"Natürlich, das einfache Volk will keinen Krieg […] Aber schließlich sind es die Führer eines Landes, die die Politik bestimmen, und es ist immer leicht, das Volk zum Mitmachen zu bringen, ob es sich nun um eine Demokratie, eine faschistische Diktatur, um ein Parlament oder eine kommunistische Diktatur handelt. […] Das ist ganz einfach. Man braucht nichts zu tun, als dem Volk zu sagen, es würde angegriffen, und den Pazifisten ihren Mangel an Patriotismus vorzuwerfen und zu behaupten, sie brächten das Land in Gefahr. Diese Methode funktioniert in jedem Land."
Interview mit Gustave Gilbert in der
Gefängniszelle, 18. April 1946, Nürnberger Tagebuch (1962;
Originalausgabe: "Nuremberg Diary" 1947)
"Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia nor in England nor in America nor, for that matter, in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a fascist dictatorship or a Parliament or a Communist dictatorship. [...] That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.”
Interview with Gustave Gilbert in jail, 18 April 1946, "Nurembourg Diary" (1962, 1st edition: 1947)
(This quote confirmed, albeit by a single source.)
Parental advisory: Don't try this at home!
Nor should you ever be played like that (again)!
S O
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Historical constellations and dominant public moods can vary from time to time, especially when prosperous nation is no longer inclined even to proper national self-defense. Germany in 2017 should study carefully those great French appeasers of 1938 and beyond. They were all great pacifists in absolutely wrong time. They were totally passive face to face Rhineland action. They accepted Anschluss. They even fed their own allies to aggressor. In 1940 they were defeated in a few weeks. - Maybe if pacifism in pre-war France was even stronger, peace was saved, nicht wahr? - I was pacifist myself in 90s, even after Georgia war, but not after 2011 Russian rearmament program. They are preparing for war, technically, institutionally and propagandistically - period. From Kremlin`s perspective, there is already war with the West going right now.
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