--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As far as I know, the question of whether…" description: "\"As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open debate in Germany after ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/anonymous-1_atrocities_as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether_12778.jpg" --- # As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could… ![“As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open debate in Germany after 1945, no doubt mainly because a nation which had murdered and worked to death millions of people in its camps could hardly call on the victorious…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/anonymous-1_atrocities_as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether_12778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/anonymous-1_atrocities_as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether_12778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/anonymous-1_atrocities_as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether_12778.jpg) > “As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open debate in Germany after 1945, no doubt mainly because a nation which had murdered and worked to death millions of people in its camps could hardly call on the victorious powers to explain the military and political logic that dictated the destruction of the German cities.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Post‑war Germany avoided public discussion of the moral and strategic justification for the Allied bombing of its cities, because the nation’s own atrocities made such debate untenable. **In simple terms:** Germany silenced debate on Allied bombing. Key Takeaway War crimes silence self‑critique. Themes historical memory war ethics political silence collective guilt post‑war reconstruction Mood somber reflective critical Type historical analysis ethical commentary When to use this quote - academic seminars on WWII - museum exhibitions on bombing - policy analysis of war crimes - media retrospectives on post‑war Europe Key Concepts moral responsibility strategic justification public discourse national trauma Practical Applications - historical research - ethical education Questions to Reflect On - Why might societies suppress uncomfortable histories? - How does victimhood affect a nation’s ability to critique its own past? A Different Perspective null ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atrocities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atrocities/) [Bombing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bombing/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Debate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debate/) [Destruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destruction/) [Devastation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/devastation/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Germany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/germany/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) [Military](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/military/) [Nations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nations/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Political](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/political/) [World war ii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-war-ii/) ## Related quotes > [After all, we didn't bring democracy to Germany in 1945; Hitler destroyed democracy there first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-scowcroft/after-all-we-didn-t-bring-democracy-to-germany-in-1945-hitler/) [Brent Scowcroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-scowcroft/) > [Besides Germany, the only countries that don't have speed limits are places like Nepal, where road conditions are so bad that a limit would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmar-gabriel/besides-germany-the-only-countries-that-don-t-have-speed-limits-are/) [Sigmar Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmar-gabriel/) > [My own view on capital punishment is that it is morally justified, but that the government is often so inept and corrupt that innocent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-crane/my-own-view-on-capital-punishment-is-that-it-is-morally-justified-but/) [Ed Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-crane/) > [I thought heroin was evil and morally, myself, I thought that pot was okay. That it wasn't a bad thing and so therefore thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-jung/i-thought-heroin-was-evil-and-morally-myself-i-thought-that-pot-was/) [George Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-jung/) > [You cannot properly bring up children when you are 69 or 70 and they are 12 and at the height of their madness. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-dennis/you-cannot-properly-bring-up-children-when-you-are-69-or-70-and-they/) [Felix Dennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-dennis/) > [“Just because something is normal, does not make it morally justified. Case in point: Antisemitism in Nazi Germany.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narcissismus-decimus-maximus/just-because-something-is-normal-does-not-make-it-morally-justified/) [Narcissismus Decimus Maximus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narcissismus-decimus-maximus/) > [Society itself is an accident to the spirit, and if society in any of its forms is to be justified morally it must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/society-itself-is-an-accident-to-the-spirit-and-if-society-in-any-of/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [We must begin by acknowledging a hard truth. We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations, acting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-must-begin-by-acknowledging-a-hard-truth-we-will-not-eradicate/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I am not a pacifist - I think that violence and self-defence are often morally justified.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-nussbaum/i-am-not-a-pacifist-i-think-that-violence-and-self-defence-are-often/) [Martha Nussbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-nussbaum/) > [You were standing in the wake of devastation And you were waiting on the edge of the unknown And with the cataclysm raining down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-were-standing-in-the-wake-of-devastation-and-you-were-waiting-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No one can truly be prepared for such devastation and pure malevolence, but the United Kingdom can always look to the United States as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-can-truly-be-prepared-for-such-devastation-and-pure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The severest trial of oppression is the constant outrage which one suffers at the thought of the oppressor. What Jesus discovered was how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-severest-trial-of-oppression-is-the-constant-outrage-which-one/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Promoting the use of sustainable and renewable rainforest products can help to stop rainforest devastation. The rainforests are much more valuable alive than cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/promoting-the-use-of-sustainable-and-renewable-rainforest-products/) [Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/) > [These are the men who, without virtue, labour, or hazard, are growing rich, as their country is impoverished; they rejoice, when obstinacy or ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/these-are-the-men-who-without-virtue-labour-or-hazard-are-growing/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Talent? That's not talent. Talent is Liza Minnelli tap dancing and singing at the same time. What I just saw was devastation. Dying man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/talent-that-s-not-talent-talent-is-liza-minnelli-tap-dancing-and/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Atrocities quotes > [A furious Peeta hammers Haymitch with the atrocity he could become party to, but I can feel Haymitch watching me. This is the moment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/a-furious-peeta-hammers-haymitch-with-the-atrocity-he-could-become/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“I do not know where Viktor and Rudolf were taken. I cannot find the records. I never Elisabeth or Iggie. It is possible that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/i-do-not-know-where-viktor-and-rudolf-were-taken-i-cannot-find-the/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [I have become convinced, through my studies, that the only way to achieve a safe, just and viable world is to live by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/i-have-become-convinced-through-my-studies-that-the-only-way-to/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [Yet only the atrocities of the conquered are referred to as criminal acts; those of the conqueror are justified as necessary, heroic, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-fergus/yet-only-the-atrocities-of-the-conquered-are-referred-to-as-criminal/) [Jim Fergus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-fergus/) > [“I don't know how to stop the atrocities. I don't know how to make people care. But looking into my sister's eyes, we seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shannon/i-don-t-know-how-to-stop-the-atrocities-i-don-t-know-how-to-make/) [Lisa Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shannon/) > [War is horrible no matter what. There's going to be atrocities, there's going to be horrible things that happen in war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-hoffman/war-is-horrible-no-matter-what-there-s-going-to-be-atrocities-there-s/) Mike Hoffman > [Man is the only animal that deals in that atrocity of atrocities War. He is the only one that gathers his brethren about him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/man-is-the-only-animal-that-deals-in-that-atrocity-of-atrocities-war/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [Well before September 11, it was understood that with modern technology, the rich and powerful will lose their near monopoly of the means of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/well-before-september-11-it-was-understood-that-with-modern/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“Every Christian who studies history can only grieve over the atrocities that have been committed in the name of God by people who refuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berit-kjos/every-christian-who-studies-history-can-only-grieve-over-the/) Berit Kjos > [Fanatics can justify practically any atrocity to themselves. The more untenable their position becomes, the harder they hold to it, and the worse the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercedes-lackey/fanatics-can-justify-practically-any-atrocity-to-themselves-the-more/) [Mercedes Lackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercedes-lackey/) > [We must never forget the atrocities of slavery as we continue to work towards equality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-n-green/we-must-never-forget-the-atrocities-of-slavery-as-we-continue-to-work/) [Al N. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-n-green/) > [“The terrified men did not move. Then Nadia Fedin did something instinctive; she drew her Nagant revolver and fired three short bursts into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kge-konkel/the-terrified-men-did-not-move-then-nadia-fedin-did-something/) KGE Konkel > [Human beings can be redeemed. Empires cannot. Our refusal to face the truth about empire, our refusal to defy the multitudinous crimes and atrocities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/human-beings-can-be-redeemed-empires-cannot-our-refusal-to-face-the/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [“The character of Moses, as stated in the Bible, is the most horrid that can be imagined. If those accounts be true, he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-character-of-moses-as-stated-in-the-bible-is-the-most-horrid-that/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) [Browse all 335 Atrocities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atrocities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never the subject of open debate in Germany after 1945, no doubt mainly because a nation which had murdered and worked to death millions of people in its camps could hardly call on the victorious powers to explain the military and political logic that dictated the destruction of the German cities.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atrocities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/anonymous-1_atrocities_as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether_12778.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/anonymous-1_atrocities_as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether_12778.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/24e/anonymous-1_atrocities_as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether_12778.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“As far as I know, the question of whether and how it could be strategically or morally justified was never…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "As far as I know, the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-far-as-i-know-the-question-of-whether-and-how-it-could-be/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```