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Ask the 77,788,600 million casualties of war caused by the Third Reich. Just under one-third of those nearly 78 million were Soviet. Ask them how they feel about Hitler the meth addict.
Mores of a society may change with time. At the time of the Inquisition, Catholics didn't have such a problem with torture and killing. At the time of the killing of Indians, the white man didn't have such a problem with those killings. Africans didn't have a lot of problem selling the citizens of other tribes into slavery. Even at the time of Hitler's genocide not all German's had a problem with those actions. And today, many Muslims have no problem with the killing of christians and jews.
So it really depends on a period in time and the society to which you subscribe.
Where Hitler is possibly worse than even say Stalin is that I think Hitler was more apt to kill people for what they were rather than what they said or believed.
For some examples. There were Jews in the Fascist Party of Italy, by some estimates up to 10,000. Hitler did not say "well as you're loyal to my Fascist ally you're alright." He made Mussolini kick many of them out and some of them were killed when Hitler started more directly ruling parts of Northern Italy. In Poland Jews who'd been Catholic for generations could be killed and Nazism was clear that "baptism offers no salvation for Jews." It also killed the disabled regardless of what their feelings about Fascism, or even Judaism, may or may not be.
I think in theory a Ukrainian or whatever who joined the Party and became a perfect little Stalinist could survive. Granted Stalin did kill some people just for what they were and China's Cultural Revolution punished many kids for the actions of their parents, but I think in theory there was less emphasis on deeming a people inherently bad in a way they could never escape from.
Another factor is Hitler was much more expansionist and weird than many of these other people. If Hitler had limited his brutality to his own people it's sadly possible no one much would've cared, but instead he expanded it into various lands he conquered. Also Hitler and the SS were into bizarre sociopathic rituals that were often counterproductive. I think if Stalin believed a group was thoroughly cowed he might be willing to just enslave them. When Hitler found a racial group he deemed subhuman, that he could exploit for his own gain, he'd still just have them killed in bizarre and sadistic ways. He was also much more obsessed with a weird millenarian vision. I think that irrational and occultic element makes a difference for some. It's like take a guy who shoots ten people dead at a shopping mall and another guy who kills five people then uses their skin to make paper. The shooter killed more people, but paper-man is creepier.
All that said I do think Mao and Stalin should have worse reps than they do. That people can wear T-shirts with a smiling Mao, or the famous Che shirts, without inspiring widespread disgust is strange.
Whether you like it or not,
he made the best car that has ever been built (from what I understand, he personally requested it) Volkswagen - The people's car
Just because of that, it makes me wonder if he was as bad as everybody says he was.
In 1933, Adolf Hitler met with Ferdinand Porsche to discuss their mutual interest in an affordable car for the masses, and thus began what some call darker times in Volkswagen’s history. It was through this partnership that Volkswagen found itself at the service of the Nazi war machine in the coming years. More on that later in our series.
Hitler wanted a car that would provide better fuel economy (33mpg), could carry up to 5 passengers, be able to reach speeds in excess of 60mph, yet cost only 1,000 Reich Marks. This first model born of Hitler’s and Porsche’s partnership was designated the Type 60, but soon after was changed to the V1, or experimental 1.
Yes Hitler was really that bad, and there have been others too. The fact that other genocides may have been less notorious or less familiar to Westerners, doesn't make Hitlers actions any more palatable.
didn't need to read any farther than this post... yes hitler was bad
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