Adolf Hitler was nominated for the Nobel Peace prize in 1939, the same year he started WWII. Why was Adolf Hitler nominated for the Nobel Peace prize? It wasn’t because he was a peaceful man, obviously. Nor was it because he was a charming fellow who wouldn’t harm a fly. It was done as a joke, albeit a bad one.
One of the most unusual nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize ever was Adolf Hitler. Only a year after Hitler was Times Man Of The Year, he was also actually nominated in 1939 by a member of the Swedish parliament, an E.G.C. Brandt, for the Nobel Peace Prize. Mr Brandt nominated Hitler because he thought it would not be taken seriously. But guess what? Not only was the nomination taken seriously, it backfired on Mr Brandt.
Mr Brandt was regarded as antifascist. He disliked the movement, and thought it was dangerous. But his nomination of Hitler for the Nobel Peace prize wasn’t only because he hated Fascism, it also had to do with British prime minister Neville Chamberlain. At the time there was debate in Sweden about Chamberlain being nominated for the prize. Brandt viewed this with skepticism, and as a joke decided to nominate probably the worst person he possibly could for the Nobel Peace prize, Adolf Hitler.
But a satirical nomination or not, it wasn’t taken too well. Mr Brandt received plenty of criticism, regardless of the fact that it was a joke gone horribly wrong. The nomination was swiftly removed by Mr Brandt. That should have been the end of that for cruel dictators. But it wasn’t.
Another infamous dictator of the 20th century was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, and twice. Joseph Stalin was nominated in 1945 and 1948, and not as a joke like Hitlers nomination for the Nobel Peace prize was. Stalin was nominated for his efforts to end World War 2. It seems odd to me to nominate a cold blooded killer for a peace prize, especially when he aided the end of WWII at the end of a gun.
