Goebbels’ crystal ball
QUESTION What did Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels predict the world would look like in his newspaper article The Year 2000? World War II was nearing its end when, on February 25, 1945, Joseph Goebbels, Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda and reich Plenipotentiary for Total War, published his predictions das Jahr 2000 ( The Year 2000) in the newspaper das reich.
The article was a rallying cry to the people that Germany could still be the intellectual leaders of Europe if they defeated the allies.
In the opening paragraph, Goebbels states that the allied leaders, Churchill, Stalin and roosevelt, had decided the fate of Germany, which was true.
His predictions apply mainly to the German people and Europe, rather than to the world as a whole.
It was in this article that Goebbels used the term Iron Curtain, later adopted by Churchill, to describe the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe. However, he didn’t originate the term as it dates from the 19th century.
His first prediction was that the population of the UK would decline to 20 million. This was wrong: the UK has a population of just under 66 million.
Goebbels had based this forecast on the idea that Britons would migrate to other countries rather than remain in an offshore state in a Soviet-run Europe.
Goebbels did foresee a united Europe, but under the yoke of Soviet russia, not under the auspices of the EU.
Not foreseeing the death of roosevelt, he predicted the U.S. president would be defeated in the first post-war election and america would elect a republican who would be more isolationist and withdraw troops from Europe.
This would lead to a third world war, which would be won by russia because western Europe would be too weak to withstand the Soviet bloc.
In reality, the democrat Harry S. Truman succeeded roosevelt as U.S. president, won the 1948 election and remained in office until 1953.
Nato was created to counter the Soviet threat in 1949, the Treaty of rome was signed in 1957 to encourage political and economic unity through the Common Market (now the EU) and there has not been a third world war.
Goebbels’ second correct prediction was that Germany would not be an occupied nation in the year 2000, though this was based on Nazi Germany winning the war, not on Nato winning the peace.
Bob Dillon, Edinburgh.
QUESTION Why is an allergy to pears closely related to an allergy to birch pollen?
oNE third of hay fever sufferers have a related condition called oral allergy syndrome (oaS) or pollen-food syndrome. It is caused by cross-reacting allergens — substances that cause an allergic reaction — found in birch pollen and raw fruit, vegetables and nuts.
It’s called oaS because its symptoms are usually limited to a tingling or scratchy feeling around the lips, mouth and tongue or a swelling or tightening in the throat. Sufferers may also sneeze and have itchy eyes and a runny nose.
as sufferers are gradually sensitised to tree pollen, oaS does not appear in young children. The onset is more common in teenagers who have been eating fruits or vegetable for years without any problems.
In Britain, the prime culprit is birch pollen. The sufferer’s immune system, primed to attack this pollen, does not recognise the subtle differences between it and proteins in certain foods.
The birch pollen allergen has a very similar structure to allergens in pears.
Typically, this condition is irritating rather than dangerous, but those with a severe reaction should consult a doctor.
Mary Allen, Birmingham.
QUESTION Which was the first meeting to be styled a ‘summit conference’?
FUrTHEr to the earlier answer, which traced the use of this sense of the word to Winston Churchill, comedian Harry Enfield, playing kebab shop- owner Stavros, said such gatherings are socalled because delegates have ‘summit to talk about’. F. Harvey, Bristol.