Racist? Good Lord.
Nazi's were a political party, much like Republicans and Democrats. They had beliefs founded by the party organizers, one of whom was Hitler.
Their actions can be attributed to multiple rationales. First and foremost, the influence of their leader can never be understated. Branching out from there, you have to consider that all people react differently. The best example of this would be Hitler's district leaders. When Poland was divided Hitler gave control to three separate Nazi leaders. He told them to do away with the non-German population. One leader decided to "Germanize" each citizen by making them pledge their affiliation to Germany. Another leader murdered as many Poles and Jews as he could. An order from Hitler taken in two different directions by two different Nazis. This happened all of the time.
Some could be driven by pride in their race or country, while others could be pushed by fear and trauma. Some were overachievers, proudly shooting innocents the same way a school bully would kick a student in the ass, hoping to gain recognition or approval of their community of soldiers. Some tried to fly under the radar, doing as little as possible to contribute to the massacre. Some went out of their way to hurt, others went out of their way to help. Some smile when thinking back to the events of WW2, others cry.
Based on what they partly stood for, which is that other humans are inferior, I feel that they are bad people. "Bad" is of course a vague description, but it works in the context of this reply.
I realize some Nazi's are regretful of their actions; some were caught up in the moment and propaganda and have come to feel remorse for their deeds. I don't hate them because I sympathize with them for being a part of a war machine, driven by a misguided and egotistical leader with hidden and private agendas. American soldiers recently experienced this. They were harming innocent citizens while thinking they were doing good. It's easy to be caught up in that storm, and it's difficult to realize it when it's happening.
Some of them were given power and they used it for unimaginable evil. The Nazi's who ran the prison, labor and concentration camps are the personification of evil and deserved a slow, painful death.
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