The Freedom and Dignity of the Individual 论个体的自由与尊严

("Liberty Leading the People")

Renowned British philosopher Bertrand Russell once claimed that any country, race, or doctrine should succumb to an individual's freedom, value, and dignity. Society paying respect to an individual's freedom, value, and dignity is the basis for prosperity or peace. However, events throughout history and in modern times have proved that such basic respect could be lacking in many societies around the globe. Recently, the horrific incident in a relatively developed city in China, has brought this notion back into the eyes of the public. When one dives deeper into this incident, one can see that it is not an isolated or haphazard event in the course of history. Across the world, the rooted cause of such atrocities is that the laws, education, and general atmosphere of society disregard personal freedom and dignity. This essay seeks to investigate and extend, examining societies and segments of history that showed the disregard towards individual freedom and decency most directly.

Quite intriguingly, this essay will start with the ancient Greeks and Romans. The ancient Greeks, in particular, were known for their pioneering experiments on democracy and human rights. But ancient Greece was still a society where slavery was an integral part, creating a sharp contrast with the classical image of Greek antiquity. According to History Extra, "servitude was widespread in Greek antiquity." Another data reveals that Athens alone was home to 60000-80000 slaves during the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. The slaves of the Greeks did not possess much of the rights of a free person and were involuntarily involved in hard labor, such as building monuments (Slaves partially built the Parthenon temple). Outstanding philosophers and politicians of that age, namely Aristotle, openly defended slavery. Aristotle claimed that free men have a "free nature," while slaves have a "slavish nature," while describing slavery as necessary and natural. It is worth investigating that in such a relatively civilized and pioneering civilization, such blatant neglect of personal freedom and dignity was present. One possible explanation can be that Greek society more than 2000 years ago was not totally founded on humanist values, and the level of production and gaining of new knowledge did not allow the Greeks to render slaves useless completely.

The culture of slavery and this kind of disregard for individual rights did lead to some negative consequences in ancient Greek society. For example, during the Peloponnesian War, there was an exodus of slaves from Athens and Sparta, causing immediate labor shortages and strife between the slaves and the free people. It is additionally backed by evidence that slaves were treated like wild animals in certain city-states. Hence it is imaginable that slave rebellions could be common, and instabilities between the social classes were frequent during Greek antiquity.

The Romans were similar. Especially during the Republic period of Roman history, the Romans were known for pioneering work in governmental structure, being one of the first to adopt a senate into the governmental system successfully. The Roman system was also known to possess a special post called the Tribune of the Plebs, which had some power to protect the commoners' rights. However, slavery and the cruel exploitation of individuals were again an indispensable and regular part of Roman society. Take the construction of the Colosseum in Rome as a classic example. To finish this spectacular building, tens of thousands of Jewish slaves were forced into hard labor in dangerous conditions. Moreover, once the Colosseum was built, its primary purpose was to serve as a place where free people and the elites could enjoy the infamous duels of the gladiators. The gladiators were, in effect, slaves who battled for survival and means of entertainment for the rich and powerful. 

Once again, this disrespect towards personal freedom and dignity was the trigger of several atrocities during the Roman period. Take Spartacus and the Third Servile War as an example. The Third Servile War was the most largescale and most successful slave rebellion in Roman history, but the rebellion eventually was quelled at the expense of more than 6000 lives. The uprising began in 73 B.C.E., when Thracian gladiator Spartacus led a fellow group of slaves to escape from a gladiator school armed with kitchen utensils. The slave army defeated several Roman militias until Spartacus was finally killed in battle by eight Roman legions led by Marcus Crassus. The rebels were crucified as a sign of warning. This war illustrates that if a society decides to exploit individuals' most fundamental rights and freedom, bloodshed and conflicts will ensue.

In feudal China, the abuse of freedom, dignity, and even existence was most evident during the Qin Dynasty, approximately 2200 years ago. Although the Qin Dynasty was known for unifying China and other deeds, its abuse of individuals was the primary cause of its disastrous ending. To see why, look at Shang Yang's Institutional Reforms, which is widely regarded as the most important set of reforms for the initial success of the Qin emperors. Four points can summarize the essence of the Reforms: cruel punishments, eradication of Confucian-school thoughts, the indoctrination and brainwashing of peasants, and the weakening of the ideas of commoners. In other words, Shang Yang's direction was to "reshape" every other peasant into machines that listen to the highly centralized government. Those who do not would receive relentless torture. 

The advantages of such a direction are apparent. In a time of war, this system would be both efficient and powerful, as all the forces of society were bent toward warfare. The success of the Qin on the battlefields proved precisely this point. However, the disadvantages significantly outweighed the advantages when warfare became a less frequent phenomenon and social constructions amidst a peaceful era were needed. It is impossible to restrain the thoughts and freedom of every single individual. Due to this impossibility, brutal results would invariably occur when an authoritarian state forcefully strips away the freedom and dignity of the ordinary people. In 209 B.C.E., farmers Chen Sheng and Wu Guang could not bear such a system further. The two initiated a rebellion, with thousands upon thousands joining consistently. This rebellion marked one of the first moments when the government and its civilians clashed directly. Although the rebellion was not successful in the end, it still played an indispensable role in bringing down the authoritarian rule of the Qin Dynasty.

The Middle Ages spanning from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 C.E. to the sacking of Constantinople in 1453 C.E., was a similarly feudal period in European history. Even though it is too extreme to say that the light of civilization was completely extinguished, medieval times were still relatively dim compared to other segments of western history. This dimness was because the rulers strictly restrained free thought in several regions. Overall, the general atmosphere of society controlled by the aristocrats and religion did not believe in the importance of personal freedom or dignity.

Take the reign of Richard II, 1377 to 1399 C.E., as a pertinent case in point. As described by Britannica, Richard II was "an ambitious ruler with a lofty conception of the royal office, he was deposed by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke because of his arbitrary and factional rule." During the reign of Richard II, the peasants suffered from increasing amounts of taxes and increasing levels of authoritarianism that brutally suppressed their freedom. As a result, as one can see from the previous examples, a disaster happened. In 1381, Wat Tyler led a peasants' revolt against Richard II. His revolt gained the support of not only fellow farmers but also religious forces, led by John Ball (Game of Thrones character "The High Sparrow" was based on the characteristics of Ball), an English priest. The revolt gained some initial victory and even forced Richard to propose a negotiation. But Tyler was assassinated by officers loyal to the king during that negotiation, leading to further bloodshed and strife between the farmers and the English aristocrats. Such ruthless repression of fundamental individual rights from the English ruling class during the Middle Ages was quite common, and thus society was full of various conflicts between different classes.

Another form of repression of the freedom of individuals came from the corrupt Catholic Church. According to the World History Organization, "religious practice in medieval Europe was dominated and informed by the Catholic Church." The Church regulated and defined a person's life literally from birth to death and was even thought to control a person's afterlife. If one did not obey the will of the Catholic Church, then it was viewed as a direct opposition to God's will and presence on Earth. In such a society or culture where dictatorship and control were taken as normality, it is understandable that corruptness sprawled across the Catholic Church. The corruptness and suppression of the individual, in turn, became the fuel for fierce struggles between the peasantry and the Church. The struggles eventually culminated in the appearance of Martin Luther and his famously led English Reformation Movement, which again cost the lives of many.

Starting from the 1400s, with the rise of prominent figures such as Francesco Petrarch, the Middle Ages ended. What followed was the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the Scientific Revolution. Even though during this period, the development of humanist ideas focused on the value of the individual, and later systems proposed by John Locke, among other thinkers, focused on preserving individual rights, the disregard for freedom and decency of others was still extant. One of the most horrid examples is the Colonial Era. Since Columbus discovered the Americas in 1492, European powers took to the seas and colonized swathes of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. The process of colonization was an utmost display of hypocrisy. For instance, in the entry of October 14th, 1492, in Columbus' journal to Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, he wrote, "Except that, whatever Your Highnesses may command, all of them can be taken to Castile or held captive in this same island, because with 50 men all of them could be held in subjection and can be made to do whatever one wish." This quote adequately shows that Columbus and his crew did not plan to view the natives in the Americas as equals and instead viewed them as potential inferior servants or slaves, creating a sharp contrast with the ideas of humanism in mainland Europe.

Another pertinent case is the colonization of Australia by the British, where the latter brutally wept out more than 90% of the original 750,000 Aborigine population. Watkin Tench, an English army officer, kept a detailed diary of the early encounters with Australia's Aboriginal people. In one January 1788 entry, he documented, "The governor immediately proceeded to land on that side in order to take possession of this new territory and bring about an intercourse between its new and old masters." This quote suggests that the British took hold of the land of the Aboriginal population with brute force, without any negotiation or communication. From the content of this diary, one can also deduce that the British did not believe that the Aboriginals had the same fundamental rights as they did and did not possess the ability to pursue freedom, value, or dignity.

Throughout the Colonial Era, the exploitation and enslavement of the local population were ubiquitous phenomena. Lack of fundamental respect towards other individuals' freedom and rights was a norm. The consequences were severe. In the short term, conflicts and the massacre of thousands upon thousands of innocent lives occurred frequently. Columbus and the Spanish Conquistadors that followed, namely Hernan Cortez, dealt irreparable blows to the native American population. The Spanish destroyed the brilliant Aztec Empire into smoldering ruins, and the Inca Empire in the Andes Mountains vanished without a trace. Because of their firm belief that the Aboriginal Australians were inferior and should not have any rights, the British massacred shocking amounts of Aborigines, creating wider inequalities between the two groups. The infamous Triangular Trade across the Atlantic Ocean later produced comparable outcomes, with unprecedented massive amounts of lives lost. In the long term, the strife between the native population and the Europeans has continued to today. For instance, disputes over rights to certain lands in Australia have been ongoing for centuries. They are still a significant issue between the Aboriginal population and the current Australian government, waiting to be settled. For another instance, today, racial discrimination is still an evident and horrific problem in many western nations, especially the U.S. One can argue that racial discrimination partially originated from the long period of slavery, when white people subjugated the black population in cruel means.

In the modern age, with the spread of democracy, societies where the disregard for freedom, value, dignity is still usual have decreased. However, that is not to say that civilization has ridden itself from it. During World War II, Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, did not view the rights and freedom of certain groups as necessary. Two perspectives can verify this statement: the Holocaust and how Hitler exploited his citizens for warfare.

The Holocaust is the name given to Germany and its allies' massacre of more than six million Jews from 1941 to 1945. There have already been much reflection and opinions on this event, so this article will focus more on how Hitler relentless manipulated his fellow civilians. First, Hitler utilized massive propaganda to encourage more Germans to participate in the war business. According to the Holocaust Museum, "Throughout World War II, Nazi propagandists disguised military aggression aimed at territorial conquest as righteous and necessary acts of self-defense. They cast Germany as a victim or potential victim of foreign aggressors, as a peace-loving nation forced to take up arms to protect its populace or defend European civilization against Communism." Additionally, those who refused to participate were often forced to comply. Germany turned into a war factory, where the choice of individuals were no longer taken into any consideration. Second, Hitler transformed the German political system into a de facto dictatorship, where different voices were suppressed. The Anne Frank House explains, "Freedom of expression was no longer a matter of course and the police could arbitrarily search houses and arrest people. The political opponents of the Nazis were essentially outlawed."

Hitler's decision to throw human rights and dignity out of his mind cost him and Germany terrible prices. To remain in power, Hitler's administration had to implement plans that led to atrocities. The Holocaust is just one example among many. Germany also suffered immensely from economic recessions and political instability by continuing to wage war. 

Finally, a discussion of the negative events that appeared recently in our society is necessary. The first relevant question to ask is, are these events only haphazard? They  does not seem random, especially sincethey happen in both developed and undeveloped regions. If the events are not haphazard, then the deep-rooted cause must lie in society. In many places, poor or rich, the laws, education, and general atmosphere of society pay no respect to personal freedom, rights, and dignity. Under such environments, it is not surprising that the infringement of basic laws and human rights is common; it is not surprising that it is difficult to deter and prevent such atrocities; it is not surprising that many do not take beating women and conducting illegitimate action as humiliating. As the above paragraphs prove, this kind of environment breeds moral disasters.

Overall, this essay attempts to show that throughout history, when nations or cultures decide to stamp over the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, atrocities would always occur in one form or another. When human dignity and value are suppressed, human nature would always break the shackles free, which usually leads to further conflict or bloodshed. From the Greeks, the Romans, and the medieval European kingdoms and empires of the Enlightenment Era, to the times of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, to today, history has proven a shockingly comparable pattern to the statement above. However, it is also noteworthy that when cultures choose to respect individual freedom, value, and dignity on a global scale, positive outcomes would often appear. When Athenian democracy, which allowed every individual to rightfully participate in politics, first came into shape, Athens quickly reached its height of glory; when John Locke, Jacques Rousseau, and others published their works on the functioning of a democratic state, Europe truly entered into a period of political reformation and enlightenment; when the Thirteen Colonies of the U.S. first drafted the Constitution, and The Declaration of Independence that emphasizes on the life, liberty, and happiness of the individual, America began its rise to preeminence. 

In the modern world, most countries at least recognize, on the surface, that freedom is the common pursuit of humankind. But many countries that believe in freedom do not know freedom. As Friedrich Hayek famously said, "A society that does not recognize that each individual has values of his own which he is entitled to follow can have no respect for the dignity of the individual and cannot really know freedom." Thus, countries must use history as a mirror to reflect and ask themselves: where does true freedom and dignity lie in an individual and a state? How can the government ensure they exist and that they are protected? Questions like these must be addressed repeatedly and with genuine heart, if we are to move forward as a race harmoniously amidst the unpredictability of the future.

（《自由引领人民》）

英国著名哲学家伯特兰-罗素曾声称，任何国家、种族或学说都应该屈服于每一个个体的自由、价值和尊严。对个人的自由、价值和尊严的尊重是社会繁荣、和平的基础。然而，历史和现代世界中的事件已经证明，全球许多社会可能在一些时刻缺乏这种基本的尊重。最近，在中国相对发达的某座城市发生了恐怖的对女性的袭击事件，使这一结论重新进入公众的视野。当人们深入研究该起袭击事件时，可以看到它并不是社会或历史进程中的一个孤立或偶然的事件，这种暴行的根源在于整个社会的法律系统、教育系统和社会的总体氛围对个人自由和尊严的无视。这篇文章试图调查、扩展和研究那些最直接漠视个人自由与尊严的社会以及历史片段。

颇为有趣的是，这篇文章将从古希腊和古罗马开始。尤其是古希腊人，以其在民主和人权方面的先锋性试验工作而闻名。但古希腊仍然是一个奴隶制社会，与希腊传统的古典形象形成了鲜明的对比。据History Extra报道，"希腊古代普遍存在着奴役现象"。数据显示，在公元前五世纪和四世纪，仅雅典就有60000-80000名奴隶。希腊人的奴隶并不拥有自由人的权利，他们被迫从事艰苦的劳动，如建造公共建筑（例如，帕特农神庙部分就由奴隶建造）。即使是那个时代最杰出哲学家和政治家亚里士多德也公开为奴隶制辩护。亚里士多德声称，自由人有 "自由的天性"，而奴隶有 "奴隶的天性"，同时还将奴隶制描述为必要和自然的。值得调查的是，在这样一个相对文明和先锋的文化中，这种对个人自由和尊严的公然忽视是普遍存在的。一个可能的解释是，2000多年前的希腊社会并不完全建立在人文主义价值观的基础上，生产水平和新知识的获得极其有限，并不允许希腊人完全废除奴隶制。

奴隶制文化和这种对个人权利的漠视确实对古希腊社会产生了消极的影响。例如，在伯罗奔尼撒战争期间，雅典和斯巴达都出现了大批奴隶外流的情况，造成了劳动力的直接短缺和奴隶与自由人之间的争斗。此外，还有证据表明，在某些城邦，奴隶被当作野生动物一般对待。因此，可以想象，奴隶叛乱可能很普遍，社会阶层之间的不稳定也是古希腊的常态之一。

罗马人也是如此。特别是在罗马历史上的共和国时期，罗马人因在政府结构方面的开创性工作而闻名，是第一批成功将元老院纳入政府系统的文明之一。众所周知，罗马系统还拥有一个名为保民官的特殊职位，该职位有一定的权力来保护平民，阻止上层社会进行大肆剥削。然而，奴隶制和对个人的残酷剥削又是罗马社会不可缺少的正常部分。以罗马斗兽场的建设为典型例子。为了完成这个壮观的建筑，数以万计的犹太奴隶被迫在危险的条件下做苦工。此外，一旦斗兽场建成，其主要目的是成为一个自由人和精英们可以享受他们所创造的臭名昭著的角斗士决斗的地方。实际上，角斗士是为生存而战的奴隶，也是富人和权贵的娱乐手段。

这种对个人自由和尊严的不尊重，再次成为罗马时期若干暴行的导火索。以斯巴达克斯和第三次奴隶制战争为例。第三次奴隶制战争是罗马历史上规模最大、最成功的奴隶起义，但这场起义最终以牺牲6000多人的生命为代价被平息。起义开始于公元前73年，当时色雷斯角斗士斯巴达克斯带领一群奴隶从角斗士学校逃跑，他们用厨房用具武装起来。这群奴隶成功地击败了几支罗马民兵，直到斯巴达克斯最终在战斗中被马库斯-克拉苏率领的八个罗马军团杀死。叛军被钉在十字架上，以示警告。这场战争说明，如果一个社会决定践踏个人最基本的权利和自由，流血和冲突将随之而来。

在封建中国，对人民自由、尊严、甚至生存的虐待在大约2200年前的秦朝最为明显。虽然秦朝以统一中国而闻名，但它对民众的虐待是导致其灾难性结局的主要原因。要了解原因，只需看看商鞅的制度改革，它被广泛认为是导致秦朝最初成功的最重要的变革。变革的实质可以归纳为四点：残酷的惩罚、根除儒家思想、对农民进行灌输和洗脑，以及禁锢平民的思想。换句话说，商鞅的方向是将每一个农民 "重塑 "为听从极端中央集权政府的机器。那些不听话的人将接受无情的折磨。

这样改革的好处是显而易见的。在战争时期，这种制度既高效又强大，因为社会的所有力量都倾向于战争。秦国在战场上的成功正是证明了这一点。然而，当战争变得不那么频繁，需要在和平时代中进行社会建设时，其弊端就大大超过了优点。要约束每一个人的思想和自由是不可能的。由于这种不可能，当一个专制国家强行剥夺普通人的自由和尊严时，总会出现残酷而暴力的结果。公元前209年，农民陈胜和吴广无法再忍受这样的制度。两人发起了一场起义，成千上万的人一致加入。这次叛乱标志着政府与平民直接冲突的第一个时刻。虽然最后起义没有成功，但它在推翻秦朝的专制统治方面仍然发挥了不可或缺的作用。

从公元476年西罗马帝国灭亡到公元1453年君士坦丁堡被攻陷的中世纪，是欧洲历史上一个类似的封建时期。尽管说文明之光完全熄灭过于极端，但与西方历史的其他板块相比，中世纪仍然是比较暗淡的。造成这种昏暗的原因是，自由思想在一些地区受到严格限制，而且总体而言，一个由贵族与宗教控制的社会总体氛围并不相信个人自由和尊严的重要性。

以公元1377年至1399年理查德二世的统治为例。正如大英百科全书所描述的那样，理查二世是 "一个雄心勃勃的统治者，对皇家[权威有着疯狂的执迷]，他被他的表弟亨利-博林布鲁克废黜，因为他的统治专横[并且充满着派系争斗]。" 在理查德二世统治时期，农民承受了越来越多的税收和越来越强的专制统治，这些残酷地压制了他们的自由。结果，正如人们从前面的例子中看到的，灾难发生了。1381年，沃特-泰勒领导了一场反对理查德二世的农民起义。他的起义不仅获得了农民的支持，而且还获得了英国牧师约翰-鲍尔（《权力的游戏》中“大麻雀”的原型）领导的宗教力量的支持。起义获得了一些初步的胜利，甚至迫使理查德提议进行谈判。但泰勒在谈判中被忠于国王的官员暗杀，导致了农民和英国贵族之间的进一步流血和冲突。在中世纪，英国统治阶级对个人基本权利的这种无情压制是相当普遍的，因此社会上充满了不同阶级之间的各种激化的矛盾。

另一种对个人自由的压制来自于腐败的天主教会。根据世界历史组织的说法，"中世纪欧洲的宗教实践是由天主教会主导和告知的"。教会对一个人从出生到死亡的整个过程进行管理和定义，甚至被认为可以控制一个人的来世。如果一个人不服从天主教会的意愿，那么就会被视为直接反对上帝的意愿和上帝在地球上的存在。在这样一个独裁和控制被视为常态的社会和文化中，天主教会的腐败现象蔓延开来是可以理解的。腐败和对个人的压制，反过来又成为农民和教会之间激烈斗争的燃料。这场斗争最终以马丁-路德的出现和他领导的著名的英国宗教改革运动而达到高潮，这也让许多人付出了生命的代价。

从14世纪开始，随着弗朗西斯科-彼特拉克等杰出人物的崛起，中世纪结束了。随后是文艺复兴、启蒙运动和科学革命。尽管在这一时期，人文主义思想的发展侧重于个人的价值，后来由约翰-洛克等思想家提出的制度侧重于维护个人权利，但无视或不尊重他人自由和尊严的现象仍然存在着。最可怕的例子之一是殖民时代。自1492年哥伦布发现美洲以来，欧洲列强纷纷出海，在非洲、亚洲和美洲大面积殖民。殖民化的过程是极度伪善的。例如，1492年10月14日，在哥伦布给西班牙女王伊莎贝拉和国王费迪南的日记中，他写道："除此之外，无论殿下有什么吩咐，都可以把他们（指原著民）带到卡斯蒂利亚或囚禁在这个岛上，因为只要有50个人，就可以让他们全部服从，可以让我们为所欲为。" 这句话充分表明，哥伦布和他的船员并不打算将美洲的土著人视为平等的人，而是将他们视为潜在的低等仆人或奴隶，与欧洲大陆人文主义思想所提出的平等思想形成了鲜明的对比。

另一个相关的案例是英国人对澳大利亚的殖民统治。英国的殖民者残酷扫除了原75万原住民人口中的90%以上。英国军官沃特金-腾奇（Watkin Tench）在日记中详细记录了早期与澳大利亚原住民的接触。在1788年1月的一篇文章中，他记录道："总督立即着手在那边登陆，以便占有这块新的领土，并使其新旧主人之间进行交接。" 这句话表明，英国人用蛮力占领了原住民的土地，没有进行任何形式的谈判或沟通。从这篇日记的内容中，人们还可以推断出，英国人不相信原住民拥有和他们一样的基本权利，不具备在这片土地上追求自由、价值和尊严的能力。

在整个殖民时代，对当地居民的剥削和奴役是无处不在的现象。对其他个人的自由和权利缺乏基本的尊重被视为一种规范，其后果很严重。在短期内，冲突和数以千计的无辜生命被屠杀的情况经常发生。哥伦布和随后的西班牙征服者，尤其是埃尔南-科尔特斯，对美洲的原住民造成了不可弥补的打击。辉煌的阿兹特克帝国被摧毁成燃烧的废墟，安第斯山脉的印加帝国也消失得无影无踪。英国人因为坚信澳大利亚原住民是低等的，不应该有任何权利，所以屠杀了数量惊人的原住民，并在两个群体之间制造了更大的不平等。后来，横跨大西洋的臭名昭著的奴隶三角贸易产生了类似的结果，造成了前所未有的生命损失。从长远来看，原住民和欧洲人之间的纷争一直持续到现代。例如，关于澳大利亚某些土地权利的争端已经持续了几个世纪，而且仍然是原住民和澳大利亚现政府之间等待解决的一个主要问题。另一个例子是，今天，在许多西方国家，特别是美国，种族歧视仍然是一个明显而可怕的状况。可以说，种族歧视部分源于长期的奴隶制时期，当时白人以残酷的手段征服压制了黑人。

在现代，随着民主的传播，那些无视个人自由、价值、尊严的社会现象已经减少。然而，这并不是说，文明已经完全摆脱了它。在第二次世界大战期间，由阿道夫-希特勒领导的纳粹德国并不把某些群体的权利和自由视为重要。这一说法可以从两个角度得到验证：大屠杀，以及希特勒利用自己的公民作为战争机器的手段。

大屠杀是对德国及其盟国在1941年至1945年期间屠杀600多万犹太人的称呼。对这一事件已经有很多反思和意见，所以本文将更多地关注希特勒如何无情地操纵他的同胞。首先，希特勒利用大规模的宣传来鼓励更多的德国人参与到战争事业中。根据大屠杀博物馆的说法，"在整个二战期间，纳粹的宣传人员将旨在征服领土的军事侵略伪装成正义和必要的自卫行为。他们把德国说成是外国侵略者的受害者或潜在受害者，说成是一个爱好和平的国家，被迫拿起武器保护其人民或捍卫欧洲文明，反对共产主义。" 此外，那些拒绝参与的人往往被迫服从。德国变成了一个战争工厂，个人的选择不再受到任何考虑。其次，希特勒将德国的政治制度变成了事实上的独裁，不同的声音被压制。安妮-弗兰克之家，一个权威网站的解释是："言论自由不再是理所当然的事，警察可以任意搜查房屋和逮捕人。纳粹的政治反对派基本上是被取缔的"。

显而易见，希特勒将人权和尊严抛在脑后的决定让他和德国付出了惨痛的代价。为了继续掌权，希特勒的政府不得不实施导致暴行的计划。大屠杀只是众多例子中的一个。德国还因为继续发动战争而遭受了巨大的经济衰退和政治不稳定。

最后，有必要讨论一下我们社会层出不穷的恶性事件。最先要问的相关问题是，这些事件是否只是偶然的？它似乎并不是偶然的，因为在我们身边的相对发达的城市或贫困的山村都会发生。这些事件发生的深层次原因在于这个社会。在许多地方，无论贫穷还是富有，法律、教育和社会的总体氛围是不尊重个人自由、权利和尊严的。在这样的环境下，侵犯基本法律和人权的行为屡见不鲜，不足为奇；难以遏制和防止这种暴行，不足为奇；许多人不把殴打妇女和进行非法行为视为羞辱同样不足为奇。正如以上段落所证明的，是环境和土壤滋生了众多的道德灾难。

总的来说，这篇文章试图说明，在整个历史上，当国家或文化决定践踏一个人追求生命、自由和幸福的权利时，惨案总会以这种或那种形式发生。当人的尊严和价值被压制时，人性总是会挣脱枷锁，这通常会导致进一步的冲突或流血。从希腊人、罗马人、中世纪与启蒙时代欧洲的王国和帝国，到阿道夫-希特勒和约瑟夫-斯大林的时代，再到今天，历史以令人震惊的方式证明了上述说法的相似性与正确性。然而，同样值得注意的是，在全球范围内，当文化选择尊重个体自由、价值和尊严时，积极的结果往往会出现。当允许每个人合法参与政治的雅典民主第一次形成时，雅典很快达到了它的辉煌；当约翰-洛克、雅克-卢梭和其他人发表他们关于民主国家运作的作品时，欧洲真正进入了政治改革和启蒙时期；当美国的13个殖民地第一次起草宪法和强调尊重个人生命、自由和幸福的《独立宣言》时，美国开始其史诗般的崛起。

在现代世界，大多数国家至少在表面上承认，自由是人类的共同追求。但许多相信自由的国家并不真正了解自由。正如弗里德里希-哈耶克的名言："一个不承认每个人都有他自己的价值观并有权遵循的社会，不可能尊重个人的尊严，也不可能真正了解自由。" 因此，至关重要的是，各国要以历史为镜，反思和自问：个人和国家的真正自由和尊严在哪里？政府如何确保它们的存在，并确保它们得到保护？如果我们要作为一个种族在不可预测的未来中和谐地向前迈进，反复地、坚定地、真诚地解决这些类似的问题是不可或缺的。