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Nazism and Fascism are thoroughly beaten, but I must admit that their defeat does not mean that barbarism and brutality have been defeated. On the contrary, it is no use closing our eyes to the fact that these hateful ideas achieved something like a victory in defeat. I have to admit that Hitler succeeded in degrading the moral standards of our Western world, and that in the world of today there is more violence and brutal force than would have been tolerated even in the decade after the first World war. And we must face the possibility that our civilization may ultimately be destroyed by those new weapons which Hitlerism wished upon us, perhaps even within the first decade after the second World war; for no doubt the spirit of Hitlerism won its greatest victory over us when, after its defeat, we used the weapons which the threat of Nazism had induced us to develop.

Adolf Hitler#197

WarMoralityViolenceConsequences

About this quote

What does it mean?
The quote claims barbarism and moral degradation survived Nazism's defeat, leading to increased violence and weapons that could destroy civilization.
In plain terms
It warns that defeating Nazism did not defeat the underlying brutality in the world.
What can you take from it?
Moral progress does not automatically follow military victory.

Where it applies

  • post-war reflection
  • moral critique
  • security

Putting it to work

  • ethical reflection
  • peace studies

Questions to consider

  • Does defeating a regime remove its influence?
  • How do we prevent moral decline after war?

Another view

It attributes all modern violence to the spirit of Nazism.

More from Adolf Hitler

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  2. As far as Hitler is concerned, we regarded him as a true man. He was only a corporal when he earned the Iron Cross First Class in World War I. In those days th…

    Permalink to quote #198
  3. Of course, the terrible things I heard from the Nuremberg Trials, about the six million Jews and the people from other races who were killed, were facts that s…

    Permalink to quote #195

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