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We have seen that Kaltenbrunner's right to practice law was revoked on account of his political activity. He was arrested several times and spent four months in an internment camp. Though such punishments were extraordinarily mild in comparison to those which Kaltenbrunner would mete out when his day arrived, they fed his hatred for the System.

Ernst Kaltenbrunner#35

HistoryPoliticsHatredMotivationPsychology

About this quote

What does it mean?
The text suggests early hardships fed Kaltenbrunner's hatred for the system he later served.
In plain terms
His early punishment made him hate the system, which he later joined.
What can you take from it?
Personal grievances can fuel radical alignment with oppressive systems.

Where it applies

  • political radicalization
  • personal history
  • psychology

Putting it to work

  • trace motivations
  • analyze grievances
  • study recruitment

Questions to consider

  • How does personal pain influence politics?
  • Why do victims join oppressors?

Another view

Early hardship does not inevitably lead to violence.

More from Ernst Kaltenbrunner

  1. Kaltenbrunner's predecessor, Taus, did not exert enough authority over the Austrian SS. Kaltenbrunner, in addition to showing a fanatical loyalty to Himmler, a…

    Permalink to quote #34
  2. No doubt Himmler brought in the scar-faced giant Kaltenbrunner because he was relatively unknown and outside the established circle of the Heydrichian chiefs.

    Permalink to quote #36
  3. Kaltenbrunner had discovered a world where he needed only to obey in order to become part of the historical progression of mankind. He had thus clarified his i…

    Permalink to quote #33

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