Today is not like to recall that the first all-out war on smoking at the national level announced by none other than Adolf Hitler ...
Perhaps this is why the sixtieth anniversary of this event remained prudent unnoticed ...
The idea of quitting occurred to Hitler as soon as he was discharged from the army. And it should be noted that while the head of the future Fuhrer's going full confusion. It mixed up different ideas and theories, which was rich in postwar Germany, superimposed on his personal feelings and gave rise to suggestions, sometimes shocking even his "Parteigenosse.
Well, for example, adopt a law on protection of animals, including responsibility for the mistreatment, and even a ban boil lobsters alive. In Europe, the beginning of XX century it was nonsense. And the former officers of the Kaiser's army, survived the horrors of the First World, and do spinning finger to his temple. However, later, in the 30 years, the law did have - and this was the first such law in the Western world. What defenders of little animals, too, do not want to remember.
However, given that, in response to a question that perplexed scientists, to whom are they now carry out experiments, Hitler defined the category of "laboratory animals" ... Jews and Gypsies, no reason to enroll him in the humanists obviously not.
His aversion to smoking, as has been written by historians, began with the fact that Hitler identified smoking as throwing money down the drain - in the literal sense. Perhaps he simply did not have money, and a cigarette "freeloader" no one has given, perhaps, it just leaped "toad", but once he decided that smoking will no longer be. But only a few years later, Hitler began to get all the lectures that nicotine is harmful to health.
It should be noted that the first appearance of tobacco in Europe in the XVI century was met with very negative. In many countries, monarchs fought overseas habit "to smoke, like a devil" very strict methods: smokers in England beheaded, in Russia since Ivan the Terrible was beaten with sticks, and the kingdom of Alexei Mikhailovich executed very painful way. But then the aristocracy realized that the tobacco business - a very profitable business. And Europe lit, contracted the habit of Peter the Great.
Two centuries old and the new world strenuously puffed pipes and cigars. Tobacco chewing, sniffing and even used as medicine. Attempts to persuade the public that smoking - health harm, ridicule. However, activists in a healthy lifestyle will not be discouraged and persevered. And even sought with some success: for example, in 1890 in the 26 states of the North American Union were prohibited from selling tobacco to minors.
But the attempt by the authorities of New York in 1908 to ban smoking in public places for women, encountered fierce resistance angry suffragettes (future feminists). Who responded began to smoke in principle, to emphasize that its independence and to protest against the "male tyranny.
Society of opponents of smoking have arisen in Germany. However, these were only voluntary organizations, which attempted to deal with nicotine through the publication of magazines and distributing leaflets. The First World War dealt a crushing blow on them - since 1914 the number of smokers increases sharply, and at the front clouds of tobacco smoke rose above the dugouts, as if breaking the chemical shells. Of course, that while Europe etched, the American tobacco companies counted a huge profit.
So the fight against smoking was not the idea of Hitler, but it was he who brought it to the absurd. However, today such an absurdity was the norm "democratic countries".
It all started with the fact that in the 30 years the Germans doctors (at the request of the Fuhrer) began intensive study of the effect of tobacco smoke on the human body. And just what they have become sponsors of such discoveries as the impact of smoking on lung cancer and heart disease, the effect of smoking on fetal growth and health of infants. And also coined the famous term "passive smoking» (Passivrauchen), ie, inhalation of tobacco smoke with the air in the smoke-filled room, transport, places of gatherings.
These discoveries, the first time in history, reinforced the anti-tobacco campaign of scientific facts, to this day is the main argument against smoking. And to make war with the State of cigarettes, total scale enabled the ideology of the Third Reich.
Since Germany was declared the nation the steepest in the world, were presented to her and the relevant requirements. The "true Aryans" were supposed to destroy the mighty fists head "subhuman", and their wives - give birth to a healthy and strong children. Thus, smoking was declared not just bad habits, they now became the enemy of health and future of the nation.
The funny thing with that against the backdrop of the fight against nicotine in Germany allowed the use of amphetamines, which are then considered "the cure for fatigue," and even declared less harmful to health than strong coffee. They betrayed the soldiers who used them and Hitler himself is said to strongly podsevshy on them by the end of the war, which explains his morbidly nervous state.
Of course, not without blame game. First, Hitler invented the famous dictum ironic that tobacco - a "revenge of the red white man for the fire water." And then everything fell to the Jewish tradition: that is they invented the lime Nordic race nicotine! Since the beginning of the war the German anti-tobacco propaganda used associative images: cigar symbolized Churchill and Britain, the tube - Stalin and the Bolsheviks, well, and cigarettes, of course, Americans.
However, the mere propaganda yielded few results - the Germans did not want to listen to a popularly elected to the Fuhrer. On the contrary, they have to smoke even more! And smoked even closer to Hitler, skipping past the ears of his appeals and exhortations. Therefore, the Third Reich has decided to fight the tobacco at the state level coercive methods. These, however today enjoys all of Europe.
For a start, in 1938, smoking is prohibited in aviation and in the post - under the guise of fire safety. And then, in 1939, total nicotine rink campaign began its movement. Smoking is prohibited in all institutions of Hitler's party, in hospitals and schools. Very strictly forbidden to smoke during working hours (anywhere else), midwives and the police. Restrictions imposed on all officers of the SS. So Stirlitz, for example, could only smoke at home, like bake potatoes.
Special excise taxes, which constituted 85% of the cost of a pack of cigarettes, made them more expensive and less accessible. This was accompanied by visual propaganda about how much the useful could buy savings stamps for smokers, they get rid of their habit. Since the beginning of the war and rationing system for fixing prices the state has gone the other way, banning the issuance of tobacco cards, women of childbearing age.
In 1941, the public was completely banned advertising of tobacco products (on radio, billboards), and smoking was prohibited in public transport 60 cities. In 1944 the ban has spread to the whole of Germany, as well as on commuter trains.
Winning smoking completely failed. Although the results were: in the period from 1938 to 1944 tobacco consumption in Germany decreased by 24%. However, these gains were immediately negated by the defeat of the Third Reich in the war. Country trying to flex its muscles a healthy lifestyle, has received a crushing blow from polluting the harsh tobacco Soviet soldiers.
Whether falling into the shock of shocks, whether the statute of nicotine company, the Germans began to smoke like never before. Prisoners "Aryans" the first thing asked for a cigarette or tobacco, Germans in exchange for a pack of cigarettes were even willing to "inter-racial ties." Tobacco consumption is officially grown in half, and taking into account smuggling - twice!
And almost all the profits ended up in the pockets of American companies that are actively promoted podsazhivaniyu population of liberated Germany for their products. In the end, the Germans quickly entered the top five most smokers nations in the world. And until now, Germany still can not lower cigarette consumption to the level in 1944 ...
