“In Darkest Germany” lets us understand Victor Gollancz’s mission. This mission involved reconciliation. We stand before the eh. Victor-Gollancz-Haus. It stands as a reminder of a man deeply committed to human rights.
Victor Gollancz wasn’t a politician. He wasn’t a celebrity. He was a publisher with a conscience. His publishing house specialized in moderately priced books. These books focused on current affairs. They usually came from a socialist viewpoint.
Gollancz felt a strong connection. This connection existed between his Jewish identity. It also existed with his humanistic views. He defended human rights tirelessly. This often thankless work defined him.
From the mid-1930s, Gollancz chaired the China Campaign Committee. He founded the Left Book Club. He advocated collective security. He published documented reports of Nazi terror early on. By 1941, he had discarded Communist sympathies. He became a strong critic of Stalin’s regime. In 1942, he co-founded the National Committee for Rescue from Nazi Terror.
His tour of the British zone in Germany became the book “In Darkest Germany”. This book included letters and articles he had already published. These writings successfully pushed the British Government. They lifted the ban on private relief parcels. The book also contained photographs. These photos highlighted the desperate situation.
Gollancz quoted a report from Dortmund. It stated, “I have been living for six weeks in a madhouse.” The Potsdam policy aimed to wreck German industry. This policy seemed absurd. Germany and Europe needed that industry for reconstruction.
Fishing smacks were destroyed. They exceeded reparations committee standards by one meter. Cement factories were dismantled. They had been used to build the Siegfried Line. This occurred despite the critical need for housing.
Mr. Hynd tried to dispute Gollancz’s assertions. He was the minister in charge of German affairs. Gollancz effectively refuted these attempts in newspapers and magazines.
The photographs in “In Darkest Germany” showed an entire nation. They lived in hunger. They suffered disease. Poverty and rubble surrounded them. Worst of all was the hopelessness.
Gollancz addressed those who questioned sympathy for Germany. He spoke of Israel’s mission. He stated it wasn’t to cause violence. It was to promote reconciliation. This stemmed from their history of suffering. He understood the bitterness of those who had directly suffered. He urged those who hadn’t to balance that bitterness. They had to bring well-wishing to the table. The eh. Victor-Gollancz-Haus commemorates this philosophy.