Hitler was a monster.


 Yes, Hitler was a monster. No doubt of that. Genocide, war, mass murder. Wrong. But here's the unpleasant truth. His regime did a couple of things right that are still hotly contested today. And yes, that does feel sick to confess. But history isn't in the business of making people feel good.

He had a strange love for animals. In 1933, the Nazis introduced one of the first real laws to protect animals. They banned live dissection. They set rules for slaughterhouses. They created transport rules. It was strict and surprisingly advanced for its time.

And then there was the anti-smoking literature. They launched one of the first hardcore anti-tobacco campaigns. Public place bans. Posters. Funded cancer research. Sounds wonderful, until you realize that it was all part of a larger movement for racial purity. Not health, control.

And the Autobahn? That was not merely about cars. It was about jobs, power, and quick troop transport. The Volkswagen as well. A car for the people that was affordable. Nation's pride on wheels.

The crucial thing to keep in mind? Evil does occasionally work. Occasionally they reward individuals as they conspire to do harm. That's what we typically prefer to overlook. And that's what ought to truly terrify us.

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