he was able to get so much power and unleash so much destruction provides a valuable lesson. It's not good to have one individual or any one political party in absolute power over a group of people - no matter how dire the situation seems. When just one person's in power, that means everyone is subject to the ideas and whims of that one person; which is especially bad when you're talking about a jerk like Hitler.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: What do you mean, you're going to let me rule alongside you?
Updated Version[]
Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby.
Tim and Moby are playing a loud video game with war sounds.
<video game noises>
TIM: Oh, yeah? Take that!
<Crash!>
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Sorry, buddy. I had to do it. You were getting too much power.
MOBY: Beep!
Moby pulls the cord of his game controller loose from the television. Sparks fly and the lights go out.
TIM: And, now we don't have any power at all.
Tim reads from a typed letter.
TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, who was Adolf Hitler? From, Jamsmith. Adolf Hitler was the dictator, or absolute ruler, of Germany from 1933 to 1945. He was directly responsible for the start of World War II and the mass murder of 11 million innocent people in the Holocaust.
An image shows Adolf Hitler.
TIM: Hitler was born in 1889 in Austria, right on the border of Germany.
A map of Europe shows Austria, next to Germany.
TIM: As a young man, Hitler wanted to be a painter or architect, but he was rejected from art school. For a while, he was a struggling artist, selling original paintings and postcards.
An image shows a painting of a building.
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: He really wasn't such a bad artist, and maybe if he'd gotten into art school, history would have turned out differently. While in his 20s, Hitler fought for Germany as a soldier in World War I. He won some medals and was even temporarily blinded in a poison gas attack.
An image shows a line of World War I soldiers, taking aim at the enemy from a trench.
TIM: World War I ended in 1918, with the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty said that Germany alone was responsible for this first World War.
An image shows the Treaty of Versailles.
TIM: The country was forced to give up a lot of territory and most of its military and make billions of dollars in payments called reparations to some of the victorious countries. Most Germans weren't too thrilled about this.
Images show icons representing Germany's concessions and Germans protesting.
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Hitler soon joined a small political party called the German Workers’ Party. By 1921, he had become the party's führer, or leader. He changed its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party, or the Nazi party for short.
An image shows the Nazi symbol, the swastika.
TIM: Hitler began to attract followers with his fiery speeches. He would rail against the "enemies of Germany" and the Versailles Treaty. In 1923, Hitler led an armed uprising against the German government. It failed, and he was thrown in jail for one year.
An image shows Hitler speaking from a podium with Nazi Party members behind him.
TIM: While in jail, he wrote a book called Mein Kampf, or "My Struggle," which outlined his political philosophy.
An image shows the cover of Hitler's book.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Well, it was pretty simple - Hitler had a racist worldview in which people with Northern European roots were naturally superior to all other people on Earth. He believed that they were a "master race", and it was their destiny to conquer Europe and then the world.
An image shows a Nazi propaganda poster, with two German soldiers holding Nazi flags.
TIM: Their main enemy was the Jewish people.
An animation shows a man throwing a stone through the window of a Jewish-owned store.
<Crash!>
TIM: Hitler believed that the Jews were responsible for everything he didn't like, from the Treaty of Versailles to Communism, and even modern art. He also believed that democracy was an inefficient form of government. He believed dictatorship was much better.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Well, after he got out of jail, Hitler initially vowed to take over Germany through democratic means, by having the Nazi Party win elections.
An image shows Hitler being driven by a cheering crowd.
TIM: In the early 1930s, the Great Depression swept over Germany.
An image shows people standing in line for bread.
TIM: High unemployment made the government unpopular, and the Nazis seemed like a fresh alternative.
A graph shows there was high levels of inflation, unemployment, and anger in Germany.
TIM: By 1933, they had won about a third of the seats in the German parliament, and Hitler was appointed Chancellor, or head of the government.
MOBY: Beep?
TIM: Yep. Hitler and the Nazis were democratically elected - well, sort of. In reality, it was more like they used election results to force their way into getting more power. For instance, in 1933, the German parliament building burned down under mysterious circumstances.
An animation shows a large, official-looking building burning down.
TIM: Afterwards, the Nazis pressured the government to suspend people's basic civil rights and give all political power to Hitler. And soon, he began fulfilling the promises he'd made in his book.
An image shows Nazis carrying a flag and raising their arms in a salute.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: Well, free speech and freedom of the press were abolished, so all of Hitler's political opponents were thrown in jail or otherwise silenced. Jews and other minorities were horribly discriminated against.
An animation shows Jews wearing the yellow Star of David on their coats.
TIM: Hitler began a military buildup almost immediately, and in 1939, his army invaded neighboring Poland. This marked the beginning of World War II.
An animation shows German soldiers marching, with planes flying in formation above them.
TIM: During this time, millions of Jews - and others deemed enemies of Germany - were imprisoned and murdered by Hitler's regime.
An image shows a German concentration camp.
TIM: Eventually, the Allied Powers - led by the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain - ended Hitler's bloody reign.
Images show the flags of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain.
TIM: He and his wife, Eva, killed themselves right before Germany surrendered the war in 1945.
MOBY: Beep!
TIM: Yeah, but the fact that he was able to get so much power and unleash so much destruction provides a valuable lesson. It's not good to have one individual or any one political party in absolute power over a group of people - no matter how dire the situation seems. When just one person's in power, that means that everyone is subject to his ideas and whims; which is especially bad when you're talking about someone like Hitler.
MOBY: Beep.
TIM: What do you mean, you're going to let me rule alongside you?