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They claim in England that we have terrorized liberty. Yes, that is true, namely, when freedom was at the expense of the common weal. Certainly, we will not permit anybody freely to dispose of his earnings if thereby the common weal is interfered with.
Two worlds are in conflict, two philosophies of life. They say we should help to keep up the gold standarday from us.
If we already have no gold, then we have the power of work, and German power of work is our gold and our capital, and with this gold I can beat any other power in the world. I built up my entire economy on the conception of work. Our German mark without gold is worth more than gold.
Opportunity for Man. What we are reconstructing is a world of cooperative labor, but also a world of cooperative duties. For the first time in our own German history there exists a State which, in principle, has removed all social prejudices as regards appointment to positions. I myself am the best document to prove this. I am not even trained in the laws. Nevertheless I am your leader.
Our ideal is that every position in the country shall be filled by a true son of the people. We want a State in which birth matters nothing, achievement means everything. For this we are working with tremendous fanaticism. Contrasted with this is the idea of our enemiesI stretched out my hand! I was not in any mood to arm. That devours so much labor power. I wanted to use German labor power for other plans. My ambition is to make the German people rich and the German land beautiful. I would like us to have the most beautiful and best culture.
I was determined to rear our structure in the world, to widen our position and, secondly, to arm at home so that the German soldier must no longer stand alone on a front, lonely and the victim of superior forces.
Then I did everything humanly possible to avoid a conflict. I made offer after offer to the English, but there wasn't anything to be done do it in France, either. When we attacked Paris, only Parisian armaments objectives were singled out. Then, however, it occurred to that great strategist Churchill to begin unlimited air warfare at night. But not a single munitions plant was put out of action. Many unhappy families, however, were struck.
I could no longer take the responsibility before the German people of letting our own people perish while strangers were spared. Thereupon this warfare, too, had to be conducted.