Also, while Mein Kampf described many races as inferior, the actual mechanics of what would be the Holocaust and the decisions that resulted in the Final Solution were largely shaped over time through small decisions that fed on each other by multiple individuals.
Put differently, Hitler never ordered the Holocaust directly or personally. Yes, he talked a lot about the end if the Jewish race, but to pretend he was solely responsible for coming up with this policy lets the other architects of the Holocaust off the hook way too lightly.
None of that excuses him and his regime overseeing and directing these atrocities though. I think we can all agree that this was a uniquely evil policy for which there is no punishment big or fitting enough (even the Nuremberg trials struggled to (and acknowledged) mete out judgement that was in any way proportional to the suffering the defendants had caused).
Hitler never ordered the Holocaust directly or personally.
But he fomented, and implicitly and explicitly assented to the entire process. He delegated the authority to others to engage in the Holocaust freely. He could have removed that authority at any time and did not.
Yeah, that’s exactly why he should be held responsible for it, I’m absolutely not trying to debate that.
I’m just trying to get people to look past the “great man theory of history” and admit that Hitler didn’t happen in a vacuum. You don’t get a Holocaust without people around him being willing and able to carry out evil themselves. Which means that saying “Hitler caused the Holocaust” let’s a while lot of other evil people off the hook, who all played crucial parts in making it happen.
I’m hammering that point because it’s so relevant again today. Trump might be an evil narcissist piece of shit, but by himself he’s relatively harmless/containable (see the relatively smaller damage the Trump 1 regime did vs Trump 2). It’s the folks who are just as evil themselves enabling him that are exacerbating the impact this time around. And if we’re ever going to see Nuremberg style justice for this presidency, I’d be extremely disappointed if only Trump gets held responsible.
They are conspiring, all of them are 100% responsible. The way you are phrasing it makes it seem like trump is just a puppet, which is not the case. I would also attribute some of the ease to do damage to the exodus of career bureaucrats. Normal people have stepped out of roles that are now filled with sycophants, idiots and criminals.
That wasn’t my intent, both men should be considered to have agency and responsibility for their actions. I just don’t want history to forget that neither man operates alone, and that there was/is a group of people who are just as evil surrounding them that we should hold just as responsible.
Also, while Mein Kampf described many races as inferior, the actual mechanics of what would be the Holocaust and the decisions that resulted in the Final Solution were largely shaped over time through small decisions that fed on each other by multiple individuals.
Put differently, Hitler never ordered the Holocaust directly or personally. Yes, he talked a lot about the end if the Jewish race, but to pretend he was solely responsible for coming up with this policy lets the other architects of the Holocaust off the hook way too lightly.
None of that excuses him and his regime overseeing and directing these atrocities though. I think we can all agree that this was a uniquely evil policy for which there is no punishment big or fitting enough (even the Nuremberg trials struggled to (and acknowledged) mete out judgement that was in any way proportional to the suffering the defendants had caused).
That is an insane take
But he fomented, and implicitly and explicitly assented to the entire process. He delegated the authority to others to engage in the Holocaust freely. He could have removed that authority at any time and did not.
Yeah, that’s exactly why he should be held responsible for it, I’m absolutely not trying to debate that.
I’m just trying to get people to look past the “great man theory of history” and admit that Hitler didn’t happen in a vacuum. You don’t get a Holocaust without people around him being willing and able to carry out evil themselves. Which means that saying “Hitler caused the Holocaust” let’s a while lot of other evil people off the hook, who all played crucial parts in making it happen.
I’m hammering that point because it’s so relevant again today. Trump might be an evil narcissist piece of shit, but by himself he’s relatively harmless/containable (see the relatively smaller damage the Trump 1 regime did vs Trump 2). It’s the folks who are just as evil themselves enabling him that are exacerbating the impact this time around. And if we’re ever going to see Nuremberg style justice for this presidency, I’d be extremely disappointed if only Trump gets held responsible.
They are conspiring, all of them are 100% responsible. The way you are phrasing it makes it seem like trump is just a puppet, which is not the case. I would also attribute some of the ease to do damage to the exodus of career bureaucrats. Normal people have stepped out of roles that are now filled with sycophants, idiots and criminals.
That wasn’t my intent, both men should be considered to have agency and responsibility for their actions. I just don’t want history to forget that neither man operates alone, and that there was/is a group of people who are just as evil surrounding them that we should hold just as responsible.