#71 Gerd Schroth on Life as a Child of Nazi Germany, Refugee, Immigrant, And Now, American Citizen
The Road to Now
Benjamin Sawyer
4.8 • 629 Ratings
🗓️ 18 September 2017
⏱️ 47 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The Nazi regime that came to power in Germany in 1933 unleashed the most brutal and comprehensive war that humanity has ever seen. The horrors of the Nazis and the destruction they left behind is something most of us learned about in history class, but for Gerd Schroth it is the story of his childhood. Born in Germany in 1938, Gerd came of age on the scorched earth left behind by the German war machine. Gerd's father had joined the Nazi party because he thought Hitler could restore Germany's greatness, but he bequeathed to his children a world in ruins.
More than seven decades after the end of World War II, Gerd is still writing the story of his life. He is now an American citizen, and his children were born in the United States. Gerd has moved on from the tragedy of his youth, but he has never forgotten it. He has thought a lot about how his parents' generation and why they embraced the horrifying ideology of Nazism. He has found value in past traditions while abhorring the actions of his ancestors. And in doing this, he has built a much stronger legacy for future generations.
In this episode of The Road to Now, we share Gerd Schroth's personal story of his life as a Citizen of Nazi Germany, refugee, immigrant, and now, American Citizen.
For more on The Road to Now, visit our website: www.theroadtonow.com
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Nazi regime came to power in 1933 and unleashed the most brutal and comprehensive war that humanity has ever seen. |
| 0:08.0 | Six million Jews, along with a countless number of gay, disabled, and other ethnic minorities were murdered as part of an attempt to build a so-called master race. |
| 0:19.0 | Tens of millions of others died on the battlefield or at home from |
| 0:22.8 | bombing raids or starvation. The war in Europe finally came to an end on May 8, 1945, |
| 0:29.3 | but the damage left behind by Hitler and his regime remained. Cities had been leveled and |
| 0:35.5 | economies destroyed. Borders shifted, and so did people, as those who lived through the war sought to reconstruct |
| 0:43.3 | a shattered continent on new foundations that would never again allow such a tragedy to be replayed. |
| 0:50.3 | This story is one that most of us have studied in history class, but for Gerd Schroat, it is the story of his childhood. |
| 0:57.0 | Born in Germany in 1938, Gerd came of age on the scorched earth left behind by the German |
| 1:04.0 | War Machine. His father joined the Nazi Party to make Germany great, but had bequeathed to |
| 1:09.0 | his children a world in ruins. |
| 1:16.0 | 77 years after the end of World War II, Gerd is still writing the story of his life. |
| 1:18.2 | He's an American citizen now. |
| 1:22.7 | Gert has moved on from the tragedy of his youth, but he's never forgotten it. |
| 1:29.1 | He's thought a lot about his parents' generation and why they embraced the horrifying ideology of Nazism. |
| 1:34.1 | He has found value in past traditions while abhorring the actions of his ancestors, |
| 1:38.8 | and in doing so, he's built a much stronger legacy for future generations. |
| 1:50.5 | In this episode of The Road to Now, a personal history, Gerd Schroat, and life as a citizen of Nazi Germany, refugee, immigrant, and now American. |
| 2:03.6 | Our friend Dolphus Ramser was born and raised in Concord, North Carolina, a town so rich with history that it provided the inspiration for its independent record label and management company. So great was the city's influence on Ramzer that he continues to live and work in Concord today, |
| 2:09.6 | with a full-time staff located in both North Carolina and California. |
| 2:14.6 | He and his team always put their clients music first. Work as hard as they can |
| 2:19.1 | and have fun along the way. Visit ramser.com to learn more. If you've ever been to an AVit |
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