“Providence withdrew its protection and our people fell... And in this hour we sink to our knees and beseech our almighty God that He may bless us, that He may give us the strength to carry on the struggle for the freedom, the future, the honor, and the peace of our people. So help us God.”
Sounds like something a pastor or politician might have said after September 11th. Click on the comments link to see who said this.
Comments
And the answer is Adolf Hitler. This was in a campaign speech he gave in 1936. I verified this in a book of translated speeches that I found in a university library.
I'll add more comments to this when I get a chance.
Posted by: CJ Costello on Tuesday, February 14, 2006
I received a few comments on this one outside of the website. Here is a summary of what I think on this:
1. This is another example of why context is so important. If I had included the whole speech, it would not have sounded as pious or repentant as this quote. A theme of many of his speeches during this time was on the German 'Volk' rising to their natural position of power.
2. He tended to use 'Providence' or other general terms a lot more than 'God' in speeches.
3. Don't trust politicians ;)
Posted by: CJ Costello on Friday, February 17, 2006