Not justified - but Himmler told me that if the Jews were not exterminated at that time, then the German people would be exterminated for all time by the Jews.
War crimesAntisemitismFearJustificationPersecutionPropaganda
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker justifies extermination based on a claim that Jews threatened the existence of the German people.
- In plain terms
- He believed killing Jews was necessary to save Germans from being killed by them.
- What can you take from it?
- Fear-mongering is used to justify violence against groups.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do leaders use fear to gain support?
- What happens when people accept false threats?
Another view
The justification relies on unsubstantiated claims of mutual extermination.
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