# What was opposition to Hitler like in Germany? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 28, 2017, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388 "2017-01-28T14:27:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/41 "2017-01-30T12:02:13Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > No, a dictator wouldn’t come from the left at all, because, by definition, leftist principles are against forcible control of people’s lives and minds. Your agreement or disagreement with them is completely irrelevant. The principles held by leaders on the left are not affected by whether people agree with the principles. Ever heard of Pol Pot or Mao Zedong? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/42 "2017-01-30T14:05:39Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > Hitler’s rise to power was mostly based on the fact he was a great orator and quickly became the public face for Nationalism … so I have no idea why anyone would compare The Donald to him … Hitler was by no means stupid, just insane … Hitler was quite sane at least until well into 1944. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/43 "2017-01-30T16:29:52Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Then we’d better be sure no one burns something like the White House down in protest, or this will be no joke. Don’t worry. If Trump has any sense, he’ll do it himself. I mean, that’s quite possibly what Hitler had his goons do, so ;). ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/44 "2017-01-30T16:39:35Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > To me, any American dictator will come from the left. I mean if Obama had decided to stay on another 4 years and simply ignored the constitution, what would have stopped him? Not the DNC. Not the left. Not the college students. Not the press. > > And if he decided thru mandate to throw some of the opposition in jail for say, being against gay rights, the left would have applauded. But he didn’t. On the other hand, Trump decided through fiat to close the borders… and the right \*\*does \*\*applaud. See the difference ? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/45 "2017-01-30T17:23:04Z")
Dangerous and futile. ---
**Author:** ![theR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@theR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theR)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/46 "2017-01-30T17:23:32Z")
In 1932, [100,000 apparently protested against Nazis](https://twitter.com/williamjordann/status/825688837611540482), so opposition certainly was there even if they weren’t effective. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/47 "2017-01-30T17:26:31Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Hitler was quite sane at least until well into 1944. I see your point but the invasion of the USSR and the order to kill all of Europe’s Jews might be evidence to the contrary. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/48 "2017-01-30T17:37:15Z")
Their was a documentary on Netflix that showed I think, 52 times they tried to kill Hitler. Including one which occurred after Valkarie. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/49 "2017-01-30T17:46:37Z")
Roman Catholic resistance to the Nazis > **[T4 Program | Definition and History](https://www.britannica.com/event/T4-Program)** > > T4 Program, also called T4 Euthanasia Program, Nazi German effort—framed as a euthanasia program—to kill incurably ill, physically or mentally disabled, emotionally distraught, and elderly people. Adolf Hitler initiated the program in 1939, and,... ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/50 "2017-01-30T17:47:15Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > No, a dictator wouldn’t come from the left at all, because, by definition, leftist principles are against forcible control of people’s lives and minds. Your agreement or disagreement with them is completely irrelevant. The principles held by leaders on the left are not affected by whether people agree with the principles. The left and right both have traits that would lend themselves to authoritarianism. The left wants people dependent on welfare and sacrifices individual liberties for whatever the cause of the month is… Environmentalism, controlling free speech to prevent anyone from being offended, limiting individual access to firearms, etc. But the left also believes in a weaker military and limits police powers, neither of which is conducive to authoritarianism. They also don’t push nationalism (or jingoism). The right believes in laws that enforce morality, a strong law enforcement and military, and speak out strongly in favor of nationalism (through patriotism). So you may see the seeds of authoritarianism there. But they also resist having a big government, and individual liberties like property rights and gun ownership which are important to the right don’t work well in authoritarian regimes. Honestly neither side is likely to support a dictatorship, even a little. The core values of both sides are incompatible. Any insistence that we’re on the path to having a fascist leader is hysterical rhetoric. We’d need a dramatic change in our culture that would take generations at a minimum and I doubt anyone alive today would see it in our lifetime. We likely wouldn’t see anything like that until and unless the US experiences a complete collapse first. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/51 "2017-01-30T17:54:38Z")
I’ll also add that only one US president put an entire race of people into internment camps and he wasn’t on the right. He was also the closest we’ve had to a “dictator for life”, running this country for 12 years and it would have been a lot longer (who knows how long?) if he hadn’t died in office. But even he was a far cry from an authoritarian. ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/52 "2017-01-30T18:43:29Z")
> [@Urbanredneck](#): > > I mean if Obama had decided to stay on another 4 years and simply ignored the constitution, what would have stopped him? Not the DNC. Not the left. Not the college students. Not the press. You seriously think all of those groups would just say “fine, to hell with what the Constitution says”? If so, you really don’t understand the media or mainstream liberals. I’m sure there are some loons who would think it a good idea, like there are loons who think California should secede from the union. But the DNC and the mainstream media? Not even close. ---
**Author:** ![Ken001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/43a26b/32.png) [@Ken001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ken001)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/53 "2017-02-01T01:05:17Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Uh…Dachau? Bergen-Belsen? Buchenwald? Ebensee? (By no means an exhaustive list of those found _in_ Germany.) > [@madsircool](#): > > None of those were extermination camps We may have to agree to disagree. I don’t think we can draw a line dividing concentration camps into categories. Dachau may have appeared to be an internment camp but death was its business. I have seen the ovens. Auschwitz-Birkenau was a forced labour complex where non-workers were gassed. However your larger point may be that the Nazis avoided extermination camps within Germany and used conquered territories. I hadn’t known that. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/54 "2017-02-01T04:04:15Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > No, a dictator wouldn’t come from the left at all, because, by definition, leftist principles are against forcible control of people’s lives and minds. \*\*madsircool \*\*beat me to it: Chairman Mao was quite the dictator. ---
**Author:** ![spifflog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@spifflog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spifflog)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/55 "2017-02-01T20:57:20Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > A dictator wouldn’t come from the left, because the left is all about tolerance, inclusion, and protection of individual rights. I wonder how Japanese Americans felt about that as they were going to internment camps under President Roosevelt. You know. That Democrat guy from the left. ---
**Author:** ![Dana\_Scully](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5daacb/32.png) [@Dana\_Scully](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dana_Scully)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/56 "2017-02-03T17:53:41Z")
In general, it was pretty much a death sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/57 "2017-02-04T03:49:09Z")
@OP I would be mindful of comparisons Remember Hitler said the right things per say. He talked of great beneficial things. He talked all the things the people needed to hear. Then once he got their ear, then he began bending it, pulling them along little by little bending them to the dark things, and then they were sheep all caught up in the flock, no longer actually looking at what was going on. What he began with was not evil per say, if all he ever did was the things he spoke about at first, history would remember him differently. And then there was the unpublicly spoken things that only people in closed rooms and secret meetings were privy to, the sheep didn’t know and or didn’t care by now, they are all caught up in the magic pipe dreams. But they were drawn in by a person who was not talking madness at the beginning even if that person was of them self mad already. Tools are just tools, it is what you actually do with them that matters. Not good to compare based on the tools used, but on the work done with them. ---
**Author:** ![Weisshund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ba8739/32.png) [@Weisshund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weisshund)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/58 "2017-02-04T04:40:23Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > None of those were extermination camps You dont know much about the camps i am guessing. They were ALL death camps You did not go into any of them to live and be released later, you went into them to die. If you were of 0 use, you went to one that specialized in killing you outright, if you had any usefulness to be exploited, you went to one where they killed you by exploiting your usefulness until you died of sickness or starvation, or perhaps a beating for blinking the wrong way, or from being used as target practice. If i paint it pink or blue, it does not matter. Which ever box i put you in, it contains death, do you want the pink death or the blue? It does not matter, because you are never leaving either alive. Arbeit Macht Frie, through death. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/59 "2017-02-04T05:52:44Z")
I’m not well read on the topic so correct me if I’m wrong, but I was under the impression the German left was fractured because the communists and socdems were too busy fighting each other to establish a unified front against the Nazis. The communists thought the socdems were [social fascists.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_fascism) There was also an idea that even if Hitler won he would bring about the conditions for a worker’s revolution, hence the phrase, “after Hitler, our turn!” Didn’t turn out well for them, but it’s not the first or last time the left ate itself. ---
**Author:** ![Hiker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3be4f8/32.png) [@Hiker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hiker)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388/60 "2017-02-04T08:43:22Z")
> [@Weisshund](#): > > You dont know much about the camps i am guessing. > > They were ALL death camps > You did not go into any of them to live and be released later, you went into them to die. I beg to differ. **madsircool** ’s distinction is historically accurate. While it is true that, at least during the last years of the Third Reich the Nazis used all of the concentration camps as a means for mass killing (“extermination through work”), the industrial style mass murder in gas chambers that the holocaust is infamous for was limited to a number of camps that were built during the war. All of these camps were in occupied territories, not in the German mainland. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-opposition-to-hitler-like-in-germany/778388.md?page=4)