Incredible Truth: Adolf Hitler Was About to Win the Nobel Peace Prize
Imagine Adolf Hitler as a Nobel Laureate, and that too in the Peace category. Well, if you dig a little deep into history, you will find out that it almost happened. Yes, you read that right. Adolf Hitler got nominated for Nobel Peace Prize. However, he was never awarded the prize. But the fact that he was even chosen for it is a bit intriguing, isn’t it? After all, he is considered as one of the worst dictators of the world! Let’s dig a little deep into history and find out the backstory behind this.
Why was Hitler nominated for Nobel Peace Prize?
The story behind Hitler’s Nobel nomination is no less than a political drama. It turns out, that on 24th January 1939, 12 Swedish members of the parliament had nominated the then British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain for that year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The reason? He had ensured world peace by signing the Munich Agreement with Hitler the previous year. Thanks to this treaty, Hitler was appeased as a part of Czechoslovakia, called Sudetenland, was handed over to Germany. This move by Chamberlain was considered to be a stepping stone in saving the world from a catastrophe.
Okay, but you must be wondering, what has this got to do with Hitler’s nomination? Well, three days later, a Swedish Parliamentarian and democrat named Erik Brandt sent a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, where he nominated German Chancellor Adolf Hitler for that year’s Nobel Peace Prize. Brandt’s arguments were pretty straightforward, he considered Hitler equally responsible for world peace as much as Chamberlain. In fact, he deemed Hitler as ‘the great leader of the German people’ who had saved the world from ‘a great danger’ and prevented ‘a new European war’ from breaking out. Brandt further added that Hitler’s love for peace was evident from his famous book Mein Kampf, which was perhaps the most popular piece of literature on peace, right after the holy Bible in those times.
Brandt strongly felt that if Hitler could be kept pacified, it would ensure peace not only for Europe but for the whole world. Wait, this wasn’t all. Brandt strongly believed that it was Hitler who could be the only ‘hope for peace in the future.’ As for sharing the award with Chamberlain, he thought that it would be an insult for Hitler. He clearly mentioned in his letter, “The most correct thing to do is not to put another name beside the name of Adolf Hitler and thereby throwing a shadow on him. Adolf Hitler is by all means the authentic God-given fighter for peace, and millions of people all over the world put their hopes in him as the Prince of Peace on earth.”
The nomination meant to be an irony!
Thankfully yes! In an interview with the Swedish newspaper Svenska Morgonposten, Brandt, once and for all, clarified that his nomination was entirely ironical. In fact, he was provoked to do so only after Chamberlain was nominated because he believed that neither the British Prime Minister, nor Hitler deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. But why? When Britain handed over part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler, it clearly reflected that they were afraid of him and his Nazi practices, Brandt felt. For him, it also meant sacrificing Czechoslovakia for momentary peace.
When the whole world went against him for this nomination, without understanding his real intentions, Brandt had decided to clarify himself through this interview. As a matter of fact, he faced serious reprimand from Swedish communists, social democrats and liberal anti-fascists for this. People started perceiving him as someone who’s mentally unstable and incapable of making important decisions. Some even called him a traitor and he was banned from all socio-political meetings. Finally, Brandt withdrew his nomination.
Later, when the World War II finally broke out in the autumn of 1939, Brandt wrote a letter to the editor of an anti-Nazi newspaper called Trots Allt where he further justified his actions. He wrote that by nominating Hitler, he wanted to “by the use of irony suggest a Peace Prize to Hitler and by that nail him to the wall of shame as enemy number one of peace in the world.”
Here's another fun fact for you in this context. Hitler had banned Germans from accepting Nobel Prize almost four years before he himself was nominated. Another ironical twist, right?