Fear Quote by Milton Mayer
““In the years of its rise the movement little by little brought the community's attitude toward the teacher around from respect and envy to resentment, from trust and fear to suspicion. The development seems to have been inherent; it needed no planning and had none. As the Nazi emphasis on nonintellectual virtues (patriotism, loyalty, duty, purity, labor, simplicity, "blood," "folkishness") seeped through Germany, elevating the self-esteem of the "little man," the academic profession was pushed from the very center to the very periphery of society. Germany was preparing to cut its own head off. By 1933 at least five of my ten friends (and I think six or seven) looked upon "intellectuals" as unreliable and, among those unreliables, upon the academics as the most insidiously situated.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, 1933-1945, by William L. Shirer, 1960
Academic authority eroded under Nazi ideology, shifting from respect to suspicion, marginalizing scholars.
In simple terms: Nazi values undermined respect for scholars.
Key Takeaway
Protect academic independence.
Themes
history
politics
education
authoritarianism
intellectual freedom
Mood
cautionary
reflective
Type
historical
political
When to use this quote
- university governance
- academic freedom advocacy
- public discourse
- media literacy
Key Concepts
totalitarianism
cultural shift
propaganda
social dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies safeguard scholars?
- What signs indicate growing distrust of expertise?
A Different Perspective
Intellectuals can be co-opted by political agendas.
