[tomohawk]

Germany was arguably the most educated, enlightened, and cultured country of that time. Look at all those Nobel winners. They chose to take on the garments of Nazism. It was Germany that killed all of those Jews, Gypsies, handicapped, Christians, and anyone else who opposed them. Trying to say "that was just this crazy political party" just doesn't cut it.

[jdietrich]

It's a fine line. The important thing is to emphasise that there was nothing unique about Germany or the Nazi party. What happened there could happen anywhere. If you emphasise the Germanness of the Holocaust, you risk casting it as a uniquely German phenomenon.

The German people didn't suddenly become evil in 1931, nor did they suddenly become good in 1946. They were perfectly ordinary people who were complicit or active in perpetrating awful atrocities. It happened there and it could happen here. There are people in your life who would, in the wrong circumstances, be perfectly capable of kicking people into cattle cars or gas chambers. They're not psychopaths or monsters, they're just people who do what they're told. That's the awful reality; blaming some aspect of the German character is an easy get-out from confronting that awfulness.

[joering2]

Well written, +1

One could even argue that it did indeed happened "here". Take a look at recent Iraq invasion under President Bush. Least at least 8 years, at cost of 150-650 thousands (!!) of lives lost, about 110,000 civilians included... and what happened other than few street riots and march under White House? Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Average American family continues to live average american life and even as we still don't know why this war was started, life goes on :(

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_War

[JPLeRouzic]

I am not German, but thanks for writing that. Demonizing people is unfortunately the norm, making a well balanced judgment is very rare. Many, many thanks for your writings here.

[coldtea]

>The German people didn't suddenly become evil in 1931, nor did they suddenly become good in 1946.

No, they were part of an "superior race" culture both before 1931 and after 1946.

(Not to mention their role in WWI as well).

[JPLeRouzic]

From the middle of the 19th century, there was a myth in the western world about being a "superior race". For example in France Jules Ferry [0] said "it is a right for the superior races, because they have a duty. They have the duty to civilize the inferior races."

It went much further than skin color differences, my own ancestors in the Western part of France, were called "animals like people" by Parisian politicians during the 19th century.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Ferry#Colonial_expansion

[jdietrich]

See also Kipling and the White Man's Burden. White supremacy was the norm across the western world.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Man%27s_Burden

[JPLeRouzic]

For those who admire Victor Hugo (a French writer of 19th century), he wrote a lot about Africa and their inhabitants (and also of inhabitants of Brittany and Vendée). His views on "inferior people" are absolutely terrifying:

"In the nineteenth century, the white man made true men of black people ; in the twentieth century, Europe will make a world of Africa."

http://www.imagesetmemoires.com/doc/Articles/B29paulhachugo....

[nebula]

Did Nazis persecute Christians? My knowledge of German history is very limited, but I remember reading that church supported Hitler.

[olavk]

It complicated...Nazisms did not persecute Christians in general and considered Christianity a part of the German culture. Atheists were persecuted, and so where members of sects like Jehovah's Witnesses. They wanted a church which was subservient to the state, and members of the clergy which opposed this or criticized the party were persecuted just like other political enemies. But the mainstream churches (Germany have both Protestant and Catholic) cooperated with the Nazi government.

Some Nazi ideologues were negative towards Christianity, but in general the system were positive towards "German Christianity".

[baud147258]

Yes, especially with the condemnation of Nazism with the Mit brennender Sorge encyclical, which was distributed in 1937.

Not at the level of the Jew, but Christian organisations were suppressed and many priests were deported in camps.

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazi_persecution_of_the_Cathol...