The phrase "To each his own" is a classic principle of justice. It was once upon a time given by Cicero in a speech before the Roman Senate. In modern times, this phrase is notorious for another reason: it was located above the entrance to the Buchenwald concentration camp . That is why today the assertion that each - their own, is perceived by most people in a negative way.
A bit of history
In ancient Greece, they often said: "Suum cuique." At the same time, the following was implied: everyone should do something his own and not interfere in the affairs of others. Moreover, everyone should make a feasible contribution to the development of society.
In Prussia, the phrase "To each his own" became the motto of the Order of the Black Eagle and the courier service of the German police. In addition, it can be found in the seventh commandment of the Catholic Catechism (the latter, by the way, was highly revered by the servants of the Third Reich).
"To each his own". Buchenwald - the land of death
In 1937, a camp was set up in Germany to contain especially dangerous criminals. However, a year later it became a place of detention for Jews, homosexuals, asocial elements, gypsies, and political opposition. A few years later, Buchenwald began to play the role of a kind of transitional station between large concentration camps located in the eastern part of Europe. At least two hundred thousand prisoners passed through this point, and for the fourth part of all the unfortunates, he became the last refuge. All prisoners who arrived at the concentration camp, first saw the inscription on the gate: "To each his own."
Scary details
What was hidden behind a beautiful phrase? Buchenwald was a camp for men. All prisoners worked at a factory located a few kilometers from the place of detention. They were engaged in the production of weapons.
The main barracks in the camp were fifty-two. Over time, places became less and less, people were kept in small unheated tents, even in severe frosts. Many died from hypothermia. In addition, there was a so-called small camp, which was a quarantine department. In it, living conditions were even worse than in the main camp. About thirteen thousand prisoners (35% of the total) were located on a plot of several hundred square meters.
Toward the end of the war, when German troops were forced to retreat, Buchenwald began to replenish with people from Compiegne, Auschwitz and other similar places that the Nazis left in a hurry. So, by the end of January forty-fifth, up to four thousand prisoners arrived in this camp daily.
Inhuman conditions
The Nazis used the phrase "to each his own" for their own purposes. They simply did not consider all objectionable people. Just imagine: the "small camp" consisted of twelve huts measuring 40x50 meters, therefore, about eight hundred people lived in each of them! Every day at least a hundred prisoners died in terrible agony. Before the roll call, the survivors carried the bodies of those who had departed into the other world to the street in order to receive a meager portion of food for them.
In the "small camp" relations between people were much more cruel than in the main part of Buchenwald. Unhappy people in the conditions of terrible hunger could kill for a piece of bread. The death of a neighbor in the bunk became a celebration altogether, since there was more free space before the arrival of new prisoners, in addition, clothes could be removed from him.
Those who were in quarantine were treated with vaccinations, but this caused an even greater spread of infection, since the syringes did not change. Hopeless patients were euthanized with phenol.
Not a single person managed to escape from the camp, as a small area was tirelessly patrolled by at least four SS units.
Continuation of a story
The German concentration camp Buchenwald did not stop functioning with the defeat of the fascist troops. The notorious territory became the possession of the Soviet Union. In August forty-fifth, Special Camp No. 2 was opened. It existed until 1950 and was the place of detention of former members of the NSDLP, spies and those who disagree with the new Soviet regime. In five years, out of twenty-eight thousand people, a fourth died from starvation and disease.
Everlasting memory
In 1958, it was decided to open a memorial complex in Buchenwald. Visitors arrive there daily. It is noteworthy that for German students visiting this concentration camp is a mandatory part of the school curriculum. Everyone leaves Buchenwald with mixed feelings - for some this is the burial place for relatives, for others it’s a nightmare of youth, which is impossible to forget, for others it’s just a school trip. However, all visitors are united by one feeling - the eternal unbearable pain of what happened.
Use today
- The phrase "To each his own" for the Spaniards is a fundamental principle of law.
- It is the motto of Windhoek - the capital of Namibia.
- The manufacturer of mobile phones Nokia used this phrase to promote products during an advertising campaign in 1998 (mobile phones were offered with the ability to change the main panel). The public was indignant. Soon, the advertising slogan was no longer used. In addition, companies such as McDonald's, Microsoft, and Rewe have used the infamous claim. Each time, manufacturers came across a public condemnation, since in the minds of millions of people this phrase is a call for brutal massacres.
- The directors Hassler and Turini tried to present a folk operetta called "To Each His Own" in 2007 at the Klagenfurt Theater. Naturally, the work was not missed. Viewers saw her under the name "Half-truth in another life."
- Valentin Pikul has a work entitled “To Each His Own”.
Conclusion
In order to promote Nazi ideology, radical personalities distorted the meaning of the phrase "to each his own." Who said that a wise saying must be erased from memory? No, just when using it, it is important to take into account the sad experience of the past so as not to hurt the feelings of millions of people.