Robert P. Ericksen

“Germans faced adversity in the aftermath of World War I, and they proved ready to compromise their values in an effort to reestablish national strength and security. That was not only wrong, but disastrous. It led to German destruction and left Germans suffering shame and guilt into the second and third generation.7”
― Robert P. Ericksen, Complicity in the Holocaust: Churches and Universities in Nazi Germany

“We can remind ourselves that historical circumstances in Germany, especially from World War I through the Weimar Republic, prepared Germans to applaud Hitler’s rise to power and then to become participants in his wild ideas and brutal behavior. The heavy hand of disappointing events worked on pastors and professors too. Therefore, they liked much of what Hitler offered. They indulged in nationalistic emotions, which convinced them that Germany needed to take strong actions to redeem its place in the world.”
― Robert P. Ericksen, Complicity in the Holocaust: Churches and Universities in Nazi Germany