Then They Came For Me: Martin Niemöller, the Pastor Who Defied the Nazis

A conversation with Matthew D. Hockenos about the controversial German pastor Martin Niemöller’s evolution from a Nazi supporter to a determined opponent of Hitler. Niemöller is well remembered for his quotation:

First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out

because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out

because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out

because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.

Guest: Matthew D. Hockenos is the Harriet Johnson Toadvine ’56 Professor in 20th- Century History at Skidmore College. The author of A Church Divided: German Protestants Confront the Nazi Past. And his latest Then They Came For Me: Martin Niemöller, the Pastor Who Defied the Nazis.