Hermann Goering: come convincere la gente comune a desiderare la guerra...

[Paola Lucchesi <paola.lucchesi@mail.inet.it> (by way of Carlo Gubitosa <c.gubitosa@peacelink.it>)]

"Why of course the *people* don't want war... Why would some poor slob
on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best he can get out of
it is to come back to his farm in one piece? Naturally the common people
don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor
for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But after all it is the
*leaders* of the country who determine the policy, and it is always a
simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy or a
fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship....
Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought along to do the
bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell
them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of
patriotism and exposing the country to danger."


Hermann Goering

(Quoted in GM Gilbert, *The Psychology of Dictatorship* New York: The
Ronald Press, 1950, p 117)