Was Hitler evil?

Question

For fear of being branded a racist i will state to begin with what he did with was of course wrong in the extreme and i completely disagree with any such principle on racial cleansing or for that matter to do with gays or the disabled. However my orginal question is prompted from the notion that can anyone actually by so evil that genocide is possible? I would propose Hitler was very misguided in his views but this was due to his life experience and his questionable sanity lead him to "deal" with the "Jewish problem" in a brutal way. So was he simply being evil for evil's sake? or did he honestly belive the world would be a better place without Jewish culture and people

Answer 1

Yes, genocide is possible, and unfortunately, we have not learned from the lessons of history to stop. Taking both social definitions into account, governments have murdered probably around 174 million people during the 20th Century. Most of this killing, perhaps around 110 million people, is due to communist governments, especially the USSR under Lenin and Stalin and their successors (62 million murdered), and China under Mao Tse-tung (35 million). Some other totalitarian or authoritarian governments are also largely responsible for this toll, particularly Hitler's Germany (21 million murdered) and Chiang Kai-chek's Nationalist government of China (about 10 million). Other governments that have murdered lesser millions include Khmer Rouge Cambodia, Japan, North Korea, Mexico, Pakistan, Poland, Russia, Turkey, Vietnam, and Tito's Yugoslavia.

Now Darfur, Sudan - we still are not learning.

Yes, to me, he is the epitomy of evil in his deeds and behaviour toward Jews and others he did not want in his Reich. He had a pathological and virulent hatred for Jews. His evil ideology that borne the genocidal "Final Solultion" which killed off the majority of my father's family and MILLIONS of others. But then, I am speaking as one who was personally touched by it. He was very misguided and was very committed to the idea that if we Jewish people were to be removed from Austria and Germany, these peoples/countries would prosper and grow into what he envisioned would be the Fatherland. I really wished that he just REMOVED those people, and not destroyed them, tortured them, displaced them, cremated them, killed them.

He was a man who sincerely and honestly believed the world would be a better place without certain people like me and the African race, the mentally and physically disabled, homosexuals, and Gypsies.

He had said so in many personal conversations with his peers, and wanted us eradacated from the earth - not fit to live. I know people who knew Hitler personally and I only repeat what I am told by them after having some amazing conversations with them.

He beleived in racial purity. Which is funny, that he so passionately promoted the perfect Aryan as fair and blond and he was so dark haired and ruddy.

Hitler was a very sane man in the beginning of his career who in my opinion, became mentally ill later on.

Satan is evil, but I don't really believe that people can really BE evil, though we can do evil things and have evil thoughts. Evil, for evil's sake, well, I don't know what went on in his heart of hearts, but he treated his employees well, his animals kindly and loved children - s long as they were Aryan.

I'd like to have been a fly on St. Peter's Pearly Gates when Hitler was presented on April 30, 1945...wonder what THAT conversation would have been..?

Answer 2

I admit it is an interesting question. Was he trying to destroy a group and culture or was it simply that he was trying to promote another so much that he had to destroy the others to accomplish his goals? Almost a question of would the end justify the means. Say he had accomplished his goals. Would the people he promoted say he was evil to do that? If YES then would that make Israel evil. OK not trying to start this one BUT think about it. They were GIVEN the land. So if it would be evil to create a land was the U.N. evil for the creation of the Jewish state? I bet I get some thumbs down for this comparison BUT is that simply because Hitler wasn't successful and the U.N. was? I have nothing against Israel but my question is if one was evil, why isn't the other? Yeah the U.N. DIDN'T kill people to create Israel, but they did force people off the land basically. If Hitler was evil does that make Plato evil. If you ever read, or learn, the story of the "Big lie" then you would have to agree that is rather close to what Hitler was trying to do. In the end his actions were indeed evil, but that doesn't tell you of the man himself. I dare say if he was successful then he would be seen more as a hero then evil. So I'm not sure I could go so far as to call the man himself evil.

Answer 3

Throughout mankinds' history there have been people who have practised genocide in the name of 'cleansing'. He is not the first neither will he be the last. Such people are not just evil they have systematically been taught that they are better or this culture is better than that one and this is from childhood and experiences in life especially where there is cultural history to draw upon. One can especially draw such parallels with religion. Hitler truly believed that the jews were not people and should be exterminated this is borne in mind especially when you consider that during the time he was growing up the jews held the economic reigns and in his skewed opinion it was their fault he could not get employed or hold a decent job. It was not for him to comprehend how a people who were not even european could have so much power.

Answer 4

It's a good question and I'm happy to provide a Jewish perspective. It's very easy to become numb to attrocities. I attended a 5 day course at a Holocaust Museum where were were shown lots of footage and images. For the first 2 days we had nightmares and people were upset but after that a numbness sets in and by the end of 5 days people were saying 'ok it's another pile of bodies' we've seen that before. This was an important lesson for participants to learn as it gave them an insight into how your mind can reach a horror saturation point.
I've often wondered how the Americans who liberated concentration camps were able to go back to the US after the war and allow aparteid to continue for another generation.
In every generation since the second world war we have seen pictures of genocide and ethnic cleansing throughout the world: Cambodia, Serbia, Africa, Kurdistan. If Hitler was evil he was no more so than other people who have allowed genocide to happen

Answer 5

You'd have to interview old Adolph about that, which is no longer possible. Whether he was evil or not seems a complicated question. On the yes side you have the genocide, and the misery he caused millions. On the no side, he (before WW 11) virtually eliminated unemployment in Germany, caused the venerable Volkswagen to be born, started the Autobahn system which really is the beginning of all modern superhighways, and did many other good things. Also he loved dogs. So he was or went nuts, there were still two sides to him. Men like Heydrich and Himmler on the other hand seem to have been cruel beyond any level of comprehension and while those and others (Eichmann and all) seem to have been very intelligent it is difficult to see them as anything other than evil.

Answer 6

I don't there is too much psycho/maniac crime that is done to be evil for the sake of evil. It is committed because of whatever twisted belief the criminal has with regard to any purpose for the crime or else psycho/manic crime is committed by people who simply have no conscious and want to do whatever it is for whatever their reason or no reason at all.

When people commit evil it makes them evil, but, again, I don't think people who commit such crimes say, "Hey. I think I'll be evil."

Since, however, Hitler did what he did then his actions are evidence that he was evil. Nobody who is not evil - even if they are misguided - could ever have committed the crimes he did in the numbers he did.

Insane? Maybe. Twisted? Yes. Hitler's actions, though, showed that he was evil whether or not he was also insane or twisted or damaged or whatever else he was. Nobody who is not evil thinks so little of other human beings or is capable of such atrocities against them.

Answer 7

Who thinks or believes that Jews are a problem? What if someone decided that blondes were a problem and decided that they should be removed from the face of the earth, or all people with blue eyes should be exterminated? Hitler was an extremely disturbed and evil person. His madness knew no boundaries, and had he succeeded in his initial plan for world dominance I believe everyone would have eventually become expendable in some degree.

Answer 8

I think the saddest thing of all is there is always a lot of focus, studies, books, tv programmes which leads to notority for people who are accountable for appauling crimes and atrocities against peoples basic human rights - whilst we all know who Hitler is, and other serial killers or other war ciminials - there's very little emphasis placed on the victims themselves. I think you truely study one jewish persons live at the time, from begining to end - feeling their extreme fear, terrior, pain at the loss of their loved one, inhuman conditions - for me, it's a question of the ability to have such disregard for another human beings life - he destroyed so many peoples lives, not just those who were killed - but the ripple effect it has on families for centuries to come. If you see someone crying in pain - don't tell me whatever your background is, that you do know ackowledge that the person is in pain. Many serial killer were alledged to come from abusive backgrounds, but how many others have equally come from such backgrounds and not killed?? I think Hitler was a narcassist, no excuses for what he did and many lives he damaged.

Answer 9

I can only see an atheist seriously asking this question. Which if you are, then what does it matter what we brand Hitler as. Some people agree in the evil diagnosis while others will say he was nuts. Does it matter if in the end all we have to prove it one way or another is nothing more than our personal perspective?

If you believe in God and you're asking this question then I'd say...what the hell is wrong with you? Of course Hitler was evil!

Answer 10

I have yet to meet an evil person. However I define a person as evil if that person has the intention to cause as mush harm and sufferring on other people as possible. Hitler caused great harm and suffering but I don't believe he was motivated by causing harm and suffering. I believe he really though he was doing what was best for his people.

Stupid, mental, a lunatic, misguided, foolish are all much better descriptions if you ask me.