Since World War II, Adolf Hitler’s name has become synonymous with global evil. From school textbooks to movies and documentaries, he is the figure who has been portrayed as humanity’s greatest villain. But the question arises, was he the only villain of this magnitude, or did history written by the victors shape him?
This script explores this question and claims that Hitler’s crimes were real and serious, but the way he was portrayed as the sole ultimate villain was primarily due to the victors’ politics and media control.
Hitler vs. Other Genocidal Leaders
In history, individuals such as Mao Zedong, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, and Imperial Japan’s leader, Tojo Hideki, also bore responsibility for the deaths of billions of people.
Mao’s “Great Leap Forward” and “Cultural Revolution” killed hundreds of millions of Chinese citizens through famine and violence.
The “Great Purge” and forced collectivization under Stalin drove millions into Gulag camps and led to their starvation.
Pol Pot’s Cambodian genocide killed more than 2 million people.
Still, Hitler gets the most attention in pop culture. One reason for this is that the visual and documentary evidence of Hitler’s crimes, concentration camps, gas chambers, and Nazi propaganda was highly influential. At the same time, Mao and Stalin’s atrocities were not as openly exposed, mostly due to domestic censorship and geopolitical reasons.
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The victors write history.
A key logic of the script is: “The victors write history.” After World War II, the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union were the victorious powers. They not only determined the political direction of Europe’s future, but also wrote the official story of the war.
His war crimes, such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the bombing of Dresden, and the rape and looting of Eastern Europe by Soviet troops, remain less discussed in history or are presented as “necessary military actions.”
In contrast, Hitler’s crimes, especially the Holocaust, were so deeply recorded in courts, documents, and the media that they became an enduring symbol.
Even the nature of the Nuremberg trials was an example of victors’ justice, where the losing side was punished harshly, but the crimes of the winning side were not discussed.
Hitler’s Rise: Not Alone, But a Product of the System
The script emphasizes the idea that Hitler’s rise to power was not simply the result of his charisma.
Economic Conditions: The Treaty of Versailles imposed heavy fines and military sanctions on Germany after World War I, leading to financial ruin and a sense of national humiliation in the country.
Political instability: The democratic governments of the Weimar Republic were weak and caught up in coalition politics.
Elite support: Conservative elites, industrialists, and the military leadership believed they could control Hitler by bringing him to power, a huge mistake.
Propaganda machine: The Nazi Party, led by Joseph Goebbels, channeled public discontent into nationalism and anti-Semitism through radio, posters, and speeches.
All of these factors combined to bring Hitler to power. That is, he was not just “a bad person,” but the result of a broken system and political manipulations.
This criticism does not justify crimes.
There is a big moral point here; saying that “Hitler is not alone in his guilt” does not make his crimes any less severe.
The Holocaust killed 6 million Jews, as well as millions of Polish, Roma, disabled, and political dissidents.
Nazi warfare led to fear, destruction, and millions of deaths across Europe.
Therefore, even though the victors made Hitler into an “extreme villain” to enhance their image, his deeds were real and unforgivable.
Historical background of anti-Semitism
The script further indicates that hatred against Jews was not the product of Hitler alone, but had existed in Europe for centuries.
Jews were accused of “killing Christ” since medieval times, were expelled from many countries due to economic jealousy, and pogroms (mob violence) occurred. Anti-Semitic political movements and propaganda also existed in Europe in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Therefore, Nazi ideology used pre-existing prejudices and brought them to the extreme.
Balance of facts and propaganda
The message of this script is that the narrative in history is not only formed by facts, but also by politics, the prestige of the victors, and the power of the media.
Correct points: Hitler was not the only genocide; the victors hid their crimes; Hitler’s rise was the result of many socio-economic factors.
Unfinished Point: Why the crimes of other leaders may seem “less important” than Hitler’s is not just due to propaganda, but also the nature of war, visible evidence, and the global political context.
Possible Risk: Such comparisons sometimes lead to “moral relativism“, where one crime risks being diminished by weighing it against another.
Hitler was a leader who left a lasting and horrific mark on history. But presenting him as the sole ultimate villain is only partially true. Other leaders in history have committed atrocities of similar or greater scale; their narratives were written differently.
History is not just facts, but the result of politics and power relations.
My name is Farhad Dawar and I am graduate of the Institute of Media and Communication Studies Bahaddin Zakariya University Multan Pakistan. I’m passionate about journalism and media, and I believe in journalism of courage, uncovering the truth, and shaping the future.
- Farhad Dawarhttps://dawartimes.com/author/admin/
- Farhad Dawarhttps://dawartimes.com/author/admin/
- Farhad Dawarhttps://dawartimes.com/author/admin/
- Farhad Dawarhttps://dawartimes.com/author/admin/
