Philisophical question about the holocaust?

Question

In your opinion, who was worse: Heinrich Himmler (the man who carried out the holocaust for hitler), or Adolf Hitler (the man who ordered the holocaust).

In other words, who's worse: The one who deals with the intricate planning of a mass slaughter, or the one who orders it?

P.S. Neither of them were good, which one was worse?

In regards to efw's answer, was himmler truly nauseated by the sight of victims, this picture suggest otherwise (don't worry, it's not gory or anything): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/92/Himmler_visits_Dachau_1936.jpg

Answer 1

Your question is like asking who is more foolish the fool or the ones that follow him. Obviously the ones that follow

So Heinrich was worst for being a robot and doing what he was told. Hitler was right to delegate this from his conscience

Answer 2

Very simplistically, I would say Himmler. I believe that the horror would not have been so complete if Himmler weren't so good at the job he was doing. Although Hitler gave the orders I don't think he had all the intricate details worked out. His officers took his original ideas and built on them. It is possible to do a less than bang-up job while still following orders. And it is possible to do a job that exceeds expectations. Some of them clearly enjoyed what they were doing, and for that reason I think Mengela was worse than both Hitler and Himmler.

Answer 3

When you think about, there would've been no efficiency in the death camps without an Eickmann who followed Himmler's order, and then if there weren't guys like Rudolph Hoss, Commandant at Auschwitz, or a demon like Mengele under the Commandant there would've been no holocaust. The evilness went up and down the line. Himmler, the chicken farmer was nauseated at the sight of concentration camp pisoners.

Answer 4

In his diary entry of 13 December 1941, the day after Hitler’s private speech, Joseph Goebbels wrote:

Regarding the Jewish question, the Führer is determined to clear the table. He warned the Jews that if they were to cause another world war, it would lead to their own destruction. Those were not empty words. Now the world war has come. The destruction of the Jews must be its necessary consequence. We cannot be sentimental about it. It is not for us to feel sympathy for the Jews. We should have sympathy rather with our own German people. If the German people have to sacrifice 160,000 victims in yet another campaign in the east, then those responsible for this bloody conflict will have to pay for it with their lives.

In some manner, Adolf Hitler had decided that the Jews had brought about the conflicts culminating in the war. The matter was then handed off to others to impliment, as indicated "on July 31, 1941, under instructions from Adolf Hitler, Nazi official Hermann Göring ordered SS general Reinhard Heydrich to 'submit to me as soon as possible a general plan of the administrative material and financial measures necessary for carrying out the desired final solution of the Jewish question.'"

Additionally, "[a]t first, vague plans were made in Nazi Germany to ship all European Jews to Madagascar. Adolf Eichmann, in particular, supported this option before the 1942 Wannsee Conference where he was told what the "Final Solution" was to be."

For that reason, I feel that the blame may rightfully fall on the shoulders of Himmler. Truly, the architects were Nazi official Hermann Göring and SS general Reinhard Heydrich

Answer 5

i don't know much about himmler of hitler, but I would venture to say that hitler was worse. without hitler himmler probably would not have carried out a holocaust. without himmler, hitler would likely have found someone else to follow orders. the role of the follower is a replacable one, there are millions who can and would fill it. without a leader, followers usually don't lead themselves.

Answer 6

That's a tough question, but although Hitler was truly evil and I don't agree whatsoever with anything he did, HH might be worse, he could have chosen not to do what he was ordered but he did but then again he was just following orders like any soldier would and I'm not sure. Really good question though.

Answer 7

I think the man orders this is worse because he working for making killing of innocent people with his complete free choice because some one may argue that the one dealing with the intricate planning of a mass slaughter has no choice and doing this forced.

Answer 8

Himmler would not have been in the position he was in except for Hitler. So, I'd say Hitler was by far worse, for orchestrating the whole thing.

Answer 9

well no matter how you look at it, hitler had to be a great leader to get people to follow such a crazy idea. sure it was horrible, but both men were alright with it. so if i had to pick, i think that thinking up a horrible idea isnt as bad as being a blind follower who didnt even object to the idea. i mean, its terrible to come up with the holocaust, but to actually put it into action is far worse.

Answer 10

Himmler would have been executed had he refused to follow orders.
Hitler was the culprit.