The establishment vs Uber

[FireIceTalon]

Sometimes it's hard to admit that one man's ideas can shape the world towards evil, such as say Martin Luther. But, in reflection I don't believe there are many open minded people who would deny his role in bringing about the holocaust. I might say the same thing for any number of our US presidents, Wilson, FDR, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon -- all had have done some good, and some bad.

You are giving Martin Luther way too much credit. There is no man (or woman) in history who has ever had that much power - ever. The "Great Man Theory of History" is reductionist and pretty discredited (for good reason). To reduce the cause of the holocaust or any other significant historical event to one person's set of ideas is indeed close-minded, as it neglects the complex myraid historical, social and economic factors that lead up to the holocaust or even made it possible. Not to mention, it is an unscientific approach to studying historical development.

To say that ML caused or even had a major role in the holocaust is pretty silly anyway, considering he died some 400+ years before it took place. You almost may as well say that the event was then inevitable and preordained. I don't know, maybe I am taking what you are saying wrong, but it seems wildly far fetched to me. And even ideologically speaking, there are inconsistencies between ML and Hitler. While both are obviously antisemetic, ML believed the Jews could be saved if they converted to Christianity so his antisemitism was in a religious context, while Hitler wanted them wiped out completely regardless because they were viewed as racially inferior. They were the scapegoat of German nationalism, and considered by the Nazis to be a communist conspiracy theory (cause Marx was born Jewish). Yes, the Nazis claimed ML on their side, but they also claimed many other things - such as that they were socialist and on the side of the working class (they weren't), or that the almighty Lord himself was on their side (obviously not).

“Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under circumstances of their own choosing, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past". Human agency certainly has (and must have to some extent) its role to play in historical development, but it is not the be all-end all as we are so often taught.

On another note, the first solid critique to the 'great man theory' that really put a big hole in it was not from a Marxist thinker, but from the social darwinist Herbert Spencer.