Kaltenbrunner, the grand inquisitor, took up the bloody mantle of Heydrich to stifle opposition and terrorize compliance, and buttressed the power of National Socialism on a foundation of guiltless corpses.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- A descriptive quote frames Kaltenbrunner as inheriting a violent legacy to enforce compliance through terror.
- In plain terms
- He took over a role of terror and used death to control people.
- What can you take from it?
- Terror can be a tool for enforcing political compliance.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How is power maintained through fear?
- What defines a legacy of terror?
Another view
Framing someone solely as a monster oversimplifies complex historical roles.
More from Ernst Kaltenbrunner
Who would Hitler say deceived him about conditions in concentration camps if not Kaltenbrunner, even as he would deceive us?
Permalink to quote #72 The mass gassing of Jews did not begin until the summer of 1942, after Heydrich's death and it took place under the aegis of his successor, Kaltenbrunner, the …
Permalink to quote #74 A security chief who was of the impression that the policing functions of his Gestapo and SD were somewhat on the order of directing traffic.
Permalink to quote #71
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