“Germany has reduced savagery to a science, and this great war for the victorious peace of justice must go on until the German cancer is cut clean out of the world body.”
- October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919
- American
- Politician, military officer
- Served as the 26th President of the United States, promoted progressive reforms and environmental conservation policies, and supported the construction of the Panama Canal
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Quote
“Germany has reduced savagery to a science, and this great war for the victorious peace of justice must go on until the German cancer is cut clean out of the world body.”
Explanation
In this quote, Roosevelt characterizes Germany during World War I as having turned brutality and war tactics into a “science.” This is a metaphorical way of expressing that Germany’s strategies were seen as calculated, systematic, and ruthless. Roosevelt is suggesting that the nature of the war being fought was not just for victory, but for a “victorious peace of justice”—implying that the world needed to be freed from the influence of an aggressive, militaristic Germany for peace and fairness to prevail.
The term “German cancer” is a strong metaphor that depicts Germany as a malignant force threatening the global order, requiring complete eradication for the world to be healthy again. Roosevelt, a prominent advocate for American intervention in World War I, saw the defeat of Germany as essential to the establishment of peace and justice in the post-war world. This metaphor reflects the urgency and intensity of his stance against German militarism, which he believed was destabilizing Europe and beyond.
This quote has relevance even today when discussing extremist ideologies or authoritarian regimes, which, like Germany in the early 20th century, can become a global threat. The idea of rooting out such threats for the greater good of global peace and justice is a principle that still drives international relations and military interventions in modern times, whether addressing terrorism, rogue states, or human rights abuses.
