First they came...
E554274
"First they came..." is a famous postwar confessional poem and statement by German pastor Martin Niemöller that reflects on the dangers of political apathy and the failure to speak out against persecution.
All labels observed (1)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| First they came... canonical | 1 |
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
confessional poem
ⓘ
poem ⓘ political statement ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
confession of guilt by bystanders
ⓘ
postwar reflections on Nazi crimes ⓘ |
| author | Martin Niemöller NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| circulation |
widely printed in educational materials
ⓘ
widely quoted in speeches ⓘ widely reproduced on memorials ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin | Germany ⓘ |
| ethicalConcept |
bystander effect in mass atrocities
ⓘ
collective guilt ⓘ responsibility to speak out ⓘ |
| form | free verse ⓘ |
| genre |
Holocaust poetry
ⓘ
political poetry ⓘ |
| historicalContext |
Holocaust
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Nazi Germany NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| influence |
anti-fascist activism
ⓘ
civil rights movements ⓘ human rights campaigns ⓘ |
| inspiredBy | Martin Niemöller’s experiences under the Nazi regime ⓘ |
| mainTheme |
complicity through silence
ⓘ
dangers of political apathy ⓘ failure to speak out against persecution ⓘ moral responsibility ⓘ solidarity with persecuted groups ⓘ |
| memorialUse |
inscriptions at Holocaust memorials
ⓘ
inscriptions at human rights memorials ⓘ |
| message |
defending others is necessary to protect oneself
ⓘ
silence in the face of injustice enables oppression ⓘ |
| narrativeVoice | first person ⓘ |
| notableQuotation |
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Socialist
ⓘ
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me ⓘ Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew ⓘ |
| originalLanguage | German ⓘ |
| rhetoricalDevice |
anaphora
ⓘ
parallelism ⓘ refrain ⓘ |
| structure | repetitive stanza pattern ⓘ |
| subjectMatter |
persecution of Jews
ⓘ
persecution of political opponents ⓘ persecution of various minority groups ⓘ |
| timePeriod | post–World War II ⓘ |
| usedAs |
educational text in Holocaust education
ⓘ
quotation in human rights discourse ⓘ warning against authoritarianism ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.