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The best and brightest of the Renaissance are here to welcome you. The others will be along shortly.

Welcome! This site is designed to help you with your study of Junior Cert and Leaving Cert History. To the left, you'll see links for each year. Click on your year and you will find a list of all the topics you will study. Each topic page has information, tips and links to pictures, games and other useful websites.

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As well as the topics you study in school, the In the News and On This Day sections below give you information on other things that happened in history, from the Stone Age as far as yesterday.

First Minister of Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson (right) and other unionist politicians
pose with a poster of the Ulster Covenant, signed by Edward Carson.

The Ulster Solemn League and Covenant was signed 100 years ago (28th September). The Covenant was a pledge by Ulster unionists to resist "by all means which may be found necessary"attempts by the British government to introduce Home Rule to Ireland. They then set up the Ulster Volunteers, while nationalists joined the Irish Volunteers. The two men who led the unionist resistance, Edward Carson and James Craig, would be leading figures in Northern Ireland when it was created ten years later.

Recordings made by President John F. Kennedy during his presidency have been released along with a new book about them. He recorded his thoughts on the ongoing conflict in Vietnam, as well as conversations he had with other top figures. Recordings like this have been used by historians looking for new insights into events such as the Cuban missile crisis, and they form an important primary source.

You might have heard of the old lady in Spain who took it upon herself to restore a decaying 19th century fresco in her local church. She's back in the news now that the fresco has become a tourist attraction.

The trailer for Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" has been released. The film is set to cover Abraham Lincoln's time as President of the United States, his efforts to abolish slavery, and the civil war that followed.

October 1st

Actor Richard Harris was born in Limerick
on this day in 1930.

1815:
The Congress of Vienna opens to redraw Europe's borders after the Napoleonic War.

1843:
The News of the World begins publication in London. It shut down in 2011.

1848:
German inventor Werner von Siemens founded the company which bears his name.

1908:
Ford puts the Model T car on sale in America for $825.

1928:
The Soviet Union begins its first Five Year Plan.

1938:
Nazi Germany annexes the Sudetenland.

1946:
Ex-Nazi leaders are sentenced at the Nuremberg Trials.

1960:
Nigeria gains independence from the United Kingdom.

1969:
Concorde breaks the sound barrier for the first time.

in development

Key Personality: Charlie Chaplin

Leaving Cert > Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe > Key Personalities

Charlie Chaplin as his famous Tramp character.

Chaplin is a Key Personality for:
Anglo-American Popular Culture in Peace and War

Charlie Chaplin was born in London. He began his entertainment career in English music halls and theatres, before being offered a film career in the United States. He was the first actor to secure a $1 million deal.

Chaplin starred in several silent films. He developed a character called the Tramp, which was popular as he was an underdog character and his films mixed humour and sadness. His early successes include The Kid, The Gold Rush and The Circus.

When "talkies", films with sound, arrived, Chaplin at first refused to depart from silent films, and he kept the Tramp character for a little longer. Eventually, he did perform in "talkies". One of his most famous later films is The Great Dictator, which premiered in 1940. In this film, he parodies and mocked Hitler. The film drew controversy because people thought Chaplin wanted to encourage American involvement in the war.

More controversy surrounded Chaplin because of his politics. He hated authoritarianism and supported the poor and the workers. This led some to believe he was anti-capitalist, perhaps even a communist. When he voiced his support for Russian War Relief, he was called before US Senator Joe McCarthy's Senate Committe on Un-American Activities. Chaplin was able to prove he was not a communist, but a few years later while on holiday with his family in Europe, he was informed he would not be allowed to enter the United States again.

Chaplin spent the rest of his life living in Switzerland, where he re-married. In 1972 he was allowed back in to the US to accept an honorary Oscar. He died in Switzerland in 1977.

In short...

Background:

Born in London, music halls and theatres, offered a deal in the US.

Career:

Silent films - "the Tramp".
Refused at first to do "talkies".
Last major film was The Great Dictator - controversy.

Controversies:

Suspected communist.
Called before Joe McCarthy's hearings, proved he was not a communist.
Later forbidden from re-entering the US.
Spent the rest of his life in Switzerland.

A rare photo of Chaplin's Tramp character in colour.

Charlie Chaplin in later years.

Key Personality: Bing Crosby

Leaving Cert > Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe > Key Personalities

Crosby is a Key Personality for:

Bing Crosby

Anglo-American Popular Culture in Peace and War

Bing Crosby was born in Washington state in the US. He moved to California in the 1920s to become a singer.

He enjoyed a very successful career almost straight away. The invention of microphones and recording tapes allowed him to become one of the first successful recording artists. He would go on to become the most successful recording artist of the 20th century.

By 1931, he had his own radio show, and he performed live on the NBC and CBS stations. His distinctive, crooning style allowed him to perform a wide range of songs. Some of his first hits include Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?, Red Sails in the Sunset and Alexander's Ragtime Band. He has his biggest hit in 1942 with White Christmas.

Crosby also enjoyed a successful film career. He was a top box office draw during the 1930s and 40s, and he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1944 for his role as Fr. O'Malley in Going My Way.

During World War II, Crosby contributed to the war effort by entertaining soldiers at military camps and promoting war bonds to fund the effort. After the war, a magazine poll named him as the person who had done the most for soldiers' morale. Crosby continued to perform up as far as the 1970s. He died aged 74 in 1977.

In short...

Background:

Born in Washington state, moved to California to pursue a singing career..

Singing Career:

Enjoyed quick success.
Invention of microphone and recording tape allowed him to become one of the first recording artists.
Crooning style allowed him a wide range. Most famous song is White Christmas (1942).

Film Career:

Top box-office draw in the 1930s and 1940s.
Won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1944 for his role as Fr. O'Malley in Going My Way.

World War II:

Entertained troops in military camps and promoted war bonds.
Named as the person who did the most to raise soldiers' morale.

Crosby in 1977, singing "Peace on Earth/The Little Drummer Boy" with David Bowie.

Anglo-American Popular Culture in Peace and War

Leaving Cert > Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe > Anglo-American Popular Culture in Peace and War

Charlie Chaplin in "The Great Dictator" (1940)

Have you watched TV today? Or have you been watching videos on YouTube? Does anyone in your family listen to the radio? Maybe this weekend you'll go to the cinema. All of these forms of media relate to popular culture (or pop culture for short). Pop culture first took off as a phenomenon in the early 20th century with the arrival of radio and cinema for the first time. Nowadays we have the digital TV, the internet and HD cineplexes. Have you wondered how different that might look to someone who grew up in the 1930s? In this section you'll look at the development of pop culture (through radio and cinema) in the 1920s and 30s, and you'll look at it from the point of view of the pop culture we are most familiar with: Anglo-American (i.e. films, music etc. from Britain and America).

Continue to France in the Inter-War Years

Popular Culture:

What do we mean by popular culture?
Reasons for its expansion in the 20s and 30s.
Growing divide between young and old, urban and rural.

Radio:

America (NBC, CBS) and Britain (BBC).
The role of radio.

Cinema:

Silent films in the 20s.
The first "talkies": Al Jolson and The Jazz Singer.
Charlie Chaplin.
The growth of cinemas in Britain.
The influence of cinema: fashion, Anglo-American culture, sex symbols, musicals, "Flappers".

Music:

Jazz music from America.
New dances (Charleston, Foxtrot).

Sport:

Growing professionalism (e.g. Football World Cup).
Sport "stars".

Popular Culture in World War II:

Propaganda (by both the Allies and the Nazis).
Source of news.
Cinema propaganda.
Stars visiting troops for morale.

Key Terms:
Popular Culture
(click here)

Key Personalities:
Charlie Chaplin
Bing Crosby

Celebrities of the 1920s and 30s (besides Chaplin and Crosby)
1st row (l to r): Orson Welles, Al Jolson, Walt Disney, Clark Gable
2nd row (l to r): Clara Bow, Jesse Owens, Greta Garbo, Bela Lugosi
3rd row (l to r): Fred Astaire, Mickey Mouse, Fay Wray, Bob Hope
4th row (l to r): Billie Holiday, Babe Ruth, Judy Garland, Rudolf Valentino

Higher Level (100 marks each)
2013: What did you learn about radio and cinema, 1920-1945, from your study of one or more of the following: Charlie Chaplin; Leni Riefenstahl; Bing Crosby?

2010: What was the impact of Anglo-American popular culture on Europe, 1920 - 1945?

Ordinary Level:
2015, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part B:
Write a short paragraph on Bing Crosby's contribution to radio and cinema. (30)

2012, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part B:
Write a short paragraph on Charlie Chaplin. (30)

2011, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
2009, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
What did Charlie Chaplin and/or Bing Crosby contribute to entertainment? (40)

2010, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part B:
2008, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part B:
Write a short paragraph on the growth in radio and cinema, 1920 - 1945. (30)

2007, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
How did Bing Crosby and/or Charlie Chaplin become stars of popular culture during the period, 1920 - 1945? (40)

2006, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part B:
Write a short paragraph on Charlie Chaplin or Bing Crosby. (30)

A woman tunes in to her radio station in the 1920s.

Links go here
Links go here

Welcome!

The best and brightest of the Renaissance are here to welcome you. The others will be along shortly.

First Minister of Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson (right) and other unionist politicians
pose with a poster of the Ulster Covenant, signed by Edward Carson.

The Ulster Solemn League and Covenant was signed 100 years ago (28th September). The Covenant was a pledge by Ulster unionists to resist "by all means which may be found necessary"attempts by the British government to introduce Home Rule to Ireland. They then set up the Ulster Volunteers, while nationalists joined the Irish Volunteers. The two men who led the unionist resistance, Edward Carson and James Craig, would be leading figures in Northern Ireland when it was created ten years later.

Recordings made by President John F. Kennedy during his presidency have been released along with a new book about them. He recorded his thoughts on the ongoing conflict in Vietnam, as well as conversations he had with other top figures. Recordings like this have been used by historians looking for new insights into events such as the Cuban missile crisis, and they form an important primary source.

You might have heard of the old lady in Spain who took it upon herself to restore a decaying 19th century fresco in her local church. She's back in the news now that the fresco has become a tourist attraction.

The trailer for Steven Spielberg's "Lincoln" has been released. The film is set to cover Abraham Lincoln's time as President of the United States, his efforts to abolish slavery, and the civil war that followed.

October 1st

Actor Richard Harris was born in Limerick
on this day in 1930.

in development

Dictatorship and Democracy: Case Study 3: The Jarrow March

Leaving Cert > Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe > Case Study 3: The Jarrow March

Some of the people who marched from Jarrow to London in October 1936.

Just as it was in the 1920s, the world economy is today undergoing problems. If you've seen the news over the past few years, you've more than once probably seen people protesting either outside Government Buildings in Dublin or Downing Street in London, or you might be more familiar with the Occupy movement which sprung up in various cities in 2011. Demonstrations like these are not new. Back in 1936, thousands of people from the northern English town of Jarrow signed a petition and took part in a march from their town to London to demand government assistance for their depressed area.

Jarrow:

Where was it? What did it suffer from? What were its problems?

Petition:

Jarrow Borough Council, Ellen Wilkinson MP.
Petition requesting the government to provide industry to the town.
Signed by 11,000 people. 200 men selected to march.

The Jarrow Crusade:

Why was it called a Crusade?
Mouth organ band, transport van, town halls.
Wilkinson at the Labour Party Conference.

London:

The government's response.
The shock waiting for the marchers when they got home.
Jarrow after World War II: the Welfare State (march's contribution)

Higher Level (100 marks each)

2011: What did one or more of the following achieve in Britain during the period 1920 - 1945:
J.M. Keynes, those who took part in the Jarrow March, Winston Churchill?

2007: What were the causes and consequences of the Jarrow March, October, 1936?

Ordinary Level
2015, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C
2012, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
Why did the Jarrow March (October, 1936) take place and what did it achieve? (40)

2010, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
Why did the Jarrow March take place, October 1936, and what did it achieve? (40)

2008, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
What were the economic and social conditions in Britain that led to the Jarrow March in October 1936? (40)

2006, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
How did the Jarrow March reflect the social and economic problems of industrial England in the 1930s? (40)

Ellen Wilkinson MP

The Jarrow March (YouTube)
A brief YouTube video showing original footage of the march, the petition being read out, and the official response of the government.

The Guardian: With the Jarrow Marchers
The original Guardian story from 1936 reporting as the Jarrow marchers reached Harrogate, roughly a third of the way to London.

Re-enactment of Jarrow March fizzles out after just a quarter of the journey (The Telegraph)
2011 was the 75th anniversary of the march, but a commemorative anniversary march did not go so well...

Farewell to last Jarrow marcher (BBC News)
The last surviving member of the Jarrow March, Cornelius Whalen, died in 2003 aged 93.

BBC History: The Jarrow March
The BBC's overview of the march and the circumstances that caused it.

Ellen Wilkinson
A biography of the Labour MP for Jarrow.

Key Personality: J.M. Keynes

Leaving Cert > Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe > Key Personalities

John Maynard Keynes

Keynes is a Key Personality for:
Britain during the Inter-War Years

J.M. Keynes was an economist who worked as a civil servant in the British government. He had also lectured on economic in Cambridge University.

After World War I, he was Prime Minister Lloyd George's economic advisor at the Paris Peace Conference. He disagreed with the Treaty of Versailles and warned that the reparations Germany had to pay were too severe and would have negative economic effects on Europe. His views turned out to be correct.

At this time, the dominant view on economics was laissez-faire, i.e. that governments should not interfere and economic depressions would sort themselves out. Keynes opposed the British return to the gold standard in the 1920s and argued that the government should help depressed areas where industries such as ship-building and cotton were in decline.

The Great Depression undermined laissez-faire thinking. Governments and economists could not think of a way to end the Depression. In 1936, Keynes wrote The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money to explain the new economic reality. He said that governments should lower interest rates and borrow money for public works. These ideas kicked off the Keynesian Revolution, which spread after the Second World War.

Keynes' ideas in the Beveridge Report in 1942 laid the foundations of the Welfare State which was set up in Britain after the war. In 1945, he led the British delegation to the Bretton Woods Conference in the US which was working out the details of the post-war currency system. His ideas were rejected in favour of the American "White Plan". Keynes died in 1946.

In short...

Background:

Economist, lecturer, civil servant.

Keynes After World War I:

Lloyd George's economic advisor
Opposed the harsh reparations Germany had to pay, warned of negative economic effects.
Opposed British return to the gold standard.
Believed the government should help the depressed areas.

1930s and 40s:

Great Depression upsets laissez-faire thinking.
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
Govts should lower interst rates and borrow money for public works (Keynesian Revolution)
Beveridge Report: foundations of the Welfare State.
Bretton-Woods Conference: ideas rejected in favour of "White Plan".

J.M Keynes on a 1965 issue of Time Magazine. His influence has extended for decades.© Time

Britain during the Inter-War Years

Leaving Cert > Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe > Britain during the Inter-War Years

Mass unemployment in England during the 1920s.

In Second Year, you learned how the Industrial Revolution changed England. You saw how cities and urban life expanded and grew as factories and mines opened across the country. You saw how this made Britain wealthy, and how it modernised from the old feudal system. The spirit of the Industrial Revolution continued into the beginning of the 20th Century, until a war broke out which ended up lasting for four years...

After World War I, Europe had changed completely. The former German Empire had been reduced to a shell of its former self, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire had collapsed. The British Empire, being on the winning side, remained intact, but its economy was suffering hugely, and this just a decade before the biggest financial collapse in history...

Continue to Anglo-American Popular Culture in Peace and War

The Causes of the English Depression:

Decline in industry and trade (ship building, cotton, coal mining).
Increase in competition (USA).

Depressed Areas:

Northern England (Clydeside, Tyneside, Lacashire) and Southern Wales.

Government Actions:

National Insurance Act and the Dole.
Wage Cuts.
Response: 1926 General Strike.

The Great Depression:

Its effects on Britain, the actions the government took, and Britain's experience of it vs. Germany's experience.

Social Problems:

Poverty, Marches (Jarrow March), leading to the Welfare State after WWII.

Key Terms:
Inflation, Depression, Protectionism
(click here)

Key Personalities:
J.M. Keynes

Case Study:
The Jarrow March

The British Prime Ministers of the 1920s:
David Lloyd George, Andrew Bonar Law, Stanley Baldwin and Ramsay MacDonald.

Higher Level (100 marks each)
2015: What were the economic and social problems of Britain during the inter-war years and/or what was the impact of World War II on its civilian population?

2014: How did the Jarrow March (1936) illustrate the social and economic problems facing Britain during the inter-war period?

2013: What were the challenges facing Britain in peace and war, 1920-1945?

2011: What did one or more of the following achieve in Britain during the period 1920 - 1945:
            J.M. Keynes, those who took part in the Jarrow March, Winston Churchill?

2009: What were the main social and economic challenges facing Britain, 1920 - 1945?

2008: Which had the greater social and economic problems during the inter-war years, Britain or
             Germany? Argue your case, referring to both countries.

2007: What were the causes and consequences of the Jarrow March, October, 1936?

2006: How successfully did Britain deal with the social and economic problems of the inter-war
            period?

Ordinary Level:
2015, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C
2012, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
Why did the Jarrow March (October, 1936) take place and what did it achieve? (40)

2011, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
What did Winston Churchill and/or J.M. Keynes contribute to Britain? (40)

2010, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
Why did the Jarrow March take place, October 1936, and what did it achieve? (40)

2008, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part B:
Write a short paragraph on the British economist, J.M. Keynes. (30)

2008, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
What were the economic and social conditions in Britain that led to the Jarrow March in October 1936? (40)

2007, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part B:
Write a short paragraph on the economic and social problems in Britain in the 1930s. (30)

2006, Dictatorship and Democracy, Part C:
How did the Jarrow March reflect the social and economic problems of industrial England in the 1930s? (40)

"The subsidised mineowner - poor beggar!"
Cartoon which appeared in the Trade Union Unity magazine during the 1926 general strike.

Links go here
Links go here

Key Personality: Adolf Hitler

Leaving Cert > Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe > Key Personalities

Adolf Hitler

Hitler is a Key Personality for:
Germany in the Inter-War Years
Hitler's Foreign Policy & the Causes of World War II.
World War II

Adolf Hitler was born in Austria in 1889. As a young man he wanted to become an artist, but he was rejected from the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. He was a strong supporter of German nationalism and developed a hatred of Jews early on. He joined the German Army during World War One.

After the war, he joined the German Workers' Party. He became its leader and renamed it the German National Socialist Party, otherwise known as the Nazi Party. In 1924, the Nazis attempted to grab power by staging a putsch (coup) in Munich. They failed and Hitler was arrested and imprisoned. While in jail, he wrote his ideas about Germany, propaganda and the Jews down in a book called Mein Kampf (My Struggle).Not long after he was released from jail, the Great Depression crippled the German Weimar Republic. Unemployment rose to 6 million.

Hitler and the Nazis became more popular and they were elected as the largest party in the Reichstag in 1933. President Hindenburg invited Hitler to become Chancellor of Germany. Hitler set about creating a totalitarian dictatorship: the Enabling Act allowed him to rule by decree and he used propaganda to create a cult of personality around himself. When Hindenburg died Hitler combined the offices to President and Chancellor to create the title of Fuhrer (leader). He put down opposition to his rule during the Night of the Long Knives, terrorised Jewish citizens with the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht and attempted to combine the German Protestant churches into a unified Reichskirche.

Hitler's foreign policy was very aggressive. He won power by promising to destroy the Treaty of Versailles, and he broke it by rearming the German army, remilitarising the Rhineland, and joining with Austria (Anschluss). In 1938, Britain and France allowed him to annex the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. Within a year, he had invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia and invaded Poland. This caused the Second World War.

During the first years of the war, Hitler enjoyed many successes: he invaded and conquered Poland, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and France, as well as beginning to invade Russia. After 1942, however, he began to suffer defeats as the Allies defeated German forces in North Africa, Stalingrad and eventually from France. Hitler retreated to a bunker in Berlin, where he stayed until the Soviet Red Army reached the city. Rather than be captured, Hitler committed suicide in the bunker.

In short...

Background:

born in Austria, wanted to be an artist, hatred of Jews, served German army in WWI.

Rise to power:

Joined the German Workers' Party, became its leader, renamed it the National Socialist (Nazi) Party.
Munich Putsch 1924 - failed, Hitler imprisoned. Wrote Mein Kampf.
Great Depression affects the Weimar Republic, Nazis become more popular.

Totalitarian Dictatorship:

1933 election, Hitler becomes Chancellor.
Enabling Act, cult of personality, propaganda, Fuhrer.
Night of the Long Knives: Rohm killed,opposition put down.
Treatment of the Jews: Nuremberg Laws, Kristallnacht.
Reichskirche - unified German Protestant church.

Foreign Policy:

Breaking the Versailles Treaty: rearmament, remilitarised the Rhineland.
Anschluss with Austria.
Munich Conference: Annexed the Sudetenland.
Invaded Czechoslovakia and Poland, started World War II.

World War II:

Initial successes: most of Europe under Nazi control by 1941.
Allies push back in 1942, Nazis defeated in several areas.
Soviet army invades Berlin, Hitler commits suicide.

American recruitment poster featuring Hitler.

Key Personality: Josef Goebbels

Leaving Cert > Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe > Key Personalities

Josef Goebbels

Goebbels is a Key Personality for:
Germany in the Inter-War Years

Josef Goebbels was educated in history, literature and phisilophy at various German universities. He was rejected from the German army in World War I because of his crippled foot. He joined the Nazi Party in 1922. He admired Adolf Hitler, the leader of that party. He was appointed district leader of the Nazi Party in Berlin. Later, Hitler made him Propaganda Leader of the Party in 1929.

Goebbels has already run his own newspaper, Der Angriff (The Attack) to spread Nazi ideas and beliefs. As propaganda leader, he organised the Nazis' election campaigns in the early 1930s and helped bring them to power.

In power, Hitler made Goebbels the Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. Goebbels had become very experienced in propaganda techniques, he studied a variety of sources including American advertising methods. As Minister, he brought German radio, cinema, theatre, sports and the press all under Nazi control. He also directed propaganda against the Jews.

During the Second World War, Goebbels attempted to use propaganda to boost German morale. As the Russians closed in on Berlin, Goebbels retreated with Hitler to the Fuhrer's bunker, along with his wife and children. They all committed suicide after Hitler had done the same.

In short...

Background:

educated in history, literature and philosohy.
rejected from the German army.
joined the Nazi Party and became an admirer of Hitler. Propaganda Leader of the party in 1929.

Minister for Propaganda:

Der Angriff, Election campaigns.
Radio, cinema, theatre, sports, the press all under Nazi control.
Anti-Semitic propaganda.

World War II:

Propaganda to boost morale.
Retreated to bunker with Hitler and family, committed suicide.

The Goebbels family, with Hitler.

Key Personality: Leni Riefenstahl

Leaving Cert > Dictatorship and Democracy in Europe > Key Personalities

Leni Riefenstahl, directing a cameraman.

Riefenstahl is a Key Personality for:
Germany in the Inter-War Years

Leni Riefenstahl began her career as a ballet dancer, until a knee injury forced her to quit. She then became a film actress during the 1920s. In 1931, she set up her own film company. She wrote, directed, produced and starred in a film called The Blue Light, which won several awards.

In 1934, Hitler asked her to film that year's Nuremberg Rally. She filmed parades, speeches and presentations by the army and the Hitler Youth. She directed and produced the footage as a documentary called Triumph of the Will. She used a variety of filming techniques, such as panoramic views and low-angle shots of Hitler to create what is considered to be a propaganda masterpiece. The film won many prizes around the world.

She also produced Olympia, a documentary on the 1936 Olympic Games which were held in Berlin. Again, she used filming techniques to highlight the Nazi organisation of the event and the role of Hitler.

After the Second World War, she was cleared of being a Nazi, as she said she did not understand Hitler's plans and only made films because she was asked to. Nevertheless, Triumph of the Will destroyed her career because of its association with the Nazis. Riefenstahl began a new career as a still photographer. She spent time in Africa photographing the Sudanese Nuba tribe, and she made her first documentary in decades in 2002, about underwater life. She died in 2003, aged 101.

An example of Riefenstahl's techniques.
Hitler is filmed from a low angle to
make him appear larger than life.

In short...

Background:

Originally a ballet dancer, became a film actress and set up her own film company.
The Blue Light

Working for Hitler:

Triumph of the Will: 1934 Nuremberg Rally, filming techniques as propaganda.
Olympia: 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

Life after Hitler:

Cleared of being a Nazi, but her career was destroyed because of Nazi associations.
Became a still photographer (Sudan) and made a documentary about underwater life.

Riefenstahl in Sudan in later years.