Hate speech has been used many times in history as a tool to manipulate public opinion, incite violence, and consolidate power, with often disastrous consequences. The following are a few cautionary cases that show how hate speech is systematically used and the lessons that humans should learn from it.： ### 1. Anti-Semitic propaganda in Nazi Germany (1930s-1940s) **Core means**: The Propaganda Department led by Joseph Goebbels stigmatized Jews as "parasites" and "racial polluters" through movies (such as "Eternal Jews"), broadcasts, and speeches. Hitler's oratory skills (such as using body language and repeating slogans) magnified hatred. **Consequences**: Paved the way for genocide, and 6 million Jews were killed in the Holocaust. ### 2. Radio instigation of the Rwandan Genocide (1994) **Key tool**: "Radio Free Europe (RTLM) refers to the Tutsi as "cockroaches" in the local dialect and publicly lists the list of those to be slaughtered. The announcer even guided the murderer to find the hiding place. **Data impact**: Approximately 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. Studies have shown that radio coverage is directly related to the intensity of the massacre. ### 3. Propaganda of ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia (1990s) **Strategy**: Slobodan Milosevic revisited the battle of Kosovo in 1389 through "memory politics", and the media portrayed Muslims as barbarians who "threatened Mother Serbia." **Result**: Led to the siege of Sarajevo (the longest siege in modern Europe) and the Srebrenica massacre (8,000 Muslim men were killed). ### 4. Speeches of the Ku Klux Klan during Apartheid in the United States (1920s) **Typical features**: Use ritual language such as "Blood and Tears" to beautify lynching as "defending the purity of white people." The 1924 rally attracted 40,000 burqa-wearing members. **Long-term impact**: This speech system provided the social foundation for Jim Crow law. ### Why are these cases "successful"? -**Dehumanization**: Compare the target group to pests/diseases (Nazi), animals (Rwandan) -**Crisis narrative**: Creating an existential threat of "us vs. them" (such as Serbia's declaration of "the threat of high Muslim fertility") -**Authoritative endorsement**: The participation of religious leaders (such as some Catholic priests in Rwanda) and scientists (Nazi racial theory) gives "legitimacy" ### Contemporary Inspiration What these cases have in common is that they simplify complex social issues into a single group responsibility. The United Nations "Strategic Action Plan for Hate Speech" pointed out that the spread of hatred in today's social media era is 100 times faster than in the 1930s. Understanding these histories is not for repetition, but to identify early warning signs-when public discourse begins to systematically belittle the dignity of a certain group, it is often a precursor to violence. The real progress of mankind lies not in the ability to incite, but in the establishment of systems and civilized immunity that can prevent such incitement. As the philosopher Carl Popper said: "The paradox of tolerance is that we cannot tolerate intolerance infinitely. "This is perhaps the deepest historical lesson.