"To each his own": how the ancient principle of justice became the motto of criminals

The phrase "To each his own" is a classical principle of justice. She was once said long ago 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 concentration camp of Buchenwald. That is why in our days the assertion that everyone is different is perceived by most people in a negative light.

A bit of history

In ancient Greece, they often said: "Suum cuique". At the same time, the following was implied: everyone should do something different and not interfere in the affairs of others. At the same time, 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 esteemed 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 keep especially dangerous criminals. However, a year later it became a place of imprisonment for Jews, homosexuals, antisocial elements, gypsies, political oppositionists. A few years later Buchenwald began to play the role of a kind of transition station between the large concentration camps located in the eastern part of Europe. At least two hundred thousand convicts passed through this point, and for the fourth part of all the unfortunates it became the last refuge. All the prisoners who arrived in the concentration camp saw the inscription on the gate first of all: "To each his own".

Scary details

What was hidden behind the beautiful phrase? Buchenwald was a camp for men. All the prisoners worked in a factory several kilometers from the place of detention. They were engaged in the production of weapons.

The main barracks in the camp numbered fifty-two. With the passage of 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, the living conditions were even worse than in the main camp. About thirteen thousand prisoners (35% of the total number) were located on a plot of several hundred square meters.

Closer to the end of the war, when German troops were forced to retreat, Buchenwald began to replenish people from Compiègne, Auschwitz and other such places, which the fascists left in haste. Thus, by the end of January 1945, up to four thousand prisoners had arrived in this camp every day.

Inhuman conditions

The fascists used the phrase "To each his own" for his own purposes. They simply did not consider all the objectionable people. Just imagine: the "small camp" consisted of twelve barracks measuring 40x50 meters, therefore, in each of them lived about eight hundred people! Every day at least 100 prisoners died in terrible agony. Before the roll call, the survivors carried out to the street the bodies of those who had gone to another world to get a meager portion of food for them.

In the "small camp", relations between people were much more violent than in the main part of Buchenwald. Unhappy people in conditions of terrible hunger could kill for a piece of bread. The demise of the neighbor on the bed was a holiday at all, since there was more free space before the arrival of new prisoners, besides, you could take off your clothes.

Those who were in quarantine were treated with vaccines, but this caused an even greater spread of infection, as syringes did not change. Hopeless patients were sacrificed with the help of phenol.

No man managed to escape from the camp, as a small territory was patrolled tirelessly by at least four SS squads.

Continuation of a story

The German concentration camp Buchenwald did not cease to function with the defeat of the fascist troops. The notorious territory became the property of the Soviet Union. In August, 1945, "Spetslager No. 2" was opened. It existed until 1950 and was the place of imprisonment of former members of the NSDLP, spies and dissidents with the new Soviet regime. For five years out of twenty-eight thousand people, a fourth of them died from hunger and disease.

Everlasting memory

In 1958 on the territory of Buchenwald it was decided to open a memorial complex. Visitors arrive there daily. It is noteworthy that for German students the visit to this concentration camp is a mandatory part of the school curriculum. Everyone leaves Buchenwald with mixed feelings - for some this is the burial place of relatives, for others - the nightmare of youth, which is impossible to forget, for the third - just a school excursion. However, all visitors are united by one feeling - an eternal unbearable pain from what happened.

Use in our days

• 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 the advertising campaign in 1998 (mobile phones were offered with the possibility of changing the main panel). The public was indignant. Soon, the advertising slogan was no longer used. In addition, a notorious statement used by companies such as McDonald's, Microsoft and Rewe. Every time manufacturers faced public condemnation, because in the minds of millions of people this phrase is a call to brutal massacres.
• Directors Hassler and Turini tried to present a folk operetta entitled "To each his own" in 2007 at the Klagenfurt Theater. Naturally, the work was not missed. The audience saw it called "Half-truth in another life."
• Valentin Pikul has a work "To each his own".

Conclusion

In order to promote Nazi ideology, radical-minded people have distorted the meaning of the phrase "To each his own". Who said that a wise saying must be erased from memory? No, it's just when using it, it's important to take into account the sad experience of the past, so as not to hurt the feelings of millions of people.