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Originally Posted by O'Sullivan Bere
I agree with DGG that is nearly implausible not to find something done by a hideous regime that wound up a positive whether it be intended or not. The better way is to show how the bad falls through the floor on the measuring scale.
However, to avoid allowing poisonous people slyly to make a bad regime sound good or not so bad, like neo-Nazis and sympathisers with that regime or its ideologies, it's important to be armed with the full facts on what is claimed to be 'good.' (Note: I am not inferring any poster yet on this thread is such a person).
For example, the Autobahn and much of the new 1930s employment and economy was intended and geared towards the Nazi military preparations for its intended wars. The Autobahn is viewed as a good thing to have today for the daily civilian use of Germany, but the original intent behind it was largely evil. The Germans would have built a superhighway structure under a peaceful regime anyway at some point like many First World nations have. The same can be said about this woman talking about the merits of traditional family structures. The Nazis took a valid concept and twisted it into something evil, such as the 'lebensborn' programme for breeding the 'master race.' So called Aryan women were forbidden abortion, but Jews and other 'undesireables' were encouraged to abort and/or were even subjected to experiments. Of course, mass extermination of all 'undesireables' followed. Healthy concepts such as scouting were twisted into Hitler Youth where poisonous indoctrination was fused into healthy scouting and sports.
Schools and universities were hijacked and refitted to serve Nazi ideologies, even its malicious quack 'science' on racial matters.
What the Nazis did, really, was take already good concepts and things and manipulate their strengths to serve evil purposes so that the virally infected good aspects camouflaged and/or won over the people to evil. There wasn't any real 'good side' to them.
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Very valid points O'Sullivan. However, I do disagree with some of your thoughts. For example, the Autobahn. The autobahn was planned and begun before the Nazis came to power in Germany. The original intent was mainly a military one, but I wouldn't label it as "evil". Germany had been regarded for sometime as the "Battleground of Europe". This came about from the 30 Years War. The German states, even when united into single nation, were always in a pretty bad strategic location where they were surrounded by, more or less, hostile nations. That made the rapid movement of men and supplies a priority in every German state. Even more so than their European counterparts. They had to react quickly to any and every threat. This was the thought process that was mainly behind the Autobahn, and I wouldn't classify it as an evil.
Secondly, the Hitlerjugend. I personaly know 3 former members of the organization and they spoke of no political indoctrination in their respective "troops". That being said, it certainly did happen in some. The point I am making though is that it is dangerous to make broad generalizations like you did, even when it comes to the Third Reich.