Dutch Prince Bernhard 'was member of Nazi party'

[hanzo1]

Prince Bernhard, the father of Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, was a member of the Nazi party, a new book has claimed, contracting the German-born Dutch war hero's life-long denials.
http://www.telegraph.co.u...member-of-Nazi-party.html

[Leesa]

I'm not surprised that should have been the case, as politics in the thirties did involve the Nazis and Hitler did something good, too, e.g. boosted the employment rate in the country. He was not necessarily seen as the bad figurehead he turned out to be.

[Leesa]

He gave up his membership in the party in 1934, and that's way before anything started to happen in Germany. I fully believe he was never a Nazi, which means something totally different from being a member of a party very early on. Saying someone is a Nazi practically means he was sending people to contration camps and was best pals with Hitler, but that's not the case with Bernard at all. Well, that's what I think.

[hanzo1]

He gave up his membership in the party in 1934, and that's way before anything started to happen in Germany. I fully believe he was never a Nazi, which means something totally different from being a member of a party very early on. Saying someone is a Nazi practically means he was sending people to contration camps and was best pals with Hitler, but that's not the case with Bernard at all. Well, that's what I think.

yes I agree

[getafix]

He gave up his membership in the party in 1934, and that's way before anything started to happen in Germany. I fully believe he was never a Nazi, which means something totally different from being a member of a party very early on. Saying someone is a Nazi practically means he was sending people to contration camps and was best pals with Hitler, but that's not the case with Bernard at all. Well, that's what I think.

lees, a 

G

[Leesa]

Thanks, geta! 

[fairy]

Reports like that pop up ever so often, than they are denied or explained or whatever and die down again until the moment when for some reason it seems opportune, the headline reappears.
There were not that many aristocratic young men, that did not join the party, and even fewer that indeed left the party after some time. Dangerous undertaking, I assume.
But considering that Bernhard behaved very commendable during the war fighting for the Netherlands against his native Germany, against brothers, family and close friends I think it is unfair and petty to call him a Nazi simply because of his place of birth.

[Cara]

he joined the party because it made life easier, especially when you were a young and ambitious man. it's probably what enabled him to work for IG metall at that time.

he belongs to those that denied to have been a member of the nazi party. unfortunately, for him, his membership was well documented. he comes across as an opportunist more than anything else.

[fairy]

That he was, considering that he schemed on becoming Juliana's wife. Though I am not sure he indeed pictured his future bliss correctly: as a very good looking, aristocratic (albeit lightpocketed) hunk, he had been raised to believe the world was his for taking, playing second fiddle to a rather homely dutch girl must not have been easy.
Anyway, he might have been a tad opportunistic and a bit of a golddigger too, those admittedly not very noble attributes are however a far cry from a monsterous Nazy.

[dutchess]

That he was, considering that he schemed on becoming Juliana's wife. Though I am not sure he indeed pictured his future bliss correctly: as a very good looking, aristocratic (albeit lightpocketed) hunk, he had been raised to believe the world was his for taking, playing second fiddle to a rather homely dutch girl must not have been easy.
Anyway, he might have been a tad opportunistic and a bit of a golddigger too, those admittedly not very noble attributes are however a far cry from a monsterous Nazy.

Fairy, you can leave out the "tad" and the "bit"... All modern princesses are nothing compared to him. The trouble is that the longer he is dead, the more comes above water about him. The Bee really isn't pleased at the moment. First they did a TV-series about him and now there is a series on TV about the 19th century Kings Willem I, II and III.... Not a bunch of fine gentlemen either.

[Cara]

well, i guess that explains WA...

[fairy]

LOL, I guess although royalty still has a lot of perks today, it is not much compared to earlier times.
Marie Antoinette probably overdid a tad, but the rest didn't so much as blink when it came to raising taxes in order to enable their lifestyle, built yet another superlative palace, have festivities like superweddings while the rest of the country was still on food rations, expect diamonds galore as wedding presents (I still get up on the "girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara" for the then not even PoW, at a time when the working females earned less then a rotten egg for slave work)etc etc. All the while they chipped in less work than Fred in a bad year.
So really, poor Bernhard and poor royals today, only doing what generations of their breed did before them, but now suddenly everybody gets their knickers in a twist. So unfair, considering what they do for the country.....24/7 365....