Believe it or not, but one of the main war criminals of the WWII, specifically of the Holocaust, was in fact – Slovenian.
Odilo Lotario “Globus” Globocnik
Odilo Globocnik (originally probably Globočnik) was a Waffen-SS officer who was instrumental in the Anschluss of Austria in 1933, but his true horrific self became notoriously obvious in 1939-41 when he was (among other things) personally responsible for the liquidation of the Warsaw ghetto.
He was arrested by British commando troops and killed (or commited suicide) on May 31 1945, somewhere in Southern Carynthia, Austria – close to Slovenian border. It is said that he spoke Slovene during his arrest.
Should Slovenes appologize to his victims? I don’t know. I’ve always maintained that today’s generations should not be held responcible for crimes of their grandfathers. But the whole thing most certainly does make me feel uncomfortable.
Well, you know my take on this : we learn from our predecessors’ mistakes and move on. Globocnik’s crimes don’t make a whole nation guilty by association 50+ years after the facts. While it is good to acknowledge that there weren’t just partisans in Slovenija, it shouldn’t lead to feeling guilty about what he did.
As you know, we have our own war criminals and former Eastern Front SS legionnaires. It doesn’t bear any burden on me or my country in the present day, as far as I’m concerned. But it’s only normal to feel uncomfortable about these things. You’d rather wish they never happened in the first place, as would any intelligent person…
In the village where my granny lives, there was (a story of) a man who became rich by helping people escape after WWII. That is, he had an arrangement with soldiers on the SLO-AUT border (I think), he brought the refugees up to a certain point and probably shared their belongings with the soldiers after the runaways had been properly done away with… I don’t remember anyone hating him for that, but I did learn that way that the border between friend and fiend could not have been as clearly demarcated as they wanted us to believe…
Never heard of Globocnik though – that was quite an important level he “worked” on 🙁
regarding to apologise and so on…
I find it difficult (at least for my generation) to apologise for things that happened back then. I personally don’t believe in original sin. The only possible thing nowadays is maybe to try to keep the enduring consequences as little as possible and be attentive that such shit won’t happen again.
I first ‘ran’ into Globočnik reading Robert Harisses novel Fatherland, first i thought it was a fictional character but after a bit of research i found out he was real, and very much so..
Great novel by the way 😉
@Dietmar: You’re right, of course… I guess it proves the old wisdom that “idiots can be found ob both sides of the fence, you just have to look hard enough”
@MihaP: Ditto, actually. I then forgot about him, but a colleague of mine brought it up recently, which sort of prompted this post.
I don’t believe a nation being responsible for the actions of one of its members.
In case of ANY war, including ones in progress as we speak, the ones owing an apology to the victims on either side and to the world/humanity in general IMO are those who could have prevented it and have not done so for less than honourable reasons, the usual suspect being money.
Seeminly good excuses for making war will always be within arm’s reach (no pun intended), but the leaders /both formal and ‘shadow’ ones/ ALWAYS have a choice.
I believe the movie Thirteen Days illustrates this point nicely.
A few years ago I was in Prague and I took the liberty to visit the Holocaust Memorial. In one room, drawings illustrated by children who were interred in a concentration camp were displayed behind glass cases. As I was looking over the drawings, a group of schoolchildren entered the room. They were speaking German. As the teacher or tour guide was trying to get them to be silent, they nonetheless kept talking loudly amongst themselves, oblivious to the contents in the room. The kids in the room were probably no older than the kids who drew those pictures. At first I excused their behaviour: they’re just kids, they couldn’t possibly understand the ramafications. However, it got me thinking.
Yes, all nations, including my own (Canada), have committed wrongs against minorities or vulnerable groups. Indeed, we feel guilty. But if we neglect the past, if we don’t bother to learn from our past, then we greviously wound not only those who suffered by shuffling off their memories into a convenient obscurity, but we also wound the future. The old adage is true: those who forget the past . . .
Globočnik was a scum , a real janizary to Nazis and psychopath! Monster and outcast and traitor of Sloveian people.
I belive Globočnik did what was expected from him to do and by the way he was god at his yob !!!
What abouth Titos partizans killings of inocent civilians ( women, children, etc ) whos only gilth was that they were not comunists !!! It is belived that Titos hangman killed around 500 000 people and that killings hapend after the4 2.WW was already over, so i woud wery much like to know, why noone mentioned that masacre ?
@Fritz: Advocating the Final Solution, are you? Things may be believed – but so “it is believed” that aliens exist and that the Iluminati rule the world.
Grow up and smell the 21st century, man!
Pengovsky are you protecting partizan killers ? I now that Globus (Globocniks nick name ) was ruthless at his yob and that he hade blod on his hands but the truth is also that partizans kiled around 500 000 people after the 2.WW and your arogance wont change that !!! If you think that partizans wictims diserve such fate than you have a big problem !!!
Pengovsky are you protecting partizan killers ?
Fritz, are you protecting Nazi killers?
I can play the blame game forever, you know…
The current generations should not apologize, feel guilty or pay for the sins of previous generations. Talking especially for Germany, they have already paid more than enough! They have been well punished for what they did and they have paid for it too well.
But this is no longer justice and honoring the victims. It has turned into a financial enterprise and means of political pressure.holocaust is daily on the news, TV, movies, documentaries – overexposed, it is artificially kept in the center of the world’s attention. But the people who did it have already paid for it and a new generation has replaced them /in fact – several new generations/. That’s enough, I think.
Lets see what is not on the news, what no one pays for, what no one has to feel guilty for: the holocaust of 10 million Indians in the States; the holocaust of 15 million blacks in Belgian Africa; the holocaust of 1 and a half million Armenians in the Ottoman empire; the holocaust of many millions, whole countries and cultures, done by the British Empire worldwide; the KZ-style of life of the Palestinians, recogized and protested even by some people in Israel itself. Also the recent bombing of Lebanon, which caused the deaths o thousands civilians including so many kids, has already been launched out of all medias and off the public interest.
See? The world is full of great tragedies. Overexposing and putting ontop of everything /as something most important/ of one of these tragedies is wrong in many directions – this is an insult to the victim of all other tragedies, as if they are some sort of second class people; this is wrong towards the current generations, which HAVE to feel guilty and pay, no matter that they did nothing and all is already dearly paid.
Many would disagree. But I think there is much reason in my words.
All I know is that in Trieste when Odilo was there and my grandad died,leaving my grandmother with 10 children, it was Odilo that came and brought food to keep my family alive. Believe it or not, if it wasn’t, for this man I would not be here to tell the story.
>>All I know is that in Trieste when Odilo was there and my grandad
>>>died,leaving my grandmother with 10 children, it was Odilo that
>>>came and brought food to keep my family alive. Believe it or not,
>>>if it wasn’t, for this man I would not be here to tell the story.
Then you Hapsburg you are the right one to start repentance process and ask for forgiving to initiate …since you are grown as positive
seed on negative ground.
If last message was addressed to me than You’re wellcome. And God bless your actions that are leading to the repentance and forgiving.
Me as Slovenian was shocked when I read about man that was born in Slovenian familly in today town called Trzic that he made such a career in Holocaust organized camps of Treblinka, Belzec and Sobibor. Also his history that even in the Nazi party he was suspected of corruption. Then I tried to connect with all the tasks that every nation Europe should do. Not worshipping the victory abut repentance and forgiving. I guess there were no winners in pre-war second world was time nor in second world war. Even from so-called winnign countries there were trasports to Holocaust Camps. Branch of US computer business company in Germany supported with tehcnology support and organization knowledge to make the Holocaust after VanSee conference more efficent and systematically organized as procedure. Same technology knowledge we use today in other areas of co-habiting life in Europe societies. So it is necessary to listen to each other and think of seeds of those negativites and what makes them such enormous crime and what were the individual’s pain behind. This requires enormous vessel of each of us. But without confronting with this and without listening and repentance and forgiving there is no prosperity and safety in Europe. Seems that in most EU WW2 is still alive. Spiritual loan for detoxification seems to be exhausted. That could influence also in economic crisis in Europe. Some higher view and spiritual message suppose to be find in this. Seems the most nobble goal can not be achieved if there are seeds od temptations or weaknesses from the past that could be scaled for confrontations. Enormous project for us younger that we were not direct victims of the war but still sense the consequences. It limits us in our desire to be creative in positive prosperity and desire for widening the circle of prosperity on all Europeans. Guess, we all are meant to growth in personality and spiritually. This is not the privilege that has to be hidden or feared of. Every manipulation or fear is soon or later payed with sufering or pain.
>>>Should Slovenes appologize to his victims?
Excellent question.
I think they should. Every community should take the responsibility for the actions of the each member of the community. This way community desserves spiritual loan for correction and prepared on all hardships. This is sign of dignity of the community. Someone up said that Germans succeeded to take the responsibility. I guess this is the judgement I am not mature to express it. But there are nations in Europe who were succeeded to continually to spread terror under the role of co-called victim or defend. But it seems all energies are injected and conserved in the ground. So we younger could expect consequences in spiritual realm like natural disasters or unexplainable negativities so as in our personal Life as in Life of communities. So yes Slovenias should emphasize their responsibility for the Globocnik’s career and his nature and will to be advanced in that time Nazi Society. This way we Slovenian we should learn that sometimes there are moments in our Life when we should turn to God and deep soul ( not religion not goverment, not party, not personal comfort desires, not fears ) and say no for something that could be sensed as sick. Even the current ethics is relativized. Platon said in his work that state without lawyers and doctors is healthy society and such society has to educate people for their physical and their psychological health, how to express desires and how to reach it and not to surpress in anger. Yes Slovenian should appologise and take the responsibilites. As Baltic Countries should appologies for Kaunas pogrom or for assistance of Latvians in Rumbula massacre or assistance of Ukranians in Babi Yar. Seemed the ordinary they had no choice. But judgements are still between us. It is the opportunity for us to make step forward to the next level of consiosness. Let us not forget when being in dilemma or doubt whther this is necessary? Let us not forget beginning of the 90’s. When Slovenia selfishly exited from previous federation and was not able with that consiousness was not ready or mature to influence on the crimes and masacre that happened after Slovenians exited from the federation. It could be that history is teaching us that everything we do there is another perspective and being mature and having consiousness ( to think above the current urgent needs ) could safe many Lifes for the price of raising skills in communications, compassion and not limiting us to the material needs since there are also spiritual message or inviation. It seems Slovenias having a lot of opportunities for repentance and forgiving in second world war that still influnces even present economic crisis: confrontations between people that joined willingly or were forced to join partisans and those that joined willingly or were forced to join to Bela Garda or Plava Garda or Domobranci and those that were forced to be recruited in German forces. Those are all opportunities for forgiving from bottom of the heart instead of pretending to forgive and then relativize which one was more evil…It seems with economic crisis growth we’re more and more tempted on tests to differentiat each other and exclude each other from the Blessings and prosperity.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about
this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is fantastic
blog. A fantastic read. I will definitely be back.