Had the 20th of July bomb plot against Hitler succeeded there would have been strikes and civil war within Germany... Already there were fanatic National Socialists in the army with ranks of captain and major; in the air force the doctrine was even at the highest levels, and the SS was entirely a party group - a state within a state. There were even divisions among the people who for 12 years had heard the same party line and had been effected either favorably or unfavorably from the NSDAP. Out of all this chaos there was not a single person who could have brought these factions together and achieve a peace and a democratic government.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The quote argues that even if the July 20 plot had succeeded, internal Nazi factions and lack of unified leadership would have prevented peace and democracy.
- In plain terms
- Even a successful plot wouldn’t have unified Nazi factions or created democracy.
- What can you take from it?
- Deep internal divisions made a stable post‑Hitler Germany unlikely.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What could have unified the factions?
- Was any democratic outcome feasible?
Another view
It assumes no external forces could have intervened to stabilize the situation.
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