By continually talking about Hitler do we let the rest of German and European society off the hook?

Question

Hitler was elected. He was a popular ruler. He was up front and honest about his views of fascism and racial superiority. Germans supported him until the bombs started falling.

Those nations had slaughtered Jews before Hitler.....and many of them (Poland, Norway, Czeck, France, the Baltic States, Western Russia) made no efforts to save any of their populations.

Nations that wanted to save their Jewish populations laregely did (Bulgaria, Denmark).

Instead of focusing on Hitler, should we be focusing on the values, traditions, and attitudes of those societies?

Slave of God seems sensitive to something. I wonder why she'd be worried about analyzing how the values of Christian societies lead to slaughtering people over the course of 1000's of years.

Could it be that the belief that only you are saved leads to the easy rationalization of barbaric behavior?

In the pit of her stomach...she doesn't want those cultures questioned because she knows the answers.

I'll tell you who the hell I am to question....I'm someone who has no extended family because of those societies. I think that gives me the right to ask how it happened.

You are why it's time to move past blaming Hitler. It's easy for people like you to blame the bad man. It's harder to ask how the bad man was able to do it.

It wasn't all hypnotism. People WANTED to do those things.

You are an intellectual coward.

Just a side point....until you learn the correct usage of basic words like "your", don't call someone else unintelligent.

Your countries are more peaceful because they have no militaries left. Give me a break.

Answer 1

You are right and I have to admit that as a German. I've studied history and yes, it was as you write, although naturally many people don't want to admit that. There was very much antisemitism among Germans and they had such "values" like blind obediance to authorities that many thought murder were a smaller crime than breaking an order, but it has changed.

There is no use of focusing on Hitler, if he had been the only person with these ideas he would have ended up in a lunatic asylum. I remember in my childhood in the 80s I heard many times how old people blamed everything on Hitler, but no one of the younger generations believes them this. I think most Germans know now that Hitler was not a magician who fell from Mars and bewitched people.

And I think it is essential to understand this in order to make a change to these "cultural values" that led to World War II and the Holocaust. As I wrote above I think we have made this change, such as antisemitism and other racism is despised now in Germany and blind obediance to authorities has become a total "anti-value". That's at least how I was raised. When we learned about history at school we always learned that the generation of my grandparents acted very wrong with very few exceptions who are regarded as heroes and role models: people who helped Jews, resistance fighters, deserters.... but we know that they were few and that they acted against the common "values" of their society.

Answer 2

I agree that by putting so much emphasis on Hitler, the people who supprted him are in some ways absolved of blame.

I think that the main reason is that most people have only a superficial understanding of the Second World War. Years after taking a history class, all you remember is the key people and events, not the complex subtleties.

ps- I think you'd have more luck getting this question answered if you moved it into history rather than religion.

Answer 3

We are personally responsible for what we do. Others are directly responsible for what they do. These acts and the consequences are not transferable. To be fair and just, everything should be treated case to case depending on the exact circumstances and situation. Everyone must be allowed to judge for himself.

Answer 4

who the hell are you , to question and focus on values and traditions and attitudes of another society! - you sound like a NAZI yourself!
the traditions of those nations do not concern you ! you are so unintelligent to realize that the countries you are degrading are more peaceful then your own! they don't start random wars or commit terrorist attacks! it looks to me like your anti euro and pro racist! right up Hitlers alley!