Was Hitler a Vegetarian or in Favor of Animal Rights?

Contrary to myth, Adolf Hitler wasn’t a vegetarian. But this isn’t the only thing that people misconstrue about this horrible man or the treatment of animals in Nazi Germany.

Hitler’s Experiments on Other Animals

Although the Nazis purported to pass an anti-vivisection bill, they did not. In fact, they were required by law to first perform their experiments on animals before carrying them out on humans. Experiments on humans did not replace animal experiments; on the contrary, animal experiments made them possible.

John Vyvyan, in The Dark Face of Science, summed it up this way: “The experiments made on prisoners were many and diverse, but they had one thing in common: All were in continuation of or complementary to experiments on animals. In every instance, this antecedent scientific literature is mentioned in the evidence; and at Buchenwald and Auschwitz concentration camps, human and animal experiments were carried out simultaneously as parts of a single programme.”

An Idea Must Be Judged on Its Own Merits

If Hitler believed in the theory of relativity, does that mean we should not believe in it? What if Gandhi also believed in the theory of relativity—how would we reconcile the two?

The merits of an idea cannot be determined by the character of its proponents.

What Is a Great Idea? Going Vegan

Animals are unique individuals with their own wants and needs. The notion that humans are entitled to exploit their bodies is rooted in speciesism, the human-held belief that all other animal species are inferior. When we see all animals as deserving of respect, we understand that we must change our personal choices in order to stop contributing to their suffering.

Did you know that you could spare nearly 200 animals per year by going vegan? What are you waiting for?