上位 200 件のコメント全て表示する 409

[–]Ratertheman 393ポイント394ポイント  (40子コメント)

I never knew he had a sister, so that was an interesting read.

[–]RealHewmanBean 306ポイント307ポイント  (2子コメント)

And if I were her. That's how I'd like it

[–]______DEADPOOL______ 18ポイント19ポイント  (1子コメント)

So... a sister... Hitler had a sister... He was wise to hide her from me.

[–]jrayhiggins 88ポイント89ポイント  (34子コメント)

Reminds me of the time I found out that I had lived in the same town as Stalin's daughter. Source

[–]tak-in-the-box 34ポイント35ポイント  (7子コメント)

Golda Meier lived in Milwaukee for a good amount of time too. Wisconsin just has it all, I guess.

[–]HonkyOFay 27ポイント28ポイント  (5子コメント)

Nguyễn Ngọc Loan, famous for executing a Viet Cong prisoner in the street, ran a pizza joint in the DC suburbs

[–]averagemassbrick 14ポイント15ポイント  (1子コメント)

The VC he shot to death publicly, had murdered some/several members of his family - although I am happy to stand corrected. When I read about the capture of Hue and what the VC/NVA did to people with this constant murderous retaliation you just understand the constant developing quagmire of hate. Except China. The Chinese hate like everybody else but when the State murders your family it is almost accepted like fate. They move on. Even when 60, 000,000 to some say (Norman Davies Prof History, Oxford) 100,000,000 did the people seek to improve the State, make sure it doesn't happen again. They (the people) couldn't they were lucky to be alive. Now consider the Chinese President - it happened to his family - and what does he do, repeats the murder, torture - all for power.

[–]Snyggkille 7ポイント8ポイント  (2子コメント)

Was she hot?

[–]HonkyOFay 6ポイント7ポイント  (1子コメント)

She never got hot, but her Southeast Asian friends were pretty hot

[–]Snyggkille 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

And that's all i needed to know in my life.

Thank you /u/HonkyOFay

I'm now at eaze.

[–]Effimero89 1ポイント2ポイント  (1子コメント)

I couldn't imagine walking about Wisconsin and running into stalins daughter. So odd. Did you atleast offer her cheese?

[–]jrayhiggins 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

She had lived there since before I was born.

[–]rawkusmt 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Reminds me of when I found out another disturbing individual by the name of John Wayne Gacy lived in my hometown Waterloo, managing a KFC a mile or two from my house, where it seems some of his disturbing behavior began

[–]the_front_fell_off [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

I used to live within a 12 mile radius of Putin's daughter, in Holland, only found that out after her father downed a passenger jet full of Dutch people.

[–]DontHateJustPotate 2ポイント3ポイント  (5子コメント)

I also remember the time that I was in the same state as Sadam Hussein's daughter and wife. Source

[–]KatalDT 11ポイント12ポイント  (4子コメント)

I remember the time I was in the same country as Vladimir Putin Source

[–]Roll9ers 11ポイント12ポイント  (2子コメント)

i live on the same street as a great10 grandson of genghis khan. probably.

[–]blurgtheamoeba[S] 420ポイント421ポイント  (78子コメント)

Stumbled upon this and thought people would like to read it. It's interesting how she manages to avoid all politics, which in itself may or may not be taken as a political statement.

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 161ポイント162ポイント  (75子コメント)

I looked into it a bit, and came across this interview, though it's not the same one (5th June 1946), what's interesting are the closing remarks, which kind of echo what you say, that she's made not real political remarks, but just talking about Hitler personally can be taken/used politically.

If further investigations prove that the declarations of Mrs. Paula Wolf are true there can be no doubt in her sincerity, at least as far as she is describing her own life and her relationship to her brother. Unworthy of belief, however, is her declaration that she did never know anything about the innumerable crimes which were committed during the government of her brother and under his immediate responsibility, and that she was never told of these crimes. She also insisted on the fact that she never noticed his threat to destroy the Jews in Europe and to crush all his enemies in his speeches which were transferred by radio over the whole world and also to Vienna! And what a contrast of this Adolf Hitler who according to her own declarations was radiant with kindness with the brutal man he really was! The tactics to have been unaware of all what happened during 12 years of Nazi terror are only too well known and unable to convince even an unprejudiced man.

This woman is not in the least denying the fact that she was extremely fond of her brother whose death, by the way she does not doubt. The likeness to her brother in appearance, look and physiognomy is striking and intensifies the longer one is in her presence. I could bring her a typewriter ribbon she needed for her small Erika typewriter. After answering my questions dilatorily in the beginning she was later on talking freely and with increasing confidence. There was a certain charm in her modesty and her simple manner of speaking. The surroundings, the terrace of the Alpenwirtschaft with its unique view over the land of Berchtesgaden made a strong impression on the agent. But this woman must not be allowed to become the protectress of the mountain in which the sole of her brother is only lying dormant to rise again to new life and to new crimes against human nature. Reporters desiring for sensational news are not to work their way up the mountain to cable into the world with charming stories the Hitler - Myth which will inevitable arise. Too many German authors would greedily snatch at such news to offer an immortal hero of the type of Barbarrosa to youth always longing for romanticism. What enrichment for the gallery of heroes of German history, for the academical youth for spur and emulation!

And what a chance for skilfully camouflaged militarists like Doctor Lenz, Laufen who is president of the district of the OSU is making provoking speeches with the theme: Germany as a bastion against communism in east and west, or translated into good German: "Get strong for a revenge - war against Russia and against the communistic France!"

No, it must not come to that! The suffering of innumerable human beings in concentration camps and penitentiaries the sacrifice of life of comrades of the European and last not least of the German underground - movements, all what was done by Allies Forces to suppress Nazism, all would be in vain! No vindictiveness against a lonely, at least with regard to her actions guiltless woman. But get her away from publicity. She could become a germ cell for a new disaster, maybe against her own wishes. One thing is certain: the American, who visited her and declared that the question who is to blame for all what happened since 12 years war and crimes, destruction and death, can only be answered by future generations, will not remain the only one. Many people, Americans and other, will come and bear a share to show Hitler as what he has never been: a kind man and a great Leader.

It's strange, but somewhat understandable, that she could be used to whitewash Hitler to an extent. Today claims that Hitler was innocent of the Holocaust would be dismissed immediately, but I can understand how in 1945 Germans would want to believe otherwise.

[–]swiddie 126ポイント127ポイント  (63子コメント)

The vast majority of Americans are still unaware of cia dark prisons and the war crimes that occurred there. No different in German society.

[–]DiscoPoutine 22ポイント23ポイント  (51子コメント)

Can you elaborate more on that? Are you talking about CIA war crimes around that time or later on?

[–]unknownhero96 44ポイント45ポイント  (26子コメント)

he probably means the kind of dark prisons that were raised in Romania and Poland after 89.

[–]swiddie 63ポイント64ポイント  (25子コメント)

And the images of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo with associated reports of grotesque torture by those that have survived. Of course not comparable in scale or scope, but similar in how general population doesn't know what's being done in their name until decades later.

[–]unknownhero96 26ポイント27ポイント  (19子コメント)

But I think you cant really compare the situation in Germany 1940-1945 with USA today. Informations about the holocaust, and especially the life in a concentration camp weren't so widely known to the general population as one would think. People who lived in the region of a camp of course knew that there was a camp, but I also guess they just were not able to imagine that anyone could 'industrially' kill humans. Today the informations about Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and those secret prisons are widely available and pretty much every one heard of that, but many people would never want to admit that their country does something like that.

[–]unclejimbo1 27ポイント28ポイント  (5子コメント)

Pretty sure you just compared the two.

[–]unknownhero96 8ポイント9ポイント  (3子コメント)

I think I didnt really expresses it in the right way. There's a difference between "knowing" about the crimes committed by your country, and "denying" the crimes committed by your country. I cant imagine any American that does not about all the things I've mentioned, and yet there are still americans who act like they're the saviour of the world (obviously that's not the majority anymore, America is tired off useless wars)

[–]mlololo 13ポイント14ポイント  (2子コメント)

You've made the mistake of thinking there are "useless" wars for the US.

The government always gets involved because there's something to gain. It isn't altruism. I don't know of a war where they participated solely to be the "saviour of the world", do you?

[–]PM-ME-YO-LARGE_NIPS 5ポイント6ポイント  (0子コメント)

Dude look up S.O.G. Missions into Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam conflict and learn what these American commandos did. No matter how you look at it every nation has a metric fuckload of horrendous shit on their hands.

[–]HelloiamaTeddyBear 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

Like how many Americans today are unaware of CIA prisons and the full extent of their war crimes, should we also consider how ordinary Germans (even, in this case, Hitler's sister) might not be aware of the extent of their government's worst crimes

[–]pby1000 1ポイント2ポイント  (19子コメント)

The CIA was formed from the OSS after WW2. The CIA turned into a government paramilitary wing of the fascist Cabal that still controls the US government. It is why JFK wanted to "splinter the CIA into a thousand pieces and scatter it into the winds", and it is one of many reasons JFK was killed.

[–]QCA_Tommy 2ポイント3ポイント  (13子コメント)

I'm not so sure it had anything to do with why JFK was killed... Can you elaborate? I mean, I know it's a common conspiracy theory, but is there any proof?

[–]pby1000 4ポイント5ポイント  (12子コメント)

I have been watching these video lectures by Daniel P. Sheerin. He is a trial lawyer and was involved with Watergate, the Pentagon Papers, Iran-Contra, etc.

He makes a very convincing case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU3FcEdCl0w

[–]Garthmer 3ポイント4ポイント  (3子コメント)

He makes a very convincing case.

How can I say this, just because he makes a convincing case doesn't mean it is true. It's easy to paint a picture of who and why JFK was assassinated. Mainly, there isn't much known about JFK assassination.

[–]SickSinceSunday 1ポイント2ポイント  (5子コメント)

Hate how this guy keeps saying, "ahhh," or, "uhhh," and that he looks like Dusty Rhoades on a slimfast diet, but I'll slog through it.

[–]ComradeFrunze 5ポイント6ポイント  (4子コメント)

fascist Cabal that still controls the US government.

I hate the CIA with all my heart, but to say the US government is "fascist" is pretty much downplaying the various fascist movements around the world.

[–]zoinks 2ポイント3ポイント  (4子コメント)

Except, you know, for the scale of the operations and the lack of a genetic reason for abducting people.

[–]TK_42one 20ポイント21ポイント  (7子コメント)

I have my brother on Facebook and Instagram. I have no idea what's going on in his life. Why would she have any idea what he's doing? Away from family gatherings?

[–]ImNotAWhaleBiologist 15ポイント16ポイント  (1子コメント)

Did your brother lead a nation into a second world war, and with it, publicly espouse hatred of a race of people and blame them for the nation's woes, with clear threats against their well-being? I doubt your brother was as famous as Hitler was when he was the Fuehrer.

[–]video_dhara[🍰] 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

She does say in the interview that she led a pretty insular life after the invasion of Austria and barely spoke to anyone. Makes you wonder whether somewhere in Hitler's mind he knew what he was doing was wrong. Otherwise one would think he'd brag about it to his sister or at least drop some anti-semi roam into conversation. On the other hand, maybe he forced her into hermeticism so that, if shit hit the fan, she couldn't be implicated. Though her reaction to his death, which seems to be saying something to the effect of "even though he was a horrible person he was still my brother" might suggest that she knew more than she put on

[–]Tyr_Tyr 3ポイント4ポイント  (3子コメント)

Maybe all the speeches he gave? The books? The actual murder of millions of human beings? I mean, it's just like missing your brother's trip to Coachella, right?

[–]rich-creamery-butter [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

Yeah she could have just popped onto Youtube and watched his speeches. And books? Duh. Amazon Prime.

As for the Holocaust, I don't think even the US military knew about the existence of concentration camps until the war was almost over. Folks nowadays take their freedom of access to information far too much for granted.

[–]mynewaccount5 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Are you aware who hitler was? He was sort of famous at the time.

[–]Reign_Wilson 1133ポイント1134ポイント  (88子コメント)

"I must honestly confess that I would have preferred it if he had followed his original ambition and become an architect." (The interrogator interrupted to say that this was the most classical statement she would ever say).

Sister: "It would've been great if he didn't commit genocide."
Interrogator: "Yeah, no shit."

[–]realjackryan 217ポイント218ポイント  (34子コメント)

who said architects cant commit genocide?

[–]cantgetno197 186ポイント187ポイント  (16子コメント)

Well... If you put an entire race in a single shoddily made building...

[–]sagacious_1 207ポイント208ポイント  (4子コメント)

Maybe one with some modifications to the showers...

[–]hypnogoad 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

Just some nice opulent steam showers.

[–]kamyu2 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

Someone had to draw up the plans for those gas chambers.

[–]Elite_AI 23ポイント24ポイント  (8子コメント)

The Brazil Olympics suddenly make sense.

[–]HeloisaSB 3ポイント4ポイント  (7子コメント)

What do you mean by that?

[–]pm_me_cool_stuffplz 15ポイント16ポイント  (3子コメント)

Something something building contracts laborer deaths something?

[–]HeloisaSB 13ポイント14ポイント  (2子コメント)

Isn't the user thinking of Qtar world cup then? Or can you give me info on the deaths thing?

[–]AriAchilles 19ポイント20ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well nobody tell Albert Speer!

[–]diphiminaids 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

Many out of work architects commit ginocide

[–]Intraocular 3ポイント4ポイント  (2子コメント)

Assad was an Ophthalmologist who used to work for Moorfields Eye Hospital in London...

[–]spblue 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Not with that attitude!

[–]Melkain 3ポイント4ポイント  (2子コメント)

Isn't there a Monty Python sketch about a architect who wants to build a mass murder building?

[–]ThatJavaneseGuy 7ポイント8ポイント  (1子コメント)

Well there's an actual serial killer who built a hoter that also double as death trap for his guests.

[–]skittlesrcool517 34ポイント35ポイント  (9子コメント)

What does 'classical' mean in this context?

[–]BaronVonCrunch 67ポイント68ポイント  (8子コメント)

Probably "statement that will be remembered." What we might call "classic" today.

[–]OBrzeczyszczykiewicz 148ポイント149ポイント  (6子コメント)

-"i wish my brother hadn't killed all those people"

-"classic!"

[–]onafoolsvacation 32ポイント33ポイント  (38子コメント)

Didn't she also say he was bad at math & physics? Those seem pretty important to architecture... What am I missing here? It just seems to me that she's contradicting herself.

[–]PM_ME_KIND_THOUGHTS 122ポイント123ポイント  (29子コメント)

Better to be a shit architect than a shit dictator.

[–]onafoolsvacation 49ポイント50ポイント  (0子コメント)

Ah, yes. The bigger picture. I got lost in the details.

[–]thatvoicewasreal 39ポイント40ポイント  (20子コメント)

He batted well above average for dictators, just not for commanders in chief, or human beings with souls.

[–]11sparky11 25ポイント26ポイント  (11子コメント)

Not all dictators have been ruthlessly genocidal/are bent on conquest. Lee Kuan Yew was essentially dictator of Singapore but he brought the country decades forward during his rule.

EDIT: words

[–]thatvoicewasreal 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

If you read carefully, my post specifically excludes his conquest and crimes against humanity from his political career as a dictator, during which he was remarkably popular at home if not abroad, and actually instituted some viable social programs--i.e., certainly not the worst dictator, as dictators go, just a terrible military strategist and a psychopathic murderer.

[–]PM_ME_KIND_THOUGHTS 2ポイント3ポイント  (7子コメント)

He had a pretty short career is all I'm saying. Like a virus that kills its host and ends up dying as a result.

[–]thatvoicewasreal 14ポイント15ポイント  (1子コメント)

Twelve years is not so short for someone who had invading half of Europe on his list of things to do. Mussolini only lasted eight years more, and he started eleven years earlier.

[–]ChiefFireTooth 11ポイント12ポイント  (4子コメント)

I don't know whether you can say that he was a shit dictator. As far as dictators go, he's consistently ranked in the top 10.

[–]smartazz104 6ポイント7ポイント  (3子コメント)

The metrics for a successful dictator would be questionable I would imagine...

[–]ChiefFireTooth 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

Well, I was going by "most horrible"

[–]crazycanine 2ポイント3ポイント  (1子コメント)

Lee Juan Yew gets the most successful dictator awed by virtue of not being horrible

[–]steak_n_bacon 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

but a shit architect could design a flawed building that kills hundreds of people.....ohhhhh

[–]22rana 15ポイント16ポイント  (4子コメント)

Apparently he thought he was good at architecture. In his mansion in Austria he had an office with a garage below it. Hitler designed big windows right above the garage door so his office would look cool. Every time the garage door opened, the glass rattled and there was dust everywhere and it was really loud.

[–]Brave_Horatius 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

Probably blamed the contractors.

[–]smartazz104 4ポイント5ポイント  (1子コメント)

That could just be sub-standard construction rather than the actual design.

[–]badtimesfriendahead 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

We must eliminate ze sub-standard construction

[–]brak10 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

Do you think that he designed that himself or he got someone else to do it?

[–]alekzander01 6ポイント7ポイント  (1子コメント)

You can like something but not have the skills required to be a professional in the field

I suck at mathematics too, but I love reading about aircraft engineering and aeronautics

[–]onafoolsvacation 8ポイント9ポイント  (0子コメント)

Maybe you should consider ruling Europe!

[–]penismightier3 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

I guess it still would've been better for him to be a failed architect than the Führer.

[–]sans-soucie 126ポイント127ポイント  (16子コメント)

This is really interesting. She really comes across as unworldly. I love the fact that she didn't want to leave her home because 'who would look after the vegetables?' It's also interesting that Hitler wanted her to change her name an live in anonymity.

[–]NameAnonymous 61ポイント62ポイント  (15子コメント)

I believe he cared for her, and perhaps knew he was not popular with everyone and asked her to change her name as a safety precaution?

[–]jet199 11ポイント12ポイント  (7子コメント)

More likely he wanted to cut ties to his family. He managed to completely avoid them for almost 10 years and he probably didn't want them to become hangers on once he became famous.

[–]kaisercool 27ポイント28ポイント  (0子コメント)

That makes no sense, considering he's the one arranging the visits between them. Hitler could have been a wonderful person to those in his personal inner circle. That wouldn't be astonishing and it doesn't change the totality of his actions, which were brutal.

[–]strappedaway 63ポイント64ポイント  (2子コメント)

If he was that selfish he would have kept his half of the inheritance.

[–]PShireman 10ポイント11ポイント  (1子コメント)

Yeah, jeez, give him a break. It's not like the guy's Hitler or anything.

[–]alekzander01 3ポイント4ポイント  (5子コメント)

There had been assassination attempt on him before so he was aware that he had enemies. But he also cared about his image a lot, to the point where he avoided public appearances with Eva Braun so that way he wouldn't lose his "single hot dude" (not exactly sure how women or gay men would rate his appearance) appeal to women

[–]TheyUsedToCallMeJack 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Yeah, that's pretty common in show business.

Especially for male artists. Maintaining that dream in young teenage girls that they could marry you someday really helps with fans.

[–]Gremlech 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

could be a power fantasy thing, like how people want to marry famous princes. the idea of this Charismatic man who rises from the working class in order to save Germany from the crushing claws of the post war poverty that was forced upon it could seem pretty romantic to the german people at the time. hindsight is 20/20

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 120ポイント121ポイント  (4子コメント)

Here's a transcript that's easier to read/not cut off.

[–]ThisKoala 8ポイント9ポイント  (0子コメント)

Thanks for this. The last page on OP's link wouldn't load for me.

[–]Malzahard 105ポイント106ポイント  (13子コメント)

My mom's name is Paula Wolff so you can imagine my surprise

[–]BlueThumbtack08 23ポイント24ポイント  (3子コメント)

Commenting just in case reddit makes history here.

Obligatory, "Is Hitler your uncle?!"

[–]Rocket_Admin_Patrick 9ポイント10ポイント  (1子コメント)

Well Paula Wolff died in 1960, so either OP is an older gentleman or his mom was unfortunate enough to have the same name as Hitler's sister.

[–]TheGoodSheep 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

And it's not really an uncommon name

[–]alekzander01 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

Fun fact: Hitler had a nephew who lived in England and eventually joined the US Navy. His house in Liverpool was destroyed during the Blitz.

[–]terrynutkinsfinger 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Have you ever made a TV show for the History where you collect old shit?

[–]Orcwin 128ポイント129ポイント  (30子コメント)

Very interesting indeed, to see the human side behind such a figure.

He was clearly capable of empathy at some points in his life. He stayed at home at the request of his ailing mother, resigned his right to his father's pension in favour of his sister, and visited her and took her shopping.

I'd say those things don't point towards him being a psycopath. Which makes his later views and behaviour all the more disturbing. After all, a relatively normal person grew into the figure we now know as 'Hitler'.

[–]Discitus 83ポイント84ポイント  (3子コメント)

Yep, it doesn't take a unique mental state to become a monster. ISIL militants committing crimes against humanity, drug cartel members abducting and killing innocent civilians, the soldiers who carried out the Armenian genocide - they come from the general population. Regular people who, for whatever motivation, come to have a disregard for human lives in pursuit of some goal.

[–]killercylon 21ポイント22ポイント  (0子コメント)

Once someone decides another group of people are "non-human" they no longer feel the need to treat those people as actual people.

Edit: Personhood might be a better word to use. When a group of people are denied personhood they are often treated like animals.

[–]MRB88 10ポイント11ポイント  (1子コメント)

This is a huge problem IMHO. Hitler is a catch all for an evil figure with no redeeming values and the humanity of him as a person is lost. He had people who loved him and who he loved. He had a favorite food and things he wouldn't eat. He liked music.

When we forget these things, we reduce him to a charcuterie of himself and it obscures the fact that men everywhere are capable of committing evil acts. Its comforting to think of Hitler as an exception, that only he is capable of doing these things, but this diminishes the evil people causing suffering in the world today.

[–]Niekisch [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

And one of the biggest problems with this kind of caricature is that, when people discover it's not factually correct, it generates scepticism- and that scepticism can grow and impact how they view other areas of Hitler's life and career. The public image of Hitler as a psychotic unfeeling mutant monster is incredibly counterproductive- there's no better way to create cynicism about the Holocaust than to lie about the people behind it.

Another example of this is the war propaganda directed against Germany during WWI- claims by the British press that German soldiers were throwing babies onto bayonets for sport, drawing-and-quartering nuns, etc. This propaganda was debunked so thoroughly in the early 1920s that it helped create scepticism in the '30s, both in Germans and in people outside Germany, about war crimes being committed by the NS state under Hitler. People had been lied to once before for political purposes and it clouded their ability to accept the truth in similar circumstances later on.

[–]pby1000 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

The Banality of Evil.

[–]gc3 7ポイント8ポイント  (10子コメント)

I wonder if his stomach ailment and the drugs he was given contributed to his psychopathy.

[–]eisagi 102ポイント103ポイント  (6子コメント)

Explaining Hitler's actions as some personal psychological problem is a mistake. The Nazi party had millions of members. Nationalism, fascism, and racism were the state policies of many countries at the time. Concentration/internment camps for civilian population were also not unique to Nazi Germany. Of course they ended up as the most extreme example, but the point is that it was a result of a series of global trends, not the whim of some guy.

The Ustase concentration camps in Croatia reportedly disgusted the German soldiers in the country. Meaning - Germany didn't impose it on them, they came up with it on their own.

[–]cringebird 28ポイント29ポイント  (2子コメント)

Think how much WW1 must have brutalised Hitler and thousands of other war veterans from that era. Hitler may have been pretty extreme in his views, but remember he grew into who he was in a framework that was already in place. For example race research and Prussian militarism.

The Nazi ideology is often viewed often as something from Hitlers mad mind, but I think he was more "normal" and intelligent than what people usually make of him today.

[–]alekzander01 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

A shame that Prussia got stuck to its Militaristic culture which leads to its demise. Not even Fredrick the Great was particularly fond of military matters despite his skill at it, in fact he was a much bigger fan of playing the flute, writing philosophy in French and managing the country than at fighting wars.

[–]CheesyMightyMo 7ポイント8ポイント  (0子コメント)

“In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.”

[–]brasswirebrush 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Additionally, the whole idea of "Eugenics" (sterilizing people with "bad genes" so they wouldn't procreate) was very in vogue at the time across the western world, and not just among people we would consider to be evil. Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill were both very pro-eugenics as well.

You can give the Nazis credit for showing the world what happens when you take these ideas to their logical conclusion and turning the idea into political poison.

[–]xStardust_Particlesx 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

If I remember correctly, I read a peer reviewed poli sci paper recently that cited the British as the first in modern history to engineer the concept and formal structure of a concentration camp, and apply it during the Boer War, in South Africa.

I did a quick fact check on wiki and grabbed this quote

"The term "concentration camp" was used to describe camps operated by the British in South Africa during this conflict, and the term grew in prominence during this period.

The camps had originally been set up by the British Army as "refugee camps" to provide refuge for civilian families who had been forced to abandon their homes for whatever reason related to the war. However, when Kitchener succeeded Roberts as commander-in-chief in South Africa on 29 November 1900, the British Army introduced new tactics in an attempt to break the guerrilla campaign and the influx of civilians grew dramatically as a result. Kitchener initiated plans to flush out guerrillas in a series of systematic drives, organised like a sporting shoot, with success defined in a weekly 'bag' of killed, captured and wounded, and to sweep the country bare of everything that could give sustenance to the guerrillas, including women and children ... It was the clearance of civilians—uprooting a whole nation—that would come to dominate the last phase of the war."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Boer_War#Concentration_camps_.281900.E2.80.931902.29

[–]Orcwin 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

Probably didn't help.

[–]anonymous_212 17ポイント18ポイント  (3子コメント)

On the last page the memo is cc'd to George Allen who was an OSS interrogator because before the war he majored in German at University of Pennsylvania. My friend worked for Mr. Allen in his book store and became a friend of his. Near the end of Mr. Allen's life Mr. Allen gave my friend some things that he brought back from Germany. Among those things were a pair of socks that belonged to Herman Goering. My friend showed them to me and let me put them on. I walked around the room and thought to myself, "I am now wearing the same socks that Herman Goering wore."

[–]Cowboywizzard 9ポイント10ポイント  (0子コメント)

Did the socks have demonic powers? Or at least smell a little?

[–]Evilpumpkinman 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

For some bizarre reason, my childish mind found this tidbit of information hilarious.

[–]36nexus 16ポイント17ポイント  (3子コメント)

Seems like Hitler was doing his best to protect his sister while all this was going on. At one point in the article I realized that Hitler was not just an evil man, but an evil man who actually cared about (some) people.

[–]thierryornery 39ポイント40ポイント  (0子コメント)

What a decent thing to do. He gave up his part of the pension for her even though he clearly had little emotional connection to her. Most bad people are so confident in their goodness, that they have tragically large blindspots. The lesson of Nazi Germany should be that we are all capable of blinding ourselves to our own evils.

[–]aguysomewhere 8ポイント9ポイント  (0子コメント)

"I want to change my name but I still want it to be frightening."

[–]MakeCookiesGreatAgai 15ポイント16ポイント  (6子コメント)

It was an interesting read. I never knew that much about her so the new information about the interview was really informative. I think it was edited on the last page because it's a giant middle paragraph that starts off interesting and then the subject changes. What was the purpose of the car ride, what was discussed, etc.

Was he trying to kill her? If so he failed.

[–]ICanNoEnglish 18ポイント19ポイント  (0子コメント)

Was he trying to kill her? If so he failed.

People who didn't read the text: "He" refers to someone else.

[–]la_boome 1ポイント2ポイント  (4子コメント)

He failed? I mean, that's pretty obvious, being that she was being interviewed after the event and was still alive.

[–]gunfulker 13ポイント14ポイント  (1子コメント)

I can see it now: spanking causes dictators.

[–]blendswithtrees 3ポイント4ポイント  (0子コメント)

Thank you for posting this. Incredibly interesting.

[–]WolfGirl7777 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

Wait, USD230? That's my district! If OP teaches at the high school that would actually be a pretty sweet coincidence.

[–]Ostboll 22ポイント23ポイント  (24子コメント)

These comments really show the impact of Hollywood, tribalist Overton window loopthought, and sensationalism on the public understanding of history.

Do you people seriously believe Hitler was a cartoon villain from the Donald Duck universe?

[–]alekzander01 6ポイント7ポイント  (0子コメント)

Well he did murder 11 million people. No amount of patting dogs and giving your sister money will make up for that.

[–]prodgodq2 4ポイント5ポイント  (1子コメント)

There are a couple of very interesting documentaries on YouTube that cover Hitler's family. After watching them all I can say is that was one weird family. The only person that seemed like a decent human being was Hitler's mother. Her death completely devastated him and in my opinion went a long way toward hardening his attitudes.

[–]Thrannn [スコア非表示]  (1子コメント)

im sorry i know im not allowed to say that. but i always thought that hitler is inspirational to me. not all that racism nazi bullshit, but his whole rise from a fucked up family to a leader

[–]Farfener [スコア非表示]  (0子コメント)

No, never allow yourself to think that you aren't allowed to feel that. The whole point of history is to examine it, deconstruct it, feel it, to forgo right and wrong and autopsy it. True history comes without a narrative, it is a search for elements, not compounds; formulas, not answers. If we examined everything in history as a bundle, rather than as parts, we'd never get anything done, every history papers would be a never ending stream of caveats.

That having been said... yeah, the Nazi stuff was pretty outrageously fucked up.

[–]OMG_its_critical 1ポイント2ポイント  (5子コメント)

So are there direct descendants of Hitler today? Or are the closest relatives through his sister's descendants?

[–]Do_Not_Go_In_There 19ポイント20ポイント  (2子コメント)

He has nephews through his half-brother. One of the is even named Adolf (not in honour of his uncle, Hitler's brother served in the US Navy e: in WW2 and was anti-Nazi). They were still alive in 2002, no idea if they still are.

There may also have been a pact they made not to have kids to end the Hitler bloodline.

On a related note, there was actually an interesting documentary I saw some time ago, "Hitler's children," about the kids of Hitler's inner circle.

"Hitler’s Children” is a unique documentary film that reveals, for the first time, the ways in which family members of high rank senior Nazi officers from Hitler’s inner circle struggle with the burden of carrying a terror-inducing surname.

During detailed interviews, families such as Goering, Himmler, Hoess amongst others, share the feelings of guilt and responsibility that accompany them in their daily lives.

What's interesting was that some of the kids (now adults) decided not to have children themselves because they didn't want to carry on an "evil" bloodline, but some pointed out that not having kids because of their ancestors was dumb because it was basically confirming the Nazis ideology of superior/inferior genetics within a certain group.

[–]enigma1235 2ポイント3ポイント  (0子コメント)

She had children but they died childless AFAIK.

[–]Chapstickflap 4ポイント5ポイント  (0子コメント)

His cousins all decided not to have kids to stop the hitler genes from spreading.

[–]Graysonmcc 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

I'm waiting for the Redditors that will say this is evidence that spanking your children turns them into genocidal maniacs

[–]CaptainStach 1ポイント2ポイント  (2子コメント)

"My brother was a catholic."

I suppose that solves that debate.

[–]Cowboywizzard 4ポイント5ポイント  (1子コメント)

What debate?

[–]AlphakirA 1ポイント2ポイント  (0子コメント)

It's a common myth that he was an atheist. I've heard religious people use it against atheists.

[–]Waitwhatismybodydoin 0ポイント1ポイント  (2子コメント)

If the car sent for Paula was sent by someone who wanted to kill her (whoch is what the interpreter thought) then wouldn't she have died? I don't get why the interpreter thought she was was in danger and I want to know more about that.

[–]ziusudrazoon 9ポイント10ポイント  (1子コメント)

Martin Bormann was Hilter's private secretary - he would not have wanted to harm her. The interviewer likely thought the Bormann sent the car to take her to Obersalzberg where she could be protected because she was in danger from somebody else.