As a German married to a Chinese, I always get wet eyes when I see or hear anything about John Rabe. My father in law survived in Nanjing because of Mr. Rabe when he was a toddler. My children would not exist if it wasn't for this true hero
@@user-tg6vu8ey5k It's not about the title, it's about the actions. אל תסתכל על התואר שלו, אלא על המעשים שלו, מהבלינה הזאת, הוא היה מלאך שומר עבור רבע מליון בני אדם. אגב, אוסקר שינדלר גם היה נאצי.
I‘m from China, and we'll never forget what John Rabe did for our people. In our history textbook, he is recognized as the great saver during the Nanjing Massacre (Rape of Nanking), which is kinda like Schindler for Chinese people. His kept journals during that period, and was only discovered and revealed half a century later. During his late years in Germany, he was still receiving letters and gifts coming from China. His residency in Nanjing City is now a museum, called "John Rabe House". Yet, I recommend the tourists to visit Nanjing Massacre memorial hall, as it might give you a larger picture of the time.
This is why I always think it's rather naive when people jump to the logical yet flawed conclusion that humanity is somehow inherently morally bankrupt. We are the definition of contradiction, the same priest genuinely consoles the members of their flock as they lay dying can at the same time commit horrible Acts on young boys and girls. As we've seen in this video that opposite can be equally true. I think we underestimate our species capability for moral complexity. The ability to justify horrible Acts, is only as strong as our ability to be selfless.
The way the people of Nanking came to the Rabe family's rescue in the last years of John's life is particularly heartwarming: they raised the equivalent of almost $20000, which the mayor of Nanking hand-delivered to Rabe personally, along with a large supply of food parcels he'd purchased with money out of his own pocket along the way.
@CKS1949 This is a false statement. When the new crown pneumonia outbreak broke out, the Chinese Embassy sent a lot of medicines and supplies to Rabe’s grandson.
@He-Who-Comments Yeah i could have worded that a little better, and what you're saying is right. Rabe was a good person for his actions, not his beliefs or opinions. Everyone grows up in a different enviroment and everyone gets influenced by their surroundings, so sometimes it's hard to truly grasp the bigger picture of the world.
I knew the grandson of John Rabe. He worked with me for a short time in a nursing home in Heidelberg. During one shift he told me that his grandfather would probably never have become a Nazi because he didnt actually knew the true meaning what it does mean to be Nazi. What the Japanese did in China was almost as bad as what the Germans did to the Jews. That's why the family doesn't like when they say he was a proud Nazi.. The ideology he represents contradicted what the Nazis stood for. His great-grandson also believes that if he had been living in Germany at the time, then he would certainly not have become a Nazi, although I would not be so sure about that. The family still receives letters and gifts from Chinese on the anniversary of John Rabe's birth and death.
Very possible. Perhaps John Rabe applauded the economic elements of the national socialist politics without really realizing the racist elements that was just an important part of the nazi ideology. Whatever the truth, he had will and courage to save perhaps 250.000 people from the worst possible fate.
Technically, Rabe liked the idea of the party protecting the working man. He took that to an extreme - he viewed that as their boss he was responsible for the well being of his plant workers - and then for everyone in the safety zone as he was the zone's boss.
it makes sense that he would think that nazism was good from 5000 km away, the Great depression in Germany ended in 1937 earlier than most of the world
Rabe was a hero, he never got the credit he rightfully deserved. I read a book about Nanking and it talked about him, it made me realize that the party doesn’t define the person
Just as Mengele makes me hope there is a hell for those who escaped this life unpunished for their monstrous acts, Rabe makes me hope there is a heaven for those who died unrecognized for their heroism.
@@mateonicolas1584Yup. While hundreds Safely fled to Argentina with the Vatican’s help, and hundreds more got Operation Paperclip’d… THIS MOFO got caught and was forced to denazify. Olé.
How do you go from being the cruelest to Hello Kitty and animated is mind blowing. Let’s not pretend China was a goody tootie they were bullies themselves.
I'm reading Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking and after reading about so much horror of humans being absolutley evil beyond imagination, it was a breath of fresh air to get to John's chapter. It's a shame he lived the last days of his life in such obscurity, but he was such a great person and his legacy will never be forgotten. Such a powerful book too. It bothers me that we arent told about this atrocity in school.
It's kind of sad to put yourself in his shoes; to realize that he died after he did all that, outcast from society and in poverty, his actions never recognized in his lifetime.
Me as a person who was borned in Nanjing，want to say THANK YOU to Mr. Rabe，we will never forget about what you did to this city，to our people. XIE XIE！RIP
I had NEVER considered that anyone who proudly called themselves a Nazi could be inspirational... Until today. Obviously he was the exception and not the rule, but what an exception he was...
Siemens company has restored his old house in Nanjing and turned it into a memorial. Worth visiting. Its right next to the Zhujianglu metro station down town.
Minnie Vautrin, (the woman who ran the women's college and helped secure the safety zone) is also an amazing woman. Her story is tragic in that she eventually committed suicide after returning to America, but her story is incredible too. The foreigners in Nanking were true humanitarians and eserve recognition as the heros they are.
Minnie Vautrin apparently committed suicide due to the inability to cope with the traumatic stress and depression resulting from experiencing the Nanking Massacre.
I have always found the story about what John Rabe did in Nanjing amazing, inspiring and breathtakingly compassionate. Hats off to Biographics for highlighting the good work this man did for his fellow human. A true inspiration regardless of ideology.
People are complicated. We don't fit into boxes. This should be a lesson for us today, when talking to people who have different belief systems than us.
I’ve watched this bio three times since it was posted....and every time I’m horrified by the Japanese atrocities, but yet I find myself taking away another aspect of this man’s incredible courage and humanity.
Nazis were full of ironies and contradictions. For example, most high ranking Nazis looked nothing like the image of what the "Master Race" would look like according to them. Add that to the fact that being racist wasn't a requirement for being a Nazi back then and it's not too suprising that a man who lived far away from the actual happenings and propably only heard about the positive aspects of Hitlers rule would support such a man who back then seemed like a good man while not holding any racist thoughts towards those he lived with for so long.
Just like the communists weren't ruled by communists, the nazis saw themselves as the ones building the way for the strengthening of the nordic race, not necessarily representing this vision for the future of their people themselves (hence the focus on eugenics, elimination of undesirables and breeding programs for ss members). Though this irony wasn't lost to the german populous, reflected in the whisper jokes of the time: (the perfect german should be) "blond as hitler, tall as göbbels, thin as göring and chaste as röhm" (the original leader of the sa, who was a well-known homosexual)
@@CodexArgenteus Honestly I see Hitler as an idealist, charismatic mouthpiece who got fed drugs and manipulated. If you veer into the rabbit hole it's a bit scary its depth.
@@trillionbones89 - I never read the article from the 30s so I'm not sure how America perceived Hitler exactly, I think they were impressed by his economic policies at the time but not all Americans were fond of his politics. I mentioned the Time article because it's shocking to imagine from our perspective, now - usually "good" people are listed on Time's Man of the Year and most people would not think of Hitler in a good light anymore. I was specifically following from the last half of the original comment: "it's not too surprising that a man who lived far away from the actual happenings and probably only heard about the positive aspects of Hitlers rule would support such a man" If John Rabe, living in China, only heard Nazi propaganda or read the Time articles, he likely did have a very warped view of Nazism which then comes across as completely contradictory to modern views of Nazis given how he acted with regards to Nanking.
Marc Magma have you ever seen “the boy in the striped pyjamas”? I can easily believe that some people only got to hear and see the good version of Hitler’s plan.
Damn I came here to hear about barbaric tyrants and shit, but ended up hearing the most horrible and depressing yet most uplifting story I've ever heard.. Bravo John Rabe, he should have hero status around the world! I had never heard of him before.. thanks!
It is such a shame he was first badly treated for annoying the allies of Hitler, and then for being a Nazi. This man should have received honour and medals in his own lifetime.
Fascinating story. Flip side of the coin, there was a Japanese diplomat in Europe who worked hard to save as many people as he could from the Holocaust.
This wonderful brave man Ive never heard of. Honestly whenever I have history classes, and we get to WW@, The Rape of Nanking and Battle of Manila always makes me nervous and I always think of them as the darkest hours of the war. Yet not a single lesson talks about this man, who wouldve been a small light of hope, now honestly a great hero. I wish when he was still alive, he was honored and his last days was spent comfortably but I suppose being finally recognized and remembered, its the next best thing.
Unfortunately he died in an absolute poverty in the post-war Germany of the 1950s. But at least the people of Nanjing remember his actions. Hell we can almost say that China was more of a home for him than Germany itself.
@@quisqueyanguy120Compare and contrast: Schindler had to flee capture because he was a munitions manufacturer and slave owner on a technicality; Rabe was also a NSDAP member but his company wasn’t even a military one; Those people had to keep their heads down. No Operation Paperclip for them. 🙃
@@1eyeddevil929 Yeah apparently John was later corroborated by some Japanese soldiers who were appalled by the atrocities. So not every Japanese feels this way.
I'm of Chinese descent. Although I wish that Japan, as a nation, would face up to its crimes the way that Germany (admirably) has, I don't get angry about it the way some of the relatives in older generations do. Because I look at China and understand that if the positions were reversed, China would do the same thing. One need not look further than Tiananmen Square to know that. If I sound like an American, it's because I am - my parent immigrated here 2 years before I was born. Another reason I don't get angry is the Japanese today conduct themselves in the most peaceful and respectful manner.
作为一个中国人，我万分敬仰并且感谢拉贝先生，他的名字会被中国人永远记在历史书上。 As a Chinese, I admire and thank Mr. Rabe very much. His name will be remembered by the Chinese forever in the history books.
This video has me in tears. The thought of a Nazi walking around rescuing women being raped and having their genitals mutilated in the streets and the pure selflessness of the act, the moment of relief those women must have had ... Life is strange and very complicated.
''If you can do some good, why hesitate?'' From this point on in life I will live by these words. P.S. I really love your channel. Keep up the good work Simon
FYI: Rabe = Raven in English. Pronounciation: Almost... but the "e" in the end is pronounced, written in English it would be like "Rabeh" or "Rabbey" like alley almost.
kulturedyobbo It was my favorite part of taking the language for a couple years. Early on, even if I only knew 5% of the words, i knew how to pronounce essentially 100%, with a likely hideous accent of course.
I’ve always been fascinated by iris Chang’s story (her life) and lived in the San Francisco Bay Area (where she lived and later committed suicide) at the time her book was published. It was considered controversial, as the Japanese government refused to admit Nanking happened and the US government’s official diplomatic position was not to push the issue, partly because of our own lack of clean hands in WWII (internment camps). Chang’s work is now taken as gospel and her contribution to restoring history on this point was and is invaluable.
They need to put you on like A&E or the History Channel... I'm dead serious, you do a fantastic job and I like some of the humor you throw in there. It's not overpowering and not too much but just right... Keep it up brother you're doing an amazing job! 👌
strange inheritance? its a proof of a warcrime, should be sent to the Nanjing museum instead of regareded as "inheritance" or are you proud of the warcrimes too?
Thanks to this video, John Rabe is my personal hero. I've watched it over and over again, but even this short description of the Rape of Nanking never fails to sicken me to my stomach, nor does Mr. Rabe's heroism fail to inspire me
@Andreas Sagen Yes it is their platform and yes they can allow monetization or not. However, I believe to keep silent is the worst thing a person can do. Youtub has become so disconnected from its users and content creators this years rewind sits at 12 mil dislikes. I think the worst thing someone can do is sit back, shrug and say "oh well, it's their platform"
I may not be from Nanking, but I am Chinese and from where I'm from we still see the people of Nanking as a part of our big Chinese family, and in our eyes, the Germans are a hardworking, honest, and smart group of people. Of course, they are always welcome.
Death toll was between 100,000-300,000 according to Simon. Just for perspective, that's roughly the amount of people who have watched this video as of today, over the last two years. It's hard to truly understand numbers in relation to fatalities. We hear of WWII deaths in the millions, but 300k people is not a small number by any means.
I was aware of this German Gentleman that saved thousands, since my school days i think that this is an exceptionally important research / biographic video it's a must watch for everyone.
And this is why it’s insane that people say stuff like “all white people are racist” or “all black people are bad” or “if you’re X political party you’re just a selfish evil person”. No, politics isn’t the only defining feature of a person and anyone can believe one bad thing and another good thing.
And we are not taught about this man in school why? I'm an Australian in my early 30s, I studied that period of history in high school. I did a Nazi focus for crying out loud. Seeing a good one would have been nice.
Probably due to allied pressure to put down any sort of nazi sympathizers post ww2 so anything related to nazis was suppressed. If there was anything the western allies and the soviets agreed on post ww2, it was to erase or at least suppress nazism.
There’s Oskar Schindler, Karl Plagge, Josef Gangl, John Rabe and many others. It’s amazing to hear these stories of good ppl that were under evil leadership and still had the courage to do good. RIP heroes🙏🏻
BillyFreeTX Brennus of the Gauls, upon defeating the Romans in battle, demanded a heavy exaction. When the Romans protested the amount, Brennus threw his sword atop the pile of combat-related tribute and replied: Vae victis!
A former Nazi nominated for Nobel peace prize isn't going to make a lot of people happy, especially since John Rabe is not that well known, so chances are people won't know what he did.
David Johnston No matter where it was written if the person writing can say " I was there" they attain a little more credibility which must be granted the writer.
I would hit like 1,000 times for this one, I had tears in my eyes and goosebumps, such a truly amazing human being regardless of his political affiliation, 99.5% of the world's population would have fled, but he was one of very few true heroes of that war, and he never had to fire a shot, truly inspiring, thank you for posting this, I sincerely mean that.
There's so much information out there on AH and so much of it would have to be excluded. Nobody could be satisfied that his life story could be summed up here in this venue.
Most videos on this channel are 15 to 25 minutes long so I don't see them being able to cover someone so (in)famous in that small of a time frame. Plus there's tons of docs on AH and they usually do vids on people less known.
I agree. To my mind, at least, if no one else's, Wilhelm 2 was a tragi-comic figure, something of an idiot, but someone who did influence, up to a point, the course of WW1. He happened to be the eldest grandson of Queen Victoria, something that might attract Simon's attention.
SIMON, this was your best video I've seen in a while. I watched every episode you've put yourself into and proudly displayed. I appreciate all that you do. God damn this was great emphasis on the points we get out into this world
thank you for this. i read about John Rabe in the 'Good German of Nanking' years ago but cant understand why he hasnt been given the recognition that he deserved.. thanks simon, this is one of your the greatest BIO yet.. please please do more on heroes from both of the world wars
Anything can be created for the best of reasons and then be corrupted by others, remember that the German Socialist Workers Party was a thing before Hitler. He took it over and corrupted it into the Nazi Party we know today. Rabe was following the ideology of the original concept, rather than what it became. He was arrested by Hitler's goons for heaven's sake, but also tarnished for being a member by post war Germany trying to repair it's reputation.
If you’re more susceptible to an ideology based on hate you’re probably more likely to be a bad person. Wanting to murder a certain ethnic group makes you a bad person and therefore believing in an ideology which does just that makes you a bad person or at least on the meter of good to bad person drags you significantly over to bad.
Your actions aren't all that make you a moral or immoral person, what you believe and why you do what you do are also big factors. For example, would you say that a man that can only stop himself from murdering because of a fear of punishment would be on equal ground with someone who doesn't murder because they think it is an evil act?
I find it so annoying how so many in the comments instead of praising this man take exception to the title instead, spouting without thinking that there's no such thing, it's just despicable.
Should be noted, that while Rabe may of thought of himself as a Nazi, the Nazis apparently didn't (see: his immediate arrest on return to Nazi Germany). The Nazis were facists that branded themselves under Socialist colours, as that was a popular ideology in Germany at the time, that they could piggy back on the way to acceptance by the general public...Rabe, at least by the reading of this video's research, was a socialist at heart...who knows what he would've thought, had he been living in Germany instead of China during the Nazi's rise or had witnessed the reality behind the Third Reich's rhetoric. If he had spent 30 years in Poland instead of China, would he have tried to establish a Warsaw safe-zone, to save Poles when the SA/SS started to carry out many of the same atrocities and war crimes as the Japanese Army had committed in Nanjing? Would he have written the same letters and reports of disgust to the German government about the treatment of the Polish prisoners of war and civilians? I of course cannot say for certain, though there are records of regular German wermacht leaders voicing such sentiments early in the invasion of Poland, and from what has been displayed of Rabe's character in the video above, my guess would be "probably" at this point....though he'd probably have much less success, as his geographic distance from the Third Reich is definitely what granted him so much independence and "political clout" to do what he did with the Nanjing safety zone and his refuge patrols...One word from an SS officer and he would've been arrested a lot quicker with his party membership probably stripped immediately, at the very least, Siemens interference or no. But I'm just running "what if..." scenarios randomly in my head now, so take the above paragraphs with a pinch of salt, if you take 'em at all. Cheers
1:45 - Chapter 1 - The birth of a savior & the death of a dynasty 4:25 - Chapter 2 - May you live in interesting times 7:40 - Chapter 3 - The nazi of nanking 10:55 - Chapter 4 - The rape of nanking ( Part 1 / Prelude) 15:45 - Chapter 5 - The rape of nanking (Part 2 / The atrocity exhibition) 21:45 - Chapter 6 - Gone , but not forgotten
Wow, I had never heard of him before. I do believe that he really just didn't know what the Nazis were actually doing in Germany. He was so far away and isolated that he just wasn't aware of it. There is no way that he would risk his life like that and be so caring and yet condone all horrible things the Nazis were doing. All he probably knew about was their economic policies.
Footnote: In April 2020, the Chinese government provided much needed medical supplies to John Rabe's grandson, Thomas, for his family and hometown, Heidelberg, where Thomas is a university professor.
If that ain't the most badass thing I have ever heard. Imagine the Nazis taking their German honor and commitment and using it to help mankind, instead of tearing it apart.
“Dragon of Nanking” - this is what I describe John Rabe to be. A good name for a movie about him. A dragon who shepherd the weak through the valley of darkness and guided them to salvation.
