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Lost generation Quote by Keith Lowe

“In an extraordinary article in the Daily Express, Major R. Crisp stated that the ordinary German soldiers he used to come across had been replaced by an army of fanatical fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds who appeared incapable of anything but brutality. There is nothing that is decent, or gentle, or…” quote by Keith Lowe
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““In an extraordinary article in the Daily Express, Major R. Crisp stated that the ordinary German soldiers he used to come across had been replaced by an army of fanatical fifteen- and sixteen-year-olds who appeared incapable of anything but brutality. There is nothing that is decent, or gentle, or humble to be read in them. Everything that is beastly and lustful and cruel. This is a generation of men trained deliberately in barbarity, trained to execute the awful orders of a madman. Not a clean thought has ever touched them … Every German born since 1920 is under this satanic spell. The younger they are the more fiercely impregnated are they with its evil poison. Every child born under the Hitler regime is a lost child. It is a lost generation. The newspaper article went on to suggest that it was a blessing that so many of these children were being killed in the fighting, and that the remainder should be dealt with similarly for the good of the world. ‘But whether you exterminate them or sterilise them, Nazism in all its horribleness will not perish from the earth until the last Nazi is dead.””

Keith Lowe

About This Quote

Source Article: Daily Express, date unknown, attributed to Major R. Crisp

The quote depicts German soldiers as a generation indoctrinated into cruelty, suggesting that their youth and propaganda made them incapable of humanity, and that only their elimination could end Nazism.

In simple terms: German youth were portrayed as brutally indoctrinated, seen as irredeemable.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the dangers of extremist indoctrination.

Themes

war propaganda innocence dehumanization

Mood

grim urgent reflective

Type

historical political cautionary

When to use this quote

  • historical analysis
  • education on extremist recruitment
  • human rights advocacy

Key Concepts

totalitarianism psychology of violence generational trauma

Questions to Reflect On

  • How does propaganda shape youth identity?
  • Can societies prevent such indoctrination?
A Different Perspective

The quote may overgeneralize and dehumanize an entire generation, ignoring individual variance.

3.4 out of 5 (6 ratings)

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