"A people that has experienced all that the Germans have been through, naturally offers fertile soil for the extremists"
- Gustav Stresemann
About this Quote
Gustav Stresemann's quote recommends that the German people have been through a great deal of difficulty and suffering, and this has produced an environment in which extremist ideologies can take root and spread. He implies that the German individuals are most likely to be receptive to severe ideas due to their hard history. Stresemann is most likely referring to the duration of World War I and the subsequent financial and political chaos that followed. The German individuals underwent run-away inflation, political instability, and a sense of humiliation due to the Treaty of Versailles. This difficult duration of German history has actually left a long lasting impression on the German people, making them more susceptible to extremist ideologies. Stresemann's quote acts as a cautioning to the German people to be wary of extremist ideas and to stay alert against them.