Guns instead of butter

“Guns instead of butter” ( German Kanonen statt Butter ) is a popular propaganda slogan in the Third Reich . Appeared in 1936 in support of the militaristic policy of the German state, Rudolf Hess is considered the author. In the verdict of the International Military Tribunal at the Nuremberg Trials , Hess's use of this slogan in support of the victims of the German people for the sake of Hitler’s policy of energetic rearmament was used to justify his crimes against peace. The expression "Guns instead of butter" later became a catchphrase , a symbol of the policy of the state preparing for aggression, neglecting the welfare of the people.

At the party congress of Gau Berlin on January 17, 1936, propaganda minister Josef Goebbels said: "If necessary, we can do without oil , but never without guns." Under the conditions of food shortages in the country, this idea in his speech at the grand opening of the Adolf Hitler Hall in Hof on October 11, 1936 was picked up by the Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess . The slogan “Guns instead of butter” is sometimes mistakenly attributed to Hermann Goering , who himself did not use the slogan. In his statement in support of the four-year plan at the Berlin Sports Palace a few days after Hess’s speech, he stated that he had completely given up oil and, thanks to this, had already lost some weight.