If you could go back in time would you kill Hitler as a child?

Question

If you could go back in time would you kill Hilter when he was a child?
If you got sent back in time for one day near where he was growing up and you KNEW what he would become would you do it?
You only have one day!

Answer 1

No. I would never kill anyone. As a kid I used to watch a lot of Doctor Who (in fact I still do watch it - today's episode was great) and I remember one particular episode where the Doctor is sent back in time to stop the Daleks from being created. Here is some of the dialogue from that episode:

The Doctor : "If someone who knew the future, pointed out a child to you and told you that that child would grow up totally evil, to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives... could you then kill that child?"

Sarah Jane Smith : "We're talking about the Daleks. The most evil creatures ever invented. You must destroy them. You must complete your mission for the Time Lords!"

The Doctor : "Do I have the right? Simply touch one wire against the other and that's it. The Daleks cease to exist. Hundreds of millions of people, thousands of generations can live without fear... in peace, and never even know the word "Dalek"."

Sarah Jane Smith : "Then why wait? If it was a disease or some sort of bacteria you were destroying, you wouldn't hesitate."

The Doctor : "But if I kill. Wipe out a whole intelligent life form, then I become like them. I'd be no better than the Daleks."
------

So morally killing Hitler as a child would be wrong because as a child he was innocent. There is NO excuse for murdering a child.

Answer 2

No, because you don't know what alternative events you might set in motion.

For example, if yuo killed Hitler, there would be no Volkwagen Beetle. If there was no VW Beetle (the people's car), there would be no mass car market today. Ordinary people would not be able to own cars, and common people would not be able to have sex on the back seats of them. As a result, millions of people who are alive today would simply not exist.
Also, there would be fewer car factories, and those that do exist would be smaller, so ther would be loads more unemployment.

Also, if you killed Hitler, there would be no world war 2. On the face of it, this sounds like a great thing, but consider this. The vast majority of the technology that we use today, including the internet that we are using right now has come from military wartime research.
So by killing Hitler and preventing WW2, you would be taking a massive backwards step in terms of technology. We would probably still be using technology akin to that seen in the 1950's.

Answer 3

Well its hard to say..I mean he was a horrible man, but I think killing hi wouldnt change his purpose in earth(which obviously wasnt a good purpose). I personally think that everything happens for a reason, but Hitler wasnt a good one. Not everything in this world is good or pleasent and Hitler wasnt one of those. I mean if whatever he did didnt happen or if someone killed him, what would have happened instead?? because life isnt perfect..right?? I know it sounds like I'm agreeing w/ what he did, but Im not!! I cant...I've heard stories of how he ruined peoples lives. All Im saying is that.....somethings are ment to be and if you change it then....well you've seen those movies(like Click or something). I wouldnt want to kill Hitler but I would try and change his mind instead(if that would help). Also if I knew what would happen I would try and warn everyone who could possibly be in danger. I wish the Holocaust never happened because I've seen the pain he and the Nazis caused people, it causes me pain in some sense, but I think killing him isnt the answer.

Answer 4

I would not kill him because I believe Hitler had his fate planned out for him and he didn't even know it. People that evil don't just happen, they are brought up with a purpose, used by the one who brought them up, and then get what is coming to them for having the kind of heart that could be willing to do what Hitler did to the folks under his authority. He's in hell if anyone ever deserved to be there.

Answer 5

No. The first reason being that even though what he did was horrible he can't be blamed for it alone, there were others involved. It would be like killing off everyone with antisematic (sp?) ideas in that time.

The second reason is because he does have an important role in history. Just because you kill off one baddie doesn't mean another one won't step up and be 10x worse.

The third would be because a child is harmless and I would never kill an innocent child, even if he grew up to be the most hated villian of his time. A better course of action would be recognizing what made him go off and helping him. People aren't born evil, something needs to happen with them for it to happen.

Answer 6

NO.

I don't believe that anyone is born evil. There is no such thing as an evil baby.

The conditions that existed in Germany post World War One meant that another 'Hitler' would have taken control.

Study 20th century history and you will learn a lot more about what really was going on in Europe at that time.

Answer 7

No. For one thing, if I did that many African and Asian countries would still be under colonial rule. Although Hitler did many bad things, the second world war drew and destroyed western resources to such a point that they could no longer run colonies and had to give them up.

So all in all, although the Jews may have been saved, the world would still be in a bigger state of oppression. And the Jews themselves have Hitler to thank for the creation of the state of Israel.

So the guy had his plus points.

Answer 8

some of the best things in life have come as a result of the Second World War.
Of course the deaths of the war, the holacost, the tragic invasions of adjacent countries were very terrible.
But I challenge YOU.. Joanne M (with a homework assignment)to come up with a list of things that brought the world CLOSER together, and benefited all mankind as a result of the war.
I'll start you off, and you... do your homework.. and report back.
1. Radar and sonar
2. Nuclear energy
3. The League of Nations (later United Nations)
4. Boundaries established for Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, etc.
5. Total rebuilding of Europe by the Marshal Plan (US Money)
6. Division of War mongering Germany to create a lasting Peace in Europe
7. The end of fascism in Italy, Spain, Gernmany
8. Creation of N.A.T.O.

Answer 9

i would not kill him. I just read a book about him. As a child he was looser at everything but after he goes to military and becomes a soldier he changes a lot. He starts to be like who he is after he goes to the army. so i would go back at time and prevent him from getting to the army maybe break his legs and arms and he would keep on living as a looser and would not be able to harm anybody. or i would sign him up to the art school he wanted to sign up but got rejected so he would be a gay art lover.

Answer 10

No. Beyond the taboo of altering the past for the sake of preserving the present, you have to think that events could have been far, far worse even to the point of the demise of humanity. Putting all chronological paradoxes aside, if you time travelled back for a day..killed him and time travelled back to a dead world, would you feel better?