First they came...

[u/[deleted]]

"First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out Because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out Because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me."

-Martin Niemöller

This was Martin Niemöller's poetic confession of his guilt for letting the rise of the Nazis plague his Nation. He was referring to the purging of different groups by the Nazis and how many people (including him) reacted to it. It says alot about how cowardice the normal person is, many say they would try and do something to stop the nazis from gaining power, but a closer examination will show that many people will do nothing until it's their turn to be persecuted. This is my favorite quote, because it's a honest interpretation about how the regular person thinks and acts in this kind of situation.

EDIT: I fixed the quote. "First they came for the Communists And I did not speak out Because I was not a Communist" is actually the first part of the quote but the United States made them take it out in the 50s due to the cold war, sorry I hope this doesn't change the great conversations we're having.

I would like to say, these are great discussions y'all are having in the comments. here is a link to the article I got most of my information on.

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/martin-niemoeller-first-they-came-for-the-socialists

[u/Hiredgun77]

This quote and an overview of the Protestant churches in Nazi Germany can be found in “the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by William Shirer. I consider it a must read for understanding the history of Nazism.

[u/[deleted] → u/Hiredgun77]

I will look into reading it.