Theres a common joke in germany, it goes like "i didn't know my grampa was a electrician in the war, but i found his old helmet, it had two lightnings on the side"
I read this recently, don't know who gets credit: "History is not there for you to like or dislike. It is there for you to learn from it. And if it offends you, even better. Because then you are less likely to repeat it. It's not yours to erase. It belongs to all of us."
@@geraint8989 Yes, the BBC's clumsy and unsubtle rewriting of British history is, it seems, alongside that of the British education 'system' and perhaps, we shall see, the likes of the National Trust.
History, if read properly, is simply a repeat of mankinds ineptitude REGARDING reality.. over and over we "repeat" the deplorable nature of wealthy powerful men regulating and commanding the weaker (poorer) masses, regardless of how it may initially be founded as a nation.. the US is a prime example of this.. once corrupted, voting will never defeat 'power', because you have allowed the power, to steal your wealth.
Narration is a small but important part of the value this channel IMHO. The historical research and material development is epic in its scope, quality and volume. Despite being a WW2 geek with 40 years of book bashing behind me I never watch or listen to one of Mark Feltons productions without being entertained, informed and impressed. I'm properly hooked!
Talking about how they inherited and adopted existing symbols is important. My partner is Maltese and wears a Maltese cross, multiple people have literally asked why she’s wearing a nazi cross, it’s wild how little most people know about this topic.
I wear an iron cross as a personal symbol of strength and unity, as well as standing for my heritage. It is a symbol that has been used for nearly a thousand years. It is NOT a "Nazi symbol"
@@BenjiBuilds726 It’s f...ing annoying. the algorithms, the people, or whatever it is that decides something goes against the arbitrary standards of social media isn’t intelligent enough to consider the context of what is being presented or why.
What about the occult influences going on in Germany and the rest of Europe long before the rise of National Socialism? Eugenics, pseudoscience and border sciences, various occult ideologies, antisemitism and the superiority of the Aryan roots out of India (Indo-European languages), etc, all had an impact on the NAZIs.
Educators like Mark Felton are so important, since he fills in the significant but overlooked details that are so important but never told in schools. Keep up the great work, Mark!
My mother had a silver ring with a swastika that her mother bought from a Native American artist in the 1920's in New Mexico. I don't wear it for obvious reasons, but it is an interesting historical artifact.
Mark, once again you have presented a fantastic overview of an important topic, in this case imagery and how here we see how they adopted it - thereby creating years of confusion when the original users of these images, particularly the swastika. And as you, I spent years in the Far East and SE Asia and frequently saw the symbol used to mark temples on maps and had occasion to see tourists remark erroneously that the Nazis had a foothold there during the war and had no idea of the origins of the symbol. Thanks again for another outstanding contribution to our history studies!
The fact that all of this high quality entertainment and knowledge is provided to us all for free is a small reason why ‘living in the future’ is not entirely bad. Thank you, Mr. Felton!
First time I encountered a swastika in Indian artwork I was quite shocked to say the least. Also, Nazi Germany's national anthem, "Deutschland Uber Alles", is based on an old Lutheran hymn. Our church would sing "Great Creator", a hymn to the exact same tune. Has anyone noticed the Confederate flag's resemblance to the Union Jack?
Hi Mark. To say the Swastika is 'permanently' defamed is just wrong in my view. It's a matter of time and healing. Thank you very much for this fascinating short form documentary. I love your work.
The first time I saw a swastika in a context other than the Nazi's was when I was a young kid. I saw a small Buddha statue with one on it's chest. I thought it was very strange as I had never seen swastika's outside of references to Nazis.
Mark Felton, you possess one of the most attractive speaking voices on UA-cam. That and the hypnotic, ominous music -and the meticulous research -lead to easy-to-absorb video snippets. You certainly deserve your success.
When I watch UA-cam videos, I’m not sure who produced the videos when I first clicked them, but when I hear the introductory music from this channel, I always know it’s going to be a well researched and produced video!
Probably 30 years ago, my mother was working with Vietnamese refugees in southern Calif. and one young boy was wearing a Swastika around his neck. A teacher immediately tried to discipline the boy. My mother had to point out that it was a Buddhist symbol and not what the teacher had thought. The teacher was stunned to learn that the swastika was adopted by the nazis and had other meanings long before the nazis came to power. I was in third grade when I heard this story and still remember it today.
I remember seeing the symbol in South Korea in 2002 when i was a Soldier stationed there thinking it was a German Symbol but later learned i was wrong lol :)
well, they should remove any U.S. flag by that matter, the biggest killers of all times... ah, a vietnamese refugee? oh the irony... it's like a jew refugee in a nazi party class...
As a German, this is very accurate and the pronunciation of german words is on point as far as non-native speakers are concerned. Informative, but concise and unbiased. Thank you
@@StriatedSternum Am NOT pro-Nazi, but enough time has passed to look at our human history without bias. Was Hitler worse than Churchill? A lot of Indians don't think so. Oh: Who created nuclear weapons, and used them?
As sensitive as these topics are, I feel everyone knowing more information about such images and there origins would bring more benefit than outright banning them.
They're only sensitive because of the narrative that weak minded people keep furthering regardless of truth. Nobody approaches Soviet or Japanese history with the same attitude and caution. Gee I wonder why
@@FuelAirSparkTime idk about that persay, in countries like China that went through terrible things from Japan im sure there are still open wounds from there culture than Germany. And in places like Ukraine I'd say its more against soviet imagery than Germany.
Thank you Doctor Felton! I absolutely love how you ALWAYS teach me something. After graduating college with a history degree that doesn’t usually happen!
The swastika does not originate from India. It was an ancient Aryan symbol, spread across the world by the migration of the Aryan peoples, who had their homeland in the steppes and Caucasus mountains. In other words, it originated in Europe, and was a symbol of phenotypically European people.
Wow I'm Navajo I had this in the back of my head that the symbol had the meaning of peace, my dad told me the original meaning it had before the nazi and I was going to comment but Mark Felton covered it, thanks Mark (edit - This morning i got my covid 19 vaccine at the indian hospital and as soon as i walk in the the door theres a swastika in the middle of the native art piece. I don't have a tattoo on my head what i meant I was thinking about it in my mind to I did not know it's be misintepereted. I was surprised to see my input in the video showing he went above and beyond with his research, i was going to exactly comment what he says about it on that segment. My clans are towering house dad and bitter water people mom)
God bless you & your people. Such injustice growing from invasive interests all they had is taken, no integrity at all. In addition they abused children only to impress without any relevant content. Cowardice in chief sent his citizens into Russian winter, never told them that failure is inevitable, never ever explained economy, starving his nation, lying them about 🔚.
@Sasha Braus Leftist institutions like the ACLU have already gone to court to defend actual America Nazis and their 1st amendment right to free speech. They've gone to court to defend gun owners, too. And that's the difference between left and right. The right only defends its own greed and self-interest. Just like Trump.
The US also used a similar salute when reciting the pledge of allegiance, the "Bellamy Salute". This fell out of favor in the 40's, for obvious reasons
It's still being used on flags, they only switched the insignia of the Air Command Unit. The new ACU emblem looks nicer, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the disputed flags. In my opinion, the swastika on the flags is there to stay. If we were to suddenly change it, some people might come to the conclusion that after all, there was indeed something wrong with the use of that particular insignia (since they had to change it). The deranged phobia of swastikas only exists in a few countries and its meaning as a nazi symbol is insignificant for most of the world, like it should be.
Love how the narration is just at the steady pace and will spoken. Makes listening to the audio perfect while I type reports or I often listen in the car if I'm driving somewhere. Always great to do a deep dive into history with you Mark. Keep up the good work sir!
Yep. Just don't trust everything this man says. He's good at investigating historical facts. But if you also delve into WWII history, you find that Mark leaves out some inconvenient facts. I was surprised that he even mentioned the Katyn forest massacre, deviating from his usual stance of celebrating the Allies. Anything that makes the Allies look bad, he leaves out and circumvents the facts. For instance, for all Mark has said about the German defeat at Stalingrad, he never mentions that the German 6th was surrounded by at least 5 Soviet armies.
Oh to be able to sit in a classroom and listen to a history teacher like this! Someone who actually loves history and loves sharing it with others is a gift that we really need right now!
The official emblem of the Finnish Air Force was also a blue swastika, representing good luck. Hermann Göring, who was a fighter pilot in WWI, would have known about its use.
Yep, they chose it as their symbol after a Swedish pilot had gifted them his plane, and the plane had the good luck swastika symbol on it. And yes, Goering and other WWI pilots knew it well as it was used by several of them.
I have seen a picture of a Spad fighter, used by the AEF in WWI, were the pilot used the Swastika as a personal symbol on both sides of the fuselage. It might have been Frank Luke's Spad. He was from Arizona and it was a Navaho sign of "good luck". I welcome some expert advice, however, from the other viewers if it was indeed Luke's plane.
@@thevideojames35 No, the Finnish air force dropped it for a blue and white rounder after WW2 was over. The swastika used by the Finnish army (was used by other parts of the armed forces) 1918-1945 was also mirror turned compared to the one used by the Germans. You can see it on the "Sotka" captured T-34 displayed at the Bovington tank museum.
“Um ... Hans ... Are we the baddies?” “Well if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the last thousand miles of retreat, it’s that Russian agriculture is in dire need of mechanization.”
When I was in 3rd grade I accidentally drew a swastika for my art project. I had no idea what it was but it looked cool to me until my teacher pulled me to the side and asked me why I had drawn it, I honestly had no idea what it meant until she told me that it was an inappropriate symbol. I found out later what it meant haha I’ll never forget that day
I have been watching your videos and searched for a video on Swastika. I remembered that the most prominant private girls school in Sri Lanka has a swastika as part of the logo. The founder was a German woman in 1891. She found the School on Buddhist principals while she was in Sri Lanka working with a Buddhist missionary.
I read that Hitler once stated that he chose the Swastika because he wanted the Party to have a symbol more powerful than the Soviet's Hammer and Sickle.
Speaking of, when I started watching this channel I could have swore that I recognized his voice and the intro music from a show that used to be on the history channel or something... but I guess not?? Tried finding it but couldn't. It would have been kind of an older show because whatever show I'm thinking of would have been from like 15-20 years ago. I swear I've heard the music at least on some history show...?
The History Channel went to crap long ago .Mark Felton , The History Guy,Plainly difficult, Dark Docs and Fascinating Horror are all pretty much while I’m still here at all.
@keith moore Very possible, I have no idea what show or channel it was on. I just remember watching a lot of ww2 stuff on the history channel so assumed it was that, but I watched the same stuff on other channels too so I'm not sure. Do you remember the name of the show? I just remember the very first video of his I watched I felt positive I had heard his voice and that music before.
My high school history teacher showed us some scenes from Triumph of the Will one day, and noted who tapped their feet to the music - not saying we were evil or anything, just susceptible to the pageantry. Yeah, I was one of them.
Very neat, and historically accurate piece. It’s unfortunate that the Nazi regime utilized such symbols that now have a negative connotation or view in the Western part of the world. Everyone here including Americans are yelling “ cancel culture” cancel culture”. Some out of ignorance for the history of the symbol, and some out of shear anger for what the German Nazis did in wwii and leading up to it.
yeah it visually stirs me to remember the terror my family experienced when those assholes entered their village in Poland, and the long oral tradition thats been passed down today of what they did to us.
8:10 I don't care if he is wearing the _totenkopf;_ Kaiser Wilhelm II still looks goofy and incompetent. It's like dressing Don Knotts up like Danny Trejo: just doesn't work.
The Swastika was a common motif in Victorian wallpaper as well. I've seen it in old houses in New Zealand. There is also a town in Ontario, Canada called Swastika and they have no intention of ever changing the name.
I used to teach history, or tried to, but the syllabus became so woke and shallow that I moved away from it. This was only 15 years ago, and I know it is even worse now.
Makes sense. Most of history now is leftist woke propaganda, at least in the US. If you non-US people run into Americans who are ignorant of your country that will probably be the reason.
This is very enlightening and informative. They don't even teach this in public schools. I remember, when I was a kid, seeing a book on airplanes of World War One with illustrations of planes from both sides. It showed that an American and a German fighter squadron had planes displaying the swastika. I think the German plane was part of Von Richtofen Flying Circus and the American was from Eddie Richenbacker Hat in the Ring squadron. I haven't seen that book in years.
And as I am sure you know Mark, re: your reference to the ongoing use of a "death-head" symbol by the Royal Lancers, has a 264 year history in the British Army through the Rgmt's progenitors: the 17th/21st Lancers (since 1922); and 17th Lancers, raised in 1759. The 17th notable for its participation in the "Charge of the Light Brigade" - So well before even the earliest usages by the Prussian or German Empires you mentioned. But, you knew that ;)
In Poland, highlanders placed these "surprise stars" in poorly visible places on buildings, rocks and in the woods, it was claimed that the person who noticed them would be lucky.
@10 Hawell Hello, I’m curious about your use of the term “Highlanders”. Do the Polish have military soldiers called Highlanders, is the a term used to describe “people form the high lands of Poland”, or are you referring to British regimental Highlanders. Please educate me.
I was a parole officer for a few years out of college and one night my partner and I were checking up on someone at their house, when we approached the door we noticed the entrance and sidewalk was covered in swastikas. He was convinced the guy was a neo nazi (which can get you a gang member designation within the corrections system) but coincidently Id seen a UA-cam video a few weeks earlier talking about Diwali which frequently includes the use of swastikas, turns out the guy was Hindu, but to this day every time I see the swastika referenced outside or nazism I remember my partner being convinced this guy was a Nazi and almost being added to the gang list.
Also used in Buddhism in Japan. Recently Google maps had all locations of temples marked with that symbol changed in Japan as not to offend all the children in adult bodies.
@@chadkingoffuckmountain970 I was so close to being the third person to re write that. Lol And yea, in American, more than likely it’s a neo nazi. Hindu guy caught a break. Respect educated police officers.
My father's family was entirely German even though he was at least the third generation born in the US. I have a wooden shaving mirror passed down to me that has a swastika carved in the cover. It undoubtedly came from Germany at least 50 years before the birth of the Nazi party. Another very informative video.
@Hog If you check it out you will find that the swastika was used in widely separated cultures including in ancient India usually as a symbol of good fortune, I believe.
@Hog No, I wouldn't do that since I know it predates the rise of the Nazi party and it's appropriation of the swastika. Besides it's a family heirloom and is packed in a box somewhere. I have no idea where it is.
My German grandfather joined the German Merchant Marine at 13 in 1914, when Hitler was coloring postcards. As such, he received the eloquent certificate and title "Nazi", which then was the sailor's term for one's first time crossing "the Line" (equator), complete with seaweed/wax stamp and signed by the ship's captain as well as King Neptune. A German aunt told me she remembers the word meaning simply "friend". Hitler's nazis were expert in corrupting words and symbols to their ends.
The so called swastika is also an ancient Latvian pagan symbol known as Ugunskrusts (fire cross) that mostly symbolizes the protection against evil and holy/life energy. The nuances change depending on which way the symbol is facing. But due to obvious negative associations the symbol is almost always stylized to avoid confusion.
yes, this happens in India too now... to the point that hyper defensive Indians try and say "but our Swastika is different"... not realising it has been stylised or not in various ways throughout our history... facing all directions, and various angles etc.
@@anonymouslyopinionated656 Naxis never used the word swastika though. They always called it haukenkreuz or hooked cross, which was a symbol of the German church.
the swastika is not that hard to come up with in the first place, it is a very basic set of a few straight lines, not more. it was likely created fully independently many times in several different cultural over a long time span.
The fact that the Nazi swastika is angled while the “traditional” use of it is square is one of those subtle things that I think a lot of people missed for a long time. I remember my dad explaining to me that it was a “good luck” symbol for many cultures and not believing him. Of course, I was sixteen at the time and knew everything there was to know... ;-)
the swastika also known as a "senestrogyre" that being a symbol of a wheel or of the sun turning to the left , counter clockwise is a symbol of evil, as a "swastika" known as a destrogyre that being a symbol of a wheel or sun turning to the right, clockwise is a symbol of good. It is in fact an ancient symbol found in Asia and in American Indian that is ex - Asians tepees and other markings.
A lakeside hotel near me in Canada was named the Swastika Inn long before the Nazis used it. For obvious reasons they decided to go with a different marketing strategy after that.
I remember seeing swastikas around the rim of a fancy plate along with horse shoes and four leaf clovers. I stared at it wondering, yes it is a good luck symbol. I've also seen them carved into machine tools in India.
Great presentation - interesting how symbols from many different parts of the world were used throughout history, here in Ontario Canada, you can visit the small town of Swastika in Northern Ontario - named after a Indian for good luck in the gold mines. Cheers
@@PoleTooke i guess the price of gold will go up. more for whiners to complain about. changing names of towns and streets over not being politically correct is not going to change the past. men and women who were heroes hundreds of years ago are being erased from history. now its dr seuss. arrgh
My Opa was in the Hitler Youth prior to the war, and he ended up carving his own reichsadler eagle wooden statue while on a camp. While fleeing, he ended up hiding it with a family friend in France, before getting it back in the 1960's. The friend had to 'present' it during an inspection of his house, and was allowed to keep it but its nazi insignia was removed.
@@Biochemistry-Debunks-Corona If it's against the law, yes - as a German you should know better. Place a Reichsadler with Swastika in your front yard instead of hiding it in your mom's basement and see what happens Mr. tough guy.
@@Long-Ball-Larry, Yeah ? Well, maybe you should look up the legal name fraud / Strawman ID and realize that daddy government has no business in telling you what to do or not to do and how to live your life.
Mr. Felton, I just want to take this moment to personally THANK YOU for providing such incredibly informative and educational videos you've produced. I've learned soooooo much from you!! Please keep posting these very important videos that affect the world in a positive way. You're a teacher that we need! God Bless you, sir.
That came to my mind too when I saw this title. I do ponder how the Nazis' whole asethetic feels so villainous, did it in it's time, and if so on purpose? Or have we just come to associate it with that from both WWII and pop culture with villains inspired by it (Star Wars most notably)?
Good idea! Only 185 plus you and Dr Felton will know about this surprise...... sssshh..... I can see the start already "You thought Area 51 was about aliens, let me tell you of an unknown incident in WWII when the RAF bought down a strange alien ship at night........................."
@@David-yo5ws I actually have a zinger. He can report the legend of the Nazi Antarctic base at New Schwabia and Operation High Jump as though it were fact. There's lots of old footage he can use. If he stays away from the part about Nazi UFOs, he should be able to get all the way to the end before calling sike on the viewer.
Good point. This channel is a replacement for the Hitler Channel (old History Channel), which was taken over by the Aliens Channel (new History Channel).
Could actually be fictitious stories of the nazis building the atomic bomb, landing in the moon, inventing unencrypted internet, these sort of alternate ludicrous fiction.
Did Fox News tell you to think that? Sure looks like it. I personally am far more concerned about the use of the Nazi Odel Rune as the stage at CPAC just a few days ago. But Fox News doesn’t tell you about that, so you don’t know. And why would you know? Fox News tells you everyone else is fake news, and you believe and obey.
@@honeysucklecatBluAnon conspiracy theories at work for credulous liberals. It turns out the stage design was from a company ran and owned by Democrats. So either it was a deliberate attempt to smear CPAC or (more likely) a mistake.
Finally someone points out the instances of the swastika in cultures other than Hindu! The only people that talk about its existence pre 1900s only talk about the Hindu and Buddhist instances. It was literally worn by the vast majority of vikings in battle because it was basically a charm of protection from Þórr
Like you, I have lived in Asia, in Japan where the swastika, the manji, is used mainly in a Buddhist context, but I come from Austria where it is banned; I had to 'decondition' myself and now see it in a more neutral, archaic context as a powerful, symbol inand of itself that should be redeemed. (I really like this channel)
To Finland it came from the first airplane donated to the Finnish Airforce by a rich Swedish noble. The coat of arms of that noble family had the swastka and the plane had the symbol on its wing if I remember correctly
Yes because the so called swastika is not actually a swastika. It's the haukenkreuz or a pagan symbol appropriated by a few chruches in the northern parts of Europe.
Heck, the swastika symbols have been found in African cultures as well. Among the Ashanti/Asante empire, which now modern-day Ghana. Also found in Ethiopia, the Egyptians used it and many in West Africa, like the Akan peoples.
@@CrizzyEyes Yes, there's ones that can appear to look like a spiral but somehow are still classify as a swastika. However there are ones that look like legit swastikas, it's just not turned at a 45 degree angle. Look up Ashanti gold weights and clothing they have them.
@@isgodreal1337 It's a metaphor for the sun's rays extending outward and touching everything. Probably the most basic form of spiritualism known to man, sun worship.
@@rajdeep4318 I don’t think you know, realize or want to admit. There are different variants of the pinwheel symbol. They are all classified as “swastikas”.
Hitler was one of the first leaders to utilize modern loudspeakers. I remember hearing something about the guy that made it having serious guilt because his invention was used by that small angry man to convince people he was worth listening too. Tried to google and and couldn't find it. Pretty sure I heard it on an NPR podcast years ago. Hell, this channel might have a video about it.
@@sidecar7714 I think the point was that the marketing played a big role in their support and therefore enabled not only the genocide but possibly the entire WW2. Although in case of WW2 enable isn't the right word, trigger might be better.
I live in Cleveland, Ohio. President James A. Garfield is buried here, and in his giant tomb, which you can visit. There are a ton of swastikas in the tile floor. I asked about them, and I learned what my history classes never taught me. Thank you, Mark. For teaching us everything that schools do not.
Some additional info... The swastika is thought to be an ancient symbol representing the sun, going back to the earliest human societies, and spread as we migrated around the globe. As far as the 45th Infantry Division goes, the swastika in the division's original badge was used because it was an American Indian symbol. The division started out as an Oklahoma National Guard unit; Oklahoma included the Indian Territory when it was added as a state. Because of the Nazi use of the swastika, the division replaced it with another Indian symbol, the thunderbird. Regarding the eagle facing to its right, that was a deliberate design - it is looking to the East, where the Nazis intended to expand Germany's "living space" - at the expense of the people already living there. Mussolini adopted the salute precisely because it was believed to be a Roman gesture. Frederick the Great didn't "use" the death's head. The regiment's colonel proprietor chose the symbol, along with the color of his regiment. It was intended to show that his men were brave unto death. Another regiment used a badge of a complete, reclining skeleton with a scythe and hourglass. The hussar regiments Mark mentions, the "Leib-Husaren", inherited the tradition. And the Brunswickers adopted the badge, and the color black, more specifically out of mourning for the death of the Duke of Brunswick in the early wars against the French. His son and successor made the choice. And yes, they adopted the motto, "Victory or Death". When Brunswick was absorbed into the German Empire and its army merged into the Prussian army, they retained these details.
Most ancient use of swastika is by Hindus of India and it means 'good for health' in Sanskrit which is an Indian language. After the birth of buddha in India, it spread to different countries with Buddhism. Real question is why the name swastika a Sanskrit word from India was used? They could have used any other name of this symbol from different cultures. Reason is because they adopted another concept from India. A concept of superior race called Aryan race. Where as in India in Hinduism Arya means a noble man.
any chance you could direct me to some imagery of that Frederick era alternate badge? ive struck out so far and you seem to really know what youre talking about, this sort of iconography is really interesting.
His voice is actually very clear also for a foreigner like myself. It's refreshing to listen to British people who actually talk the English of cultivated persons. This is becoming rare also on BBC.
I read some place where regular army guys would tear their “skull and cross bones” off their lapels so if captured by the Russians they wouldn’t be mistaken for being ss.
Imo, Estonia’s infantry brigade’s tote loot is the most badass! Saw it first time on Arthur Rehi’s channel. An estonian UA-camr who is also in the reserves.
I have read somewhere that the stiff arm 'salute' was just another way of showing to someone that you pose them no harm by extending your unarmed hand... I've also read the same with the handshake.
This is somewhat accurate in middle eastern countries. For example the motion of raising your hand to hold is actually more of a hello or come further gesture
Same, and I've always also connected it with the salute gladiators gave the the emperor before fighting, though now that I think about it, I've never seen/read about that.
I've been informed Europeans used it back in the day of knights, whereby the soldier would raise his right hand, empty of a lance or sword to lift the visor of their helmet when identifying themselves as friend or foe. Im happy to be proven wrong if this can be verified or dispoven.
Please add a German dubbing, unfortunately there is little about German history on UA-cam in German or significantly less than in English./Bitte fügen sie eine Deutsche Synchronisation hinzu, leider ist auf deutscher Sprache wenig über die deutsche Geschichte auf UA-cam zu finden bzw deutlich weniger als auch english.
Well I'm 67 and my father was in WWII and I'm positive he didn't know this information as I didn't either. Great job to Mark as he has informed us well again. I was stationed while in the Air Force in Japan and saw a swastika in of all places the Tokyo zoo! I thought odd at the time obviously, but this video explains why.
japanese and asians don't shy that much from the nazi swastika either. I've seen shirts for sale in regular t-shirt stores etc- like, think a row of american(star with stripes),uk,ussr(hammer and sickle), japanese(ww2 rising star) and german symbol t-shirts and the nazi swastika shirt is there in context of being a nazi swastika 100%, it just isn't a big deal often in their cultural and educational context, it has no scaring power, it's not a statement of political views or emotions attached to it in the local context even when it is a nazi swastika and not a buddhist symbol. sometimes, not often, you just see the nazi colors nazi swastika just used because it looks cool, like someone in europe or usa would have some random japanese or chinese writing on a sticker on a car or whatever. once saw it on a civic instead of the honda badge(in nazi colors, straight sides). said civic had a ferrari enzo kind of bodykit on it too, lol.
I am assuming you to be American. But surprised that u dont know that Red Indians wear it as symbol of luck long before Americas was discovered. The symbol associated with Hitler was Hakken Cross. Pls spare Swastika which belongs Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism across Asia.
If you are in India, the swastika does not by default remind us of nazis. We all have it on every door of the house to signify well being and that's always the first thought
Many years ago, I visited the city hall in Marietta, Ohio. On the floor, in tile work, were swastikas. I'd heard that during WWII, the city had considered replacing the tiles. They didn't, and, far as I know, they remain to this day.
@@the4thindustrialrevolution225 Because of the symbolism; the connection with the Nazi Party. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. If memory serves, the swastikas were set anti-clockwise, and were a lignt shade of green.
Your knowledge, care for detail, and accuracy, articulation, tempo and pronunciation of the German words, make this a very appreciated channel. Thanks for it.
Because today's current events are tomorrows history. We cannot, in any society live without history and you're right, no matter how it offends people today.
Finally some unbiased historically accurate information about an important part of human history. Thank you for treating your audience as adults and not letting personal opinions get in the way of conveying information
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Theres a common joke in germany, it goes like "i didn't know my grampa was a electrician in the war, but i found his old helmet, it had two lightnings on the side"
@censored man what's up with you weirdo
@censored man Very american comment. Can almost smell the freedom and democracy from across the screen.
Never heard that one before but as far as WW2 Jokes go this is one of the better ones.
@censored man Ever heard of the American "SILVER SHIRTS" ?
WOW THATS SO FUNNY....NOT!!!!!!!!!
I read this recently, don't know who gets credit: "History is not there for you to like or dislike. It is there for you to learn from it. And if it offends you, even better. Because then you are less likely to repeat it. It's not yours to erase. It belongs to all of us."
Whoever it was, they certainly - sadly - do not work for the BBC.
Excellent statement that needs to be upheld by those who think deeper than the next 'soundbite.
@@geraint8989 Yes, the BBC's clumsy and unsubtle rewriting of British history is, it seems, alongside that of the British education 'system' and perhaps, we shall see, the likes of the National Trust.
@@snail415 Well put my friend. I agree with everything you said.
History, if read properly, is simply a repeat of mankinds ineptitude REGARDING reality.. over and over we "repeat" the deplorable nature of wealthy powerful men regulating and commanding the weaker (poorer) masses, regardless of how it may initially be founded as a nation.. the US is a prime example of this.. once corrupted, voting will never defeat 'power', because you have allowed the power, to steal your wealth.
This guy was born to narrate
And research
Narration is a small but important part of the value this channel IMHO. The historical research and material development is epic in its scope, quality and volume. Despite being a WW2 geek with 40 years of book bashing behind me I never watch or listen to one of Mark Feltons productions without being entertained, informed and impressed. I'm properly hooked!
and born to be wild !
Brits learn to narrate by age eight.
@@scockery Lovely compliment.
Talking about how they inherited and adopted existing symbols is important. My partner is Maltese and wears a Maltese cross, multiple people have literally asked why she’s wearing a nazi cross, it’s wild how little most people know about this topic.
Yes it is. I learned about this in Europa the last battle. That's such an eye opening documentary.
How would that be wild ? We don't learn in at school and this topic is pretty taboo anyway
iron cross was taken from belgium. maltese cross is used by firefighters.
@@TheLily97232 history isnt taboo
I wear an iron cross as a personal symbol of strength and unity, as well as standing for my heritage. It is a symbol that has been used for nearly a thousand years. It is NOT a "Nazi symbol"
Now that's a topic I don't see many people talk about. Fortunately, we've got ol' Mark here to entertain us, as he always does.
@@BenjiBuilds726
It’s f...ing annoying. the algorithms, the people, or whatever it is that decides something goes against the arbitrary standards of social media isn’t intelligent enough to consider the context of what is being presented or why.
You misspelled 'educate.'
@@alitlweird @Facebook banned me for pictures of Olympic hero Jesse Owens.
Oh there are tons of great scholarly books on symbols
What about the occult influences going on in Germany and the rest of Europe long before the rise of National Socialism? Eugenics, pseudoscience and border sciences, various occult ideologies, antisemitism and the superiority of the Aryan roots out of India (Indo-European languages), etc, all had an impact on the NAZIs.
Educators like Mark Felton are so important, since he fills in the significant but overlooked details that are so important but never told in schools. Keep up the great work, Mark!
Hope he covers more Eastern front. The east is where its at.
Some of them are pure fantasy, you can tell that because the comments are turned off so no-one can challenge them.
Thanks @Ceamy Sheev Palpatine truly insightful words
@卐 HitlerLoveϟϟ Anime 卐 Can you not read? I suggest you read what I wrote, properly.
'so important', I wouldn't go that far, to be honest, none of his videos present something I didn't already know. And one or two are questionable.
2:17 'Masterful marketing' is one way to put it, 75 years since the shop was forced to close but the advert still keeps rolling.
And wr still associate off brand products with it.
disgusting
One of my old teachers had a Native American earring that had a swastika on it. It’s amazing how wide spread it is!
Japan has it at temples also. the nazis Bastardized that.
That's the whirling log. Most likely Navajo jewelry
My mother had a silver ring with a swastika that her mother bought from a Native American artist in the 1920's in New Mexico. I don't wear it for obvious reasons, but it is an interesting historical artifact.
Mark Felton posts a video: well I’m going to pause everything else for the next 12 minutes and learn some history
Same! I paused my show just to watch it!
Mark Felton, Victor Davis Hanson, & The History Guy™️
are the holy trinity of historical entertainment. 💪🤩🏆
A guaranteed good history lesson that you will not get any college or university nowadays.
Too bad he didn't now the skull and bones is a stoic symbol meaning momento morì and I'm no historian
I hope he does a crossover with Indy Neidel and his team.
It is time for UA-cam to introduce the "like hit before play" category for this level of production. Another masterpiece!
@Bryans industrial 4th revolution english?
This gave me a stroke trying to read it
If classes in school were like this, I'd have a PhD.
The internet is far more educating than several years in brick buildings. It's limitless and invaluable.
Writing a doing research, making thesis and defending it isn't that fun but it's required
Totally
It is...you just have to narrate it yourself. 🤷🏻♂️
Yep very well put together ol mr Felton is he always finds rare vids that I’ve personally never seen before
Mark, once again you have presented a fantastic overview of an important topic, in this case imagery and how here we see how they adopted it - thereby creating years of confusion when the original users of these images, particularly the swastika. And as you, I spent years in the Far East and SE Asia and frequently saw the symbol used to mark temples on maps and had occasion to see tourists remark erroneously that the Nazis had a foothold there during the war and had no idea of the origins of the symbol.
Thanks again for another outstanding contribution to our history studies!
The explanations we need. Too many people ignorant of symbols and where they come from.
That's the Left in the USA
@@AutomatedPersonnelUnit_3947 And the Right.
@@concept5631 that's right
@@marcosbradanovic9100 Indeed.
@@concept5631 Just the left, the right are far more educated
The fact that all of this high quality entertainment and knowledge is provided to us all for free is a small reason why ‘living in the future’ is not entirely bad. Thank you, Mr. Felton!
hear, hear.
Most people don't use it to learn a single thing though
The fact that you think it's free is mind numbing.
Fun fact: the Thai greeting "sawadeeka" is the same root as swastika, wishing you prosperity
That's actally what Swas Tika means. Basically "Good Luck"
Btw Khap=male polite particle Ka= female polite particle 😃
How interesting. I love Thailand.
First time I encountered a swastika in Indian artwork I was quite shocked to say the least.
Also, Nazi Germany's national anthem, "Deutschland Uber Alles", is based on an old Lutheran hymn.
Our church would sing "Great Creator", a hymn to the exact same tune.
Has anyone noticed the Confederate flag's resemblance to the Union Jack?
@@509Gman same as me ! Extremely laid back culture, nice people and really good food
Hi Mark. To say the Swastika is 'permanently' defamed is just wrong in my view. It's a matter of time and healing. Thank you very much for this fascinating short form documentary. I love your work.
The first time I saw a swastika in a context other than the Nazi's was when I was a young kid. I saw a small Buddha statue with one on it's chest. I thought it was very strange as I had never seen swastika's outside of references to Nazis.
On Japanese maps the swastika indicates a Buddhist temple.
I've seen Petroglyphs of swastikas in the Mojave desert, along with other symbols and creatures
@@jonathanlong6987 📚 I thought those were old world war two era maps for German Tourists? 📚
Same
@@jonathanlong6987 Aren't they doing away with those?
Mark Felton, you possess one of the most attractive speaking voices on UA-cam. That and the hypnotic, ominous music -and the meticulous research -lead to easy-to-absorb video snippets. You certainly deserve your success.
Its improved. Production was rather dull in the past.
If you like MF voice, videos, and WW2 history you will also enjoy "Soviet Storm WW2 in The East". IMO.
Sounding like Terence Stamp doesn't hurt,
I learned more from Felton than I ever did in school
Is all your knowledge only based on ww2
For the last twenty years I agree. Before the communist woke era we had real history.
Soon the Marxists will cancel history. Sad but true
With age,
comes wisdom and better choices
@@Mister_Fancypants Felton doesnt only talk about WW2 dude
When I watch UA-cam videos, I’m not sure who produced the videos when I first clicked them, but when I hear the introductory music from this channel, I always know it’s going to be a well researched and produced video!
Probably 30 years ago, my mother was working with Vietnamese refugees in southern Calif. and one young boy was wearing a Swastika around his neck. A teacher immediately tried to discipline the boy. My mother had to point out that it was a Buddhist symbol and not what the teacher had thought. The teacher was stunned to learn that the swastika was adopted by the nazis and had other meanings long before the nazis came to power. I was in third grade when I heard this story and still remember it today.
Teachers arent really qualified experts lol
Then your mother did not know that this symbol goes back to Ancient Babylon
What an idiot teacher.
I remember seeing the symbol in South Korea in 2002 when i was a Soldier stationed there thinking it was a German Symbol but later learned i was wrong lol :)
well, they should remove any U.S. flag by that matter, the biggest killers of all times... ah, a vietnamese refugee? oh the irony... it's like a jew refugee in a nazi party class...
As a German, this is very accurate and the pronunciation of german words is on point as far as non-native speakers are concerned. Informative, but concise and unbiased. Thank you
People are fast realising the truth about ww2. There is a mass awakening
@@StriatedSternum ?
@@StriatedSternum yeah wtf are you talking about?
@@crog316 99% chance it's antisemitism. nazi scum will never learn
@@StriatedSternum Am NOT pro-Nazi, but enough time has passed to look at our human history without bias. Was Hitler worse than Churchill? A lot of Indians don't think so. Oh: Who created nuclear weapons, and used them?
As sensitive as these topics are, I feel everyone knowing more information about such images and there origins would bring more benefit than outright banning them.
They're only sensitive because of the narrative that weak minded people keep furthering regardless of truth.
Nobody approaches Soviet or Japanese history with the same attitude and caution. Gee I wonder why
@@FuelAirSparkTime idk about that persay, in countries like China that went through terrible things from Japan im sure there are still open wounds from there culture than Germany. And in places like Ukraine I'd say its more against soviet imagery than Germany.
Also keep in mind that many people that were directly hunted by Nazi's came to America and allied Europe for refuge, thus passing down the horrors...
@@jaredtrainor6860 yes, soviet is evil💪🇺🇦🔴⚫
@@jaredtrainor6860 you make no sense.
Thank you Doctor Felton! I absolutely love how you ALWAYS teach me something. After graduating college with a history degree that doesn’t usually happen!
You would love Europa the last battle documentary. It goes into this stuff in a lot of detail.
at last ....i'm from india and i tried hard to explain to people that this has no racial meaning or in any way related to a particular race
Modi is definitely changing that
You can’t battle ignorance my friend.
most people have a knee-jerk reaction to the swastika which is a shame but i understand why.
The swastika does not originate from India. It was an ancient Aryan symbol, spread across the world by the migration of the Aryan peoples, who had their homeland in the steppes and Caucasus mountains. In other words, it originated in Europe, and was a symbol of phenotypically European people.
@@merus2164 go live in 19th century...still going on about an unproven theory
Most underated historical genius in world history, Mark Felton. Its high time the world embraces this fine gentleman.
He is way too neutral and informative, that's why he is underrated.
You guys know that a lot of his material is plagiarized, right?
@@Cyprian96 can you provide evidence of your claims?
@@Cyprian96 how so?
@@Cyprian96 What is he supposed to do, make his own history?
Wow I'm Navajo I had this in the back of my head that the symbol had the meaning of peace, my dad told me the original meaning it had before the nazi and I was going to comment but Mark Felton covered it, thanks Mark (edit - This morning i got my covid 19 vaccine at the indian hospital and as soon as i walk in the the door theres a swastika in the middle of the native art piece. I don't have a tattoo on my head what i meant I was thinking about it in my mind to I did not know it's be misintepereted. I was surprised to see my input in the video showing he went above and beyond with his research, i was going to exactly comment what he says about it on that segment. My clans are towering house dad and bitter water people mom)
God bless you & your people.
Such injustice growing from invasive interests all they had is taken, no integrity at all. In addition they abused children only to impress without any relevant content. Cowardice in chief sent his citizens into Russian winter, never told them that failure is inevitable, never ever explained economy, starving his nation, lying them about 🔚.
You should start wearing it as a symbol of your heritage
@@artd4823 are you talking about Stalin?
Shame. We should start teaching real history and not the sanitized, "good vs bad" version that leaves out nuance.
@Sasha Braus Leftist institutions like the ACLU have already gone to court to defend actual America Nazis and their 1st amendment right to free speech. They've gone to court to defend gun owners, too. And that's the difference between left and right. The right only defends its own greed and self-interest. Just like Trump.
The US also used a similar salute when reciting the pledge of allegiance, the "Bellamy Salute". This fell out of favor in the 40's, for obvious reasons
Fun fact; The swastika was still used by the Finnish Airforce until last year, when they quietly removed it from their flags.
That’s pretty gay, shame they removed it
@J Thorsson @Admiral Kipper It's still used during parades and in squadron flags.
@@anton2192 This was what I tried to look up, to me it seems like all swastikas were removed last year, might be wrong!
It's still being used on flags, they only switched the insignia of the Air Command Unit. The new ACU emblem looks nicer, but it has absolutely nothing to do with the disputed flags. In my opinion, the swastika on the flags is there to stay. If we were to suddenly change it, some people might come to the conclusion that after all, there was indeed something wrong with the use of that particular insignia (since they had to change it).
The deranged phobia of swastikas only exists in a few countries and its meaning as a nazi symbol is insignificant for most of the world, like it should be.
@@admiralkipper4540 someone probably get salty on twitter so they removed it to prevent snowflakes from bitching
Being Himmler's graphic artist had be a crazy job.
Working for Himmer in any way must have been tough. The man was a nutcase.
@@balabanasireti where’s a good place to get info about Himmler?
@@balabanasireti Good family man though.
Not necessarily! I think they could have been drawn to each other!
@@Zorro9129 Himmler was doing his niece 💀
Love how the narration is just at the steady pace and will spoken. Makes listening to the audio perfect while I type reports or I often listen in the car if I'm driving somewhere. Always great to do a deep dive into history with you Mark. Keep up the good work sir!
Yep. Just don't trust everything this man says. He's good at investigating historical facts. But if you also delve into WWII history, you find that Mark leaves out some inconvenient facts. I was surprised that he even mentioned the Katyn forest massacre, deviating from his usual stance of celebrating the Allies. Anything that makes the Allies look bad, he leaves out and circumvents the facts. For instance, for all Mark has said about the German defeat at Stalingrad, he never mentions that the German 6th was surrounded by at least 5 Soviet armies.
Am I in his will ?
You sound like that presenter on DW, nice clear voice with good German expressions. Well done 🙂👊👍
Oh to be able to sit in a classroom and listen to a history teacher like this! Someone who actually loves history and loves sharing it with others is a gift that we really need right now!
And doesn't twist it for their political narratives.
history is not meant to be told this way
The official emblem of the Finnish Air Force was also a blue swastika, representing good luck. Hermann Göring, who was a fighter pilot in WWI, would have known about its use.
Yep, they chose it as their symbol after a Swedish pilot had gifted them his plane, and the plane had the good luck swastika symbol on it.
And yes, Goering and other WWI pilots knew it well as it was used by several of them.
... and Göring was brother-in-law to the Swedish pilot Eric von Rosen.
@Alex K. It was also the Sign of the Finnish Armoured Division
@@eivindlunde7772 It was count Erik von Rosens lucky symbol. He was the one that gave the white side in the Finnish civil war their first plane.
Based
Until WW2, school children in the USA used the stiff arm salute when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
In some countries it's still used
It was used long before the Nazi's. Romans for example.
@@kevin_1230 There's no archeological evidence the Romans created the gesture; with horns on Vikings, it's a belief expressed by artists.
It was called the Bellamy salute, after writer Francis Bellamy, original author of the pledge of allegiance.
Sure got my smart ass in trouble doing that in Ms Blunts English class. (She was also from Germany OOF)
Mark, the consistent quality of your videos is astounding. Thank you very much for your work.
The fact a US infantry division used the swastika as a badge truly blew my mind.
I have seen a picture of a Spad fighter, used by the AEF in WWI, were the pilot used the Swastika as a personal symbol on both sides of the fuselage. It might have been Frank Luke's Spad. He was from Arizona and it was a Navaho sign of "good luck". I welcome some expert advice, however, from the other viewers if it was indeed Luke's plane.
Lafayette squadron in WW1 also used it on their "bust of Sitting Bull" symbol.
Finland still used it on their air force planes until last year, they had used it since 1918
@@thevideojames35 and one of Baltic states air force too until Stalin ended their independence
@@thevideojames35 No, the Finnish air force dropped it for a blue and white rounder after WW2 was over. The swastika used by the Finnish army (was used by other parts of the armed forces) 1918-1945 was also mirror turned compared to the one used by the Germans. You can see it on the "Sotka" captured T-34 displayed at the Bovington tank museum.
“Um ... Hans ... Are we the baddies?”
“Well if there’s one thing we’ve learned in the last thousand miles of retreat, it’s that Russian agriculture is in dire need of mechanization.”
I was looking for this comment :)
"But why skulls though?"
Beat me to it😆
Note: The Luftwaffe eagle was in flying position with swastika in its claws.
@@13thdukeofwybourne69 What about pirates?!?
When I was in 3rd grade I accidentally drew a swastika for my art project. I had no idea what it was but it looked cool to me until my teacher pulled me to the side and asked me why I had drawn it, I honestly had no idea what it meant until she told me that it was an inappropriate symbol. I found out later what it meant haha I’ll never forget that day
i did a similar thing but my teacher liked it lol
AWKWARD!
@@B6composer wtf?? She needs to chill
I drew it under a desk with permanent marker
same here a few didn't have a problem and alot didn't like it
I have been watching your videos and searched for a video on Swastika. I remembered that the most prominant private girls school in Sri Lanka has a swastika as part of the logo. The founder was a German woman in 1891. She found the School on Buddhist principals while she was in Sri Lanka working with a Buddhist missionary.
I read that Hitler once stated that he chose the Swastika because he wanted the Party to have a symbol more powerful than the Soviet's Hammer and Sickle.
@@the4thindustrialrevolution225 exactly
@@the4thindustrialrevolution225 "Aryan" is more artificial as European.
And then the Nazis ruined the swastika for everyone.
And then the Nazis ruined the swastika for everyone.
@@dx1450 you're brainwashed.
The day when self employed youtubers beat the history channel at making historic content i'll... D'oh!!!
If it can't be made into a reality show, Today's History Channel won't cover anyone or anything except maybe a Kardashian.
Please, set the bar higher than than.
Speaking of, when I started watching this channel I could have swore that I recognized his voice and the intro music from a show that used to be on the history channel or something... but I guess not?? Tried finding it but couldn't. It would have been kind of an older show because whatever show I'm thinking of would have been from like 15-20 years ago.
I swear I've heard the music at least on some history show...?
The History Channel went to crap long ago .Mark Felton , The History Guy,Plainly difficult, Dark Docs and Fascinating Horror are all pretty much while I’m still here at all.
@keith moore Very possible, I have no idea what show or channel it was on. I just remember watching a lot of ww2 stuff on the history channel so assumed it was that, but I watched the same stuff on other channels too so I'm not sure. Do you remember the name of the show? I just remember the very first video of his I watched I felt positive I had heard his voice and that music before.
You have to hand it to them, these symbols are visually stirring.
My high school history teacher showed us some scenes from Triumph of the Will one day, and noted who tapped their feet to the music - not saying we were evil or anything, just susceptible to the pageantry. Yeah, I was one of them.
Very neat, and historically accurate piece. It’s unfortunate that the Nazi regime utilized such symbols that now have a negative connotation or view in the Western part of the world. Everyone here including Americans are yelling “ cancel culture” cancel culture”. Some out of ignorance for the history of the symbol, and some out of shear anger for what the German Nazis did in wwii and leading up to it.
There’s a lot you can hand to them
They just did messed up things 🤷
yeah it visually stirs me to remember the terror my family experienced when those assholes entered their village in Poland, and the long oral tradition thats been passed down today of what they did to us.
@@misterguy9002 It's almost impressive how many things the Nazis ruined.
Just think about it, Hitler even managed to ruin a name.
You've conflated video tags with timestamps
Gotta love that mark does not shy away from politically sensitive topics, and instead educates people about them
that used to be normal
Never forget.
If you treat them sensitive no ones gonna cancel you
It's sad that today videos like these are controversial.
@@greendalf123 You are quite literally watching a topic about them on UA-cam; how much more normal do you want it to get?
In Serbia, term svastika litterarly means "wife's sister".
Damn, I was hoping you`d say Mother-in-law...
mother in law (wife mother) is "tašta" in serbian
@@-ENGEL- it is
@@-ENGEL- or "svekrva"
@@СрбјеХристоврадујесесмрти
exactly
When I see the German hats with skulls all I think of is... "Hans... Are we the baddies!?" 😂
I mean why Skulls though?
Seriously? Me too!
Pirates are fun
I got recommended this after seeing the Mitchell and Webb video.
8:10 I don't care if he is wearing the _totenkopf;_ Kaiser Wilhelm II still looks goofy and incompetent.
It's like dressing Don Knotts up like Danny Trejo: just doesn't work.
The Swastika was a common motif in Victorian wallpaper as well. I've seen it in old houses in New Zealand. There is also a town in Ontario, Canada called Swastika and they have no intention of ever changing the name.
There is also a town in upstate New York with the name. They also voted to keep the name and not change it.
If I didn't know any better, I'd say this guy is some kind of historian.
I think he kinda is, if I'm not mistaken.
Nah, he's a carpenter.
*Dr
Dude
Yeah, kinda PhD in history.
Total history dork here, and I just discovered this channel yesterday. Thanks Mark for the hours and hours
I'm going to spend on your content.
Mark Felton teaches more people history than most history teachers do in a lifetime?
Because he seems to think for himself , do his own research and discusses all history as OBJECTIVELY as is permitted on UA-cam .
I used to teach history, or tried to, but the syllabus became so woke and shallow that I moved away from it. This was only 15 years ago, and I know it is even worse now.
Makes sense. Most of history now is leftist woke propaganda, at least in the US. If you non-US people run into Americans who are ignorant of your country that will probably be the reason.
@@shebbs1 it is practically beyond comprehension now. Absolutely brainwashing (hist teacher speaking)
This is very enlightening and informative. They don't even teach this in public schools. I remember, when I was a kid, seeing a book on airplanes of World War One with illustrations of planes from both sides. It showed that an American and a German fighter squadron had planes displaying the swastika. I think the German plane was part of Von Richtofen Flying Circus and the American was from Eddie Richenbacker Hat in the Ring squadron. I haven't seen that book in years.
And as I am sure you know Mark, re: your reference to the ongoing use of a "death-head" symbol by the Royal Lancers, has a 264 year history in the British Army through the Rgmt's progenitors: the 17th/21st Lancers (since 1922); and 17th Lancers, raised in 1759. The 17th notable for its participation in the "Charge of the Light Brigade" - So well before even the earliest usages by the Prussian or German Empires you mentioned. But, you knew that ;)
In Poland, highlanders placed these "surprise stars" in poorly visible places on buildings, rocks and in the woods, it was claimed that the person who noticed them would be lucky.
It was a surprise in 1939 indeed. But not to my grandma that left Wolyn in 1938. Hehehe
If you spot one now you may become a conspiracy theorist.
@@JonatasAdoM Or you know you've stepped into suburbs of Bialystok.
@10 Hawell Hello, I’m curious about your use of the term “Highlanders”. Do the Polish have military soldiers called Highlanders, is the a term used to describe “people form the high lands of Poland”, or are you referring to British regimental Highlanders. Please educate me.
@@kiltman8018 Poland has a ethnic people group named "Górale" which literally means highlanders and we have too "21st Podhale Rifle Brigade"
I was a parole officer for a few years out of college and one night my partner and I were checking up on someone at their house, when we approached the door we noticed the entrance and sidewalk was covered in swastikas.
He was convinced the guy was a neo nazi (which can get you a gang member designation within the corrections system) but coincidently Id seen a UA-cam video a few weeks earlier talking about Diwali which frequently includes the use of swastikas, turns out the guy was Hindu, but to this day every time I see the swastika referenced outside or nazism I remember my partner being convinced this guy was a Nazi and almost being added to the gang list.
Also used in Buddhism in Japan. Recently Google maps had all locations of temples marked with that symbol changed in Japan as not to offend all the children in adult bodies.
Well, chances are in America most people displaying swastikas are not Hindus.
Cryptonymicus what?
@@skylerlam1887 Chances are in America, most people displaying swastikas are not Hindu.
@@chadkingoffuckmountain970 I was so close to being the third person to re write that. Lol
And yea, in American, more than likely it’s a neo nazi. Hindu guy caught a break.
Respect educated police officers.
5:00 “Party Eagle” sounds like a side character in a Dreamworks movie, hanging around with the penguins of Madagascar.
Angry Birds have a similar character
@@tuljan4419 "Angry Birds and the siege of Sevastopol"
@@cerealkiller7143 Lol !
Well. This is a very sober response to the Mitchell and Webb skit where a Nazi looks at his hat and realizes he's on the side of "the baddies".
My father's family was entirely German even though he was at least the third generation born in the US. I have a wooden shaving mirror passed down to me that has a swastika carved in the cover. It undoubtedly came from Germany at least 50 years before the birth of the Nazi party. Another very informative video.
@Hog If you check it out you will find that the swastika was used in widely separated cultures including in ancient India usually as a symbol of good fortune, I believe.
pray to CHRIST on what to do
??? It gives the detailed history of the swastika in this video.
@Hog No, I wouldn't do that since I know it predates the rise of the Nazi party and it's appropriation of the swastika. Besides it's a family heirloom and is packed in a box somewhere. I have no idea where it is.
My German grandfather joined the German Merchant Marine at 13 in 1914, when Hitler was coloring postcards. As such, he received the eloquent certificate and title "Nazi", which then was the sailor's term for one's first time crossing "the Line" (equator), complete with seaweed/wax stamp and signed by the ship's captain as well as King Neptune. A German aunt told me she remembers the word meaning simply "friend". Hitler's nazis were expert in corrupting words and symbols to their ends.
The so called swastika is also an ancient Latvian pagan symbol known as Ugunskrusts (fire cross) that mostly symbolizes the protection against evil and holy/life energy. The nuances change depending on which way the symbol is facing.
But due to obvious negative associations the symbol is almost always stylized to avoid confusion.
yes, this happens in India too now... to the point that hyper defensive Indians try and say "but our Swastika is different"... not realising it has been stylised or not in various ways throughout our history... facing all directions, and various angles etc.
@@anonymouslyopinionated656
Naxis never used the word swastika though.
They always called it haukenkreuz or hooked cross, which was a symbol of the German church.
the swastika is not that hard to come up with in the first place, it is a very basic set of a few straight lines, not more. it was likely created fully independently many times in several different cultural over a long time span.
Paldias
the most ideologically toxic flags are the confederate flag, the nazi flag, and the trump flag, and all 3 are cut from the same cloth
The fact that the Nazi swastika is angled while the “traditional” use of it is square is one of those subtle things that I think a lot of people missed for a long time. I remember my dad explaining to me that it was a “good luck” symbol for many cultures and not believing him. Of course, I was sixteen at the time and knew everything there was to know... ;-)
the swastika also known as a "senestrogyre" that being a symbol of a wheel or of the sun turning to the left , counter clockwise is a symbol of evil, as a "swastika" known as a destrogyre that being a symbol of a wheel or sun turning to the right, clockwise is a symbol of good. It is in fact an ancient symbol found in Asia and in American Indian that is ex - Asians tepees and other markings.
A lakeside hotel near me in Canada was named the Swastika Inn long before the Nazis used it. For obvious reasons they decided to go with a different marketing strategy after that.
@@deeem2628 And?
@@deeem2628 Believe it or not, I was 16 before the internet existed, so if I didn't have a book explaining it, learning it would have been difficult!
I remember seeing swastikas around the rim of a fancy plate along with horse shoes and four leaf clovers. I stared at it wondering, yes it is a good luck symbol. I've also seen them carved into machine tools in India.
Very well put together and informative! I enjoyed watching.
Great presentation - interesting how symbols from many different parts of the world were used throughout history, here in Ontario Canada, you can visit the small town of Swastika in Northern Ontario - named after a Indian for good luck in the gold mines. Cheers
I believe it pronounced slightly different though.
sadly enough the whiners are pressing for a name change.
@@mikeohagan2206 But what about the good luck in the mine
@@PoleTooke i guess the price of gold will go up. more for whiners to complain about. changing names of towns and streets over not being politically correct is not going to change the past. men and women who were heroes hundreds of years ago are being erased from history. now its dr seuss. arrgh
remember the women's hockey team?
My Opa was in the Hitler Youth prior to the war, and he ended up carving his own reichsadler eagle wooden statue while on a camp. While fleeing, he ended up hiding it with a family friend in France, before getting it back in the 1960's. The friend had to 'present' it during an inspection of his house, and was allowed to keep it but its nazi insignia was removed.
"allowed to keep it"
Are y'all children who have to ask for permission for everything ?
@@Biochemistry-Debunks-Corona If it's against the law, yes - as a German you should know better.
Place a Reichsadler with Swastika in your front yard instead of hiding it in your mom's basement and see what happens Mr. tough guy.
@@Long-Ball-Larry, Yeah ? Well, maybe you should look up the legal name fraud / Strawman ID and realize that daddy government has no business in telling you what to do or not to do and how to live your life.
@@Biochemistry-Debunks-Corona The government will tell you how to live or not to, unless you live on some deserted island
@@chairmanxina2338
Cool Story Bro
Mr. Felton, I just want to take this moment to personally THANK YOU for providing such incredibly informative and educational videos you've produced. I've learned soooooo much from you!! Please keep posting these very important videos that affect the world in a positive way. You're a teacher that we need! God Bless you, sir.
You are very welcome
My second wife went to school with an Indian girl whose first name was Swastika. That’s when my wife learned the true origin of the Swastika.
David Mitchell: Are we the baddies?
Mark Felton: Well, actually...
March under the banner of a rat's anus instead.
😂😂😂😂 precious few will understand
That came to my mind too when I saw this title. I do ponder how the Nazis' whole asethetic feels so villainous, did it in it's time, and if so on purpose? Or have we just come to associate it with that from both WWII and pop culture with villains inspired by it (Star Wars most notably)?
Pirates are fun!
@@alexamerling79 Pirates are definitely baddies, they wouldn't claim any different. Doesn't make them any less fascinating or fun though.
April Fool’s idea: Ancient Aliens with Mark Felton
This needs to be a thing.
Good idea! Only 185 plus you and Dr Felton will know about this surprise...... sssshh..... I can see the start already "You thought Area 51 was about aliens, let me tell you of an unknown incident in WWII when the RAF bought down a strange alien ship at night........................."
@@David-yo5ws I actually have a zinger. He can report the legend of the Nazi Antarctic base at New Schwabia and Operation High Jump as though it were fact. There's lots of old footage he can use. If he stays away from the part about Nazi UFOs, he should be able to get all the way to the end before calling sike on the viewer.
Good point. This channel is a replacement for the Hitler Channel (old History Channel), which was taken over by the Aliens Channel (new History Channel).
Could actually be fictitious stories of the nazis building the atomic bomb, landing in the moon, inventing unencrypted internet, these sort of alternate ludicrous fiction.
Google's demonetization algorithm is going to short-circuit on this one
Music to my ears
Did Fox News tell you to think that?
Sure looks like it.
I personally am far more concerned about the use of the Nazi Odel Rune as the stage at CPAC just a few days ago.
But Fox News doesn’t tell you about that, so you don’t know.
And why would you know? Fox News tells you everyone else is fake news, and you believe and obey.
LOL! 😆
@@honeysucklecatBluAnon conspiracy theories at work for credulous liberals. It turns out the stage design was from a company ran and owned by Democrats. So either it was a deliberate attempt to smear CPAC or (more likely) a mistake.
^ this
Finally someone points out the instances of the swastika in cultures other than Hindu! The only people that talk about its existence pre 1900s only talk about the Hindu and Buddhist instances. It was literally worn by the vast majority of vikings in battle because it was basically a charm of protection from Þórr
“Our helmets have skulls on them, does that mean we are the baddies”?
Maybe they're the skulls of our enemies.
Might be the best skit by Mitchell and Webb...
I KNEW I would find one of these :-)
@@dnomyarnostaw Well I couldn’t help it😅
@@dnomyarnostaw So did I!
"Hans, Did you ever notice that we have skulls on our hats?"
"Ja"
"Are we the baddies Hans?"
Nein....its just a social club.....cmon, march along Hans..
@@jamielacourse7578 can I come?
The skull by itself doesn't feel "evil" at all tbh
@@houstonhelicoptertours1006 thank you, if u look closely it’s on my chest. It’s only a social club sheeeesh
Definitely not...
Number 6: Hitler's moustache.
Charlie Chaplin?
I think it called a toothbrush mustache
@@trojanhorse5363 Your contribution is less than useless.
@@Ndlanding and yours is even less necessary. Nobody owes you anything online
@@andreweckert3369 Just send me the money.
Like you, I have lived in Asia, in Japan where the swastika, the manji, is used mainly in a Buddhist context, but I come from Austria where it is banned; I had to 'decondition' myself and now see it in a more neutral, archaic context as a powerful, symbol inand of itself that should be redeemed. (I really like this channel)
The Finns also had the swastika as a positive symbol, it was used in the Finnish Air Force even after WW2.
Yes, Latvians too at the time!
To Finland it came from the first airplane donated to the Finnish Airforce by a rich Swedish noble. The coat of arms of that noble family had the swastka and the plane had the symbol on its wing if I remember correctly
Polish mountaineer division had it also as symbol, in spite being on Allied side. It was simply fashionable in that time.
Yes because the so called swastika is not actually a swastika.
It's the haukenkreuz or a pagan symbol appropriated by a few chruches in the northern parts of Europe.
@@myfaceismyshield5963 Correct. Also Göring was romantically involved with the daughter of that family if I recal correctly.
Heck, the swastika symbols have been found in African cultures as well. Among the Ashanti/Asante empire, which now modern-day Ghana. Also found in Ethiopia, the Egyptians used it and many in West Africa, like the Akan peoples.
It's a goddamned spiral. Turns out almost everyone had the same graphic design idea because it looks cool.
@@CrizzyEyes Yes, there's ones that can appear to look like a spiral but somehow are still classify as a swastika. However there are ones that look like legit swastikas, it's just not turned at a 45 degree angle. Look up Ashanti gold weights and clothing they have them.
The real mistery to me is:
How so many cultures used the same symbol? Where did they learn it? Where did they saw it?
🤔👽
@@isgodreal1337 It's a metaphor for the sun's rays extending outward and touching everything. Probably the most basic form of spiritualism known to man, sun worship.
@@rajdeep4318 I don’t think you know, realize or want to admit. There are different variants of the pinwheel symbol. They are all classified as “swastikas”.
The worst thing about the nazis was that they were damn good marketers.
Edit: I can't believe some of y'all didn't recognize this was a joke.
Hitler was one of the first leaders to utilize modern loudspeakers. I remember hearing something about the guy that made it having serious guilt because his invention was used by that small angry man to convince people he was worth listening too.
Tried to google and and couldn't find it. Pretty sure I heard it on an NPR podcast years ago. Hell, this channel might have a video about it.
Yeah, that genocide bit was nowhere near as bad as the clever use of symbols.
@@sidecar7714 Ha, that's what I was thinking. Murdering millions of people, not the worst thing.
@@sidecar7714 I think the point was that the marketing played a big role in their support and therefore enabled not only the genocide but possibly the entire WW2. Although in case of WW2 enable isn't the right word, trigger might be better.
The worst thing about the Germans is that they lost.
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 thank you for sharing, not many people still don’t understand the swastika is in many cultures
I watch these videos as quick as he puts them out lol. Definitely one of the best youtubers out there!
I live in Cleveland, Ohio. President James A. Garfield is buried here, and in his giant tomb, which you can visit. There are a ton of swastikas in the tile floor. I asked about them, and I learned what my history classes never taught me. Thank you, Mark. For teaching us everything that schools do not.
I live in Parma OH and I never knew this
Can't even be buried in Ohio
@@guil7290 facts
@@FactFlix3 Ohio train crash
Never heard of ohio in me life. Bunch of snitches in ohio
Hands down. The best war documentaries on the web!
Lol no. Try bitchute
Whats the name of the music at the start of video ?
"I've been looking at our caps Hans."
"Oh? What about them?"
"They've got skulls on them."
"Do you think we're the baddies?"
@Joseph Longbone
"Not only is that skull showing Joseph, its also got two *Longbones."*
@@BrassLock ayy, never heard that one before.
gotta admit nazis were snappy dressers...
@@miguelcastaneda7236 Hugo Boss
You sir deserve an award for your independent work as UA-cam’s best narrator
Some additional info...
The swastika is thought to be an ancient symbol representing the sun, going back to the earliest human societies, and spread as we migrated around the globe.
As far as the 45th Infantry Division goes, the swastika in the division's original badge was used because it was an American Indian symbol. The division started out as an Oklahoma National Guard unit; Oklahoma included the Indian Territory when it was added as a state. Because of the Nazi use of the swastika, the division replaced it with another Indian symbol, the thunderbird.
Regarding the eagle facing to its right, that was a deliberate design - it is looking to the East, where the Nazis intended to expand Germany's "living space" - at the expense of the people already living there.
Mussolini adopted the salute precisely because it was believed to be a Roman gesture.
Frederick the Great didn't "use" the death's head. The regiment's colonel proprietor chose the symbol, along with the color of his regiment. It was intended to show that his men were brave unto death. Another regiment used a badge of a complete, reclining skeleton with a scythe and hourglass. The hussar regiments Mark mentions, the "Leib-Husaren", inherited the tradition. And the Brunswickers adopted the badge, and the color black, more specifically out of mourning for the death of the Duke of Brunswick in the early wars against the French. His son and successor made the choice. And yes, they adopted the motto, "Victory or Death". When Brunswick was absorbed into the German Empire and its army merged into the Prussian army, they retained these details.
Most ancient use of swastika is by Hindus of India and it means 'good for health' in Sanskrit which is an Indian language. After the birth of buddha in India, it spread to different countries with Buddhism. Real question is why the name swastika a Sanskrit word from India was used? They could have used any other name of this symbol from different cultures. Reason is because they adopted another concept from India. A concept of superior race called Aryan race. Where as in India in Hinduism Arya means a noble man.
@@letmethinkv Are you sure Indian swastikas precede Greek swastikas?
aLL I HeARd wAs RaCiSm
@@PrimalMiltos yes...
any chance you could direct me to some imagery of that Frederick era alternate badge? ive struck out so far and you seem to really know what youre talking about, this sort of iconography is really interesting.
Listening Dr Felton during my night shift is a pleasure
The historical origins of the five images is informative and enlightening, Mark. Thank you.
Me and my allies use a similar salute but we close our fist as a sign of our anti-fascist racial superiority as a minority.
@@T_bone haha exactly
@@T_bone "Black power" and "white power" mean the same thing!!! Historical context? What's that?
I'm gonna be honest..You voice sounds like those Old school documentary I used to watch as a kid.
Mark's voice is gonna age like fine wine!
His voice is actually very clear also for a foreigner like myself. It's refreshing to listen to British people who actually talk the English of cultivated persons. This is becoming rare also on BBC.
a British pathe watermark would fit right in
9:18 The Totenkopf is also used by Estonia’s Kuperjanov Infantry Batallion!
I read some place where regular army guys would tear their “skull and cross bones” off their lapels so if captured by the Russians they wouldn’t be mistaken for being ss.
Artur Rehi’s UA-cam channel taught me that!
@@mamavswild Same here haha
Imo, Estonia’s infantry brigade’s tote loot is the most badass! Saw it first time on Arthur Rehi’s channel. An estonian UA-camr who is also in the reserves.
It’s interesting how cultures who had no supposed interactions with each other used the same symbols
As soon as I saw the title I knew I had to watch this
.............same here :)
I have read somewhere that the stiff arm 'salute' was just another way of showing to someone that you pose them no harm by extending your unarmed hand... I've also read the same with the handshake.
Yeah like your not wielding a weapon in that arm.
@@unknownip6741 true
This is somewhat accurate in middle eastern countries. For example the motion of raising your hand to hold is actually more of a hello or come further gesture
Same, and I've always also connected it with the salute gladiators gave the the emperor before fighting, though now that I think about it, I've never seen/read about that.
I've been informed Europeans used it back in the day of knights, whereby the soldier would raise his right hand, empty of a lance or sword to lift the visor of their helmet when identifying themselves as friend or foe.
Im happy to be proven wrong if this can be verified or dispoven.
When I see a skull and crossbones I think "Pirates !" 🤔
~ I instantly think Heavy Metal! What a difference a generation makes.
To me the East India company come to mind first. .... but I guess it's pretty much the same.
Think templars
"Pirates are fun!" - Hans
"Arrr matey..." 😆
Please add a German dubbing, unfortunately there is little about German history on UA-cam in German or significantly less than in English./Bitte fügen sie eine Deutsche Synchronisation hinzu, leider ist auf deutscher Sprache wenig über die deutsche Geschichte auf UA-cam zu finden bzw deutlich weniger als auch english.
Mark Felton showing the "History" Channel who's boss with his legendary narration
Listening to the regurgitated things he says can't you tell that is where lots of his so called 'facts' are sourced.
Pirates: "Arrrrr we a joke to you?"
Your that one comic relief character aren’t you?
I am grading you on this gag.
'Tis the C.
They call themselves national socialists.
People in 2021: They were right wing lunatics 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@kinglyzard C is pretty good for no afford at all. I'm happy.
You know what kind of car a pirate drives??? A Toyota Yarrris
Well I'm 67 and my father was in WWII and I'm positive he didn't know this information as I didn't either. Great job to Mark as he has informed us well again. I was stationed while in the Air Force in Japan and saw a swastika in of all places the Tokyo zoo! I thought odd at the time obviously, but this video explains why.
My father and five uncles were WWII veterans I’m not sure they knew the total history of the symbols.
japanese and asians don't shy that much from the nazi swastika either. I've seen shirts for sale in regular t-shirt stores etc- like, think a row of american(star with stripes),uk,ussr(hammer and sickle), japanese(ww2 rising star) and german symbol t-shirts and the nazi swastika shirt is there in context of being a nazi swastika 100%, it just isn't a big deal often in their cultural and educational context, it has no scaring power, it's not a statement of political views or emotions attached to it in the local context even when it is a nazi swastika and not a buddhist symbol.
sometimes, not often, you just see the nazi colors nazi swastika just used because it looks cool, like someone in europe or usa would have some random japanese or chinese writing on a sticker on a car or whatever. once saw it on a civic instead of the honda badge(in nazi colors, straight sides). said civic had a ferrari enzo kind of bodykit on it too, lol.
Yeah at least you know now World has gone past Europe and North America; it’s now a multipolar world thanks to the west’s incompetence
I am assuming you to be American. But surprised that u dont know that Red Indians wear it as symbol of luck long before Americas was discovered.
The symbol associated with Hitler was Hakken Cross. Pls spare Swastika which belongs Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism across Asia.
Why do you think you know everything that your father knew?
If you are in India, the swastika does not by default remind us of nazis.
We all have it on every door of the house to signify well being and that's always the first thought
Many years ago, I visited the city hall in Marietta, Ohio. On the floor, in tile work, were swastikas. I'd heard that during WWII, the city had considered replacing the tiles. They didn't, and, far as I know, they remain to this day.
@@the4thindustrialrevolution225 Because of the symbolism; the connection with the Nazi Party. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed. If memory serves, the swastikas were set anti-clockwise, and were a lignt shade of green.
Your knowledge, care for detail, and accuracy, articulation, tempo and pronunciation of the German words, make this a very appreciated channel. Thanks for it.
Yes, as a german, I can say that his pronunciation really accurate is.
You have low standards.
History is important no matter how much it "offends" people today.
Please tell that to youtube.
Absolutely right.
@@davidwoods7408 If it does not conform to the official narrative youtube deletes it. But as we all know, a story always has two sides.
Because today's current events are tomorrows history. We cannot, in any society live without history and you're right, no matter how it offends people today.
Finally some unbiased historically accurate information about an important part of human history. Thank you for treating your audience as adults and not letting personal opinions get in the way of conveying information