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Beyond 'Valkyrie': The Other Assassination Plots against Hitler with Dr. Finn Ballard

Beyond 'Valkyrie': The Other Assassination Plots against Hitler with Dr. Finn Ballard


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On July 20th, 1944, a team of German soldiers attempted to kill Hitler in a bomb blast at his 'Wolf's Lair' in Poland. What about the dozens of other attempts to assassinate the Führer? This conversation will explore a number of assassination efforts to take down Adolf Hitler from 1936 through to 1944.
In this seminar, we will look at 'Valkyrie', the July 1944 assassination plot which missed its target by a hair's breadth, and which inspired the 2008 movie starring Tom Cruise. But we will also discuss the many earlier efforts to dispatch him, dating all the way back to before his inauguration. We will look at the earlier abortive attempts at military coups; the effort to kill Hitler in a bomb blast in 1936; the attempt by the Swiss theology student Maurice Bavaud to get rid of him (which cost Bavaud his life); the harrowing tale of Georg Elser, the carpenter whose attempt so nearly met its target in 1938 that Elser believed he had succeeded; Hitler's brush with death in the German Historical Museum; the 2-meter 'Aryan' prototype who would have killed the Führer with a bomb planted in his own overcoat... and more.
We will examine the culture of memory surrounding figures involved in such high-level resistance, and the complexity involved in lauding those would-be assassins who were members of Hitler's military elite. And we will ask the question: what if one of these would have met its target?
Led by an expert on twentieth-century German history, Dr. Finn Ballard, this interactive seminar will illuminate a series of truly astonishing plots against Hitler. Designed to inform curiosity as well as future travels, participants will come away with an increased understanding of the relationship of Nazi Germany to its Führer.

For further learning on World War II history, we invite you to explore Operation Valkyrie: The German Army's Assassination Plot Against Hitler with Dr. Finn Ballard

Finn grew up in Northern Ireland before moving to England to study and later teach in the department of Film and Literature at the University of Warwick. He completed his doctoral study on German folklore and popular cinema in 2012, and has published extensively in the fields of Film Studies and Gender Studies. Since 2008, he has been living and guiding in Berlin. He now works as a historical advisor for television and film productions set in Berlin, particularly during the Weimar era or Third Reich. He is a journalist for the 'Siegessauele', Europe's foremost Queer magazine, and organises events at Berlin's English-language bookstore 'Another Country'.

This conversation is suitable for all ages.

90 minutes, including a 30 minute Q&A.

Customer Reviews

Based on 9 reviews
89%
(8)
11%
(1)
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(0)
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K
K.E. (Ehningen, DE)
Assassination Plots Against Hitler

Dr. Ballard provides a fast-paced, extremely informative look into the numerous attempts to assassinate Hitler during the 1930s and early 1940s. Hitler's luck in evading the efforts to stop his march toward European domination borders on the uncanny!

S
S.S. (Oxford, US)
Beyond Valkyrie

I have NEVER been disappointed with any if Dr. Ballard's talks. this one too gave us the history of many plots against Hitler's life. Again a 90 minute lesson that was education and entertainment.

G
G. (Brantford, CA)
Beyond Valkyrie

This was a fascinating talk about all the attempts to try and assassinate Hitler. So many names & dates to remember - I don’t know how Dr. Ballard does it. Why was Hitler so lucky?

A
Anonymous (Pleasant Hill, US)

Guest did not leave comment

K
Kris Tooley (Ottawa, CA)
Informative Session

These conversations with Dr. Ballard are always so engrossing. He provides a lot of great information and even suggestions for further investigation on your own. It is very apparent that he is well studied in this topic, and I would highly recommend participating in his sessions if you are interested in the Nazi regime and it's history.

Customer Reviews

Based on 9 reviews
89%
(8)
11%
(1)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
K
K.E. (Ehningen, DE)
Assassination Plots Against Hitler

Dr. Ballard provides a fast-paced, extremely informative look into the numerous attempts to assassinate Hitler during the 1930s and early 1940s. Hitler's luck in evading the efforts to stop his march toward European domination borders on the uncanny!

S
S.S. (Oxford, US)
Beyond Valkyrie

I have NEVER been disappointed with any if Dr. Ballard's talks. this one too gave us the history of many plots against Hitler's life. Again a 90 minute lesson that was education and entertainment.

G
G. (Brantford, CA)
Beyond Valkyrie

This was a fascinating talk about all the attempts to try and assassinate Hitler. So many names & dates to remember - I don’t know how Dr. Ballard does it. Why was Hitler so lucky?

A
Anonymous (Pleasant Hill, US)

Guest did not leave comment

K
Kris Tooley (Ottawa, CA)
Informative Session

These conversations with Dr. Ballard are always so engrossing. He provides a lot of great information and even suggestions for further investigation on your own. It is very apparent that he is well studied in this topic, and I would highly recommend participating in his sessions if you are interested in the Nazi regime and it's history.