If Hitler had not thrown the Communists into camps in 1933 there would have been civil war and bloodshed. The Communists would have revolted against the legally elected government. The greatest danger of civil war in Germany came in 1932 when it was clearly a choice between Communism and National Socialism. So Paul von Hindenburg and the other conservative bourgeois elements chose Hitler. So did I, and I would do it again if a choice between Communism and Nazism arose.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker argues choosing Hitler in 1933 was necessary to prevent civil war with Communists.
- In plain terms
- I chose Hitler over Communists to avoid civil war and would do it again.
- What can you take from it?
- Authoritarian options are sometimes defended as necessary evils to prevent greater chaos.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is choosing the lesser evil justifiable?
- When does a threat justify extreme measures?
Another view
Claiming necessity may excuse the harms caused by chosen solutions.
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