““One result of this was that Hitler’s oppression was deemed worse than that of Stalin. The narrative of the war as a triumph over tyranny was selective, singling out one political enemy while glossing over the faults and failings of recent friends. Many in central and eastern Europe would beg to differ with this story of the triumph of democracy, pointing out the price that was paid over subsequent decades by those who found themselves on the wrong side of an arbitrary line. Western Europe had its history to protect, however, and that meant emphasising successes—and keeping quiet about mistakes and about decisions that could be explained as realpolitik.””
![“The present destruction of Europe would not be complete and thorough had the German people not accepted freely [the Nazi] plan, participated voluntarily in its execution and up to this point profited greatly therefrom” quote by Raphael Lemkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e1b/raphael-lemkin-45433_germans_the-present-destruction-of-europe-would_1837808.jpg)
![“If there had been a strong democratic sentiment in Germany, Hitler would never have come to power . [Germans] deserved what they got when they went round crying for a hero.” quote by A. J. P. Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/858/a-j-p-taylor-14528_cry_if-there-had-been-a-strong-democratic-se_512170.jpg)
![“Contemporaries struggled to make sense of what, to them, was the complete collapse of the world order. “Why does [God] allow us to be weaker and more miserable” than all these tribal peoples, wailed the fifth-century Christian writer Salvian; “why has he allowed us to be conquered by the…” quote by Peter Frankopan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/7fe/peter-frankopan-27375_world-order_contemporaries-struggled-to-make-sense-o_2033004.jpg)
![“EU didn't advance our [Eastern Europe] democracy by a single millimeter.” quote by Vaclav Klaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/916/vaclav-klaus-12549_democracy_eu-didn-t-advance-our-eastern-europe-dem_151142.jpg)
