Oliver Stone Suggests Hitler As a Scapegoat

Oliver Stone, who usually creates controversy in his films for their graphic nature and support of conspiracy theories, is now dealing with some backlash from saying that Hitler was made an "easy scapegoat" by history.

In the trailer for the film, Stone says, "You cannot approach history unless you have empathy for the person you may hate." He said recently in a press conference that in the ten-part documentary series, he wants to show figures like Hitler and Stalin in the context of the times and show how the times affected their gruesome decisions.

"Hitler is an easy scapegoat throughout history and it's been used cheaply. He's the product of a series of actions. It's cause and effect," he said.

While a valid argument in the history world in principle, Stone is referencing the great man theory, in which, much like the nature vs. nurture debate, historians argue whether or not it was the actions of great leaders that made history what it is, i.e., Hitler and Stalin. The other side of the argument, the one that Stone is somewhat referencing, is that regardless of the person who set events in motion, they would have happened anyway; it would just have been a different person at the helm.

Suggesting that leaders like Hitler and Stalin were just products of their time takes some of the responsibility off them, and now Stone is receiving some serious backlash. Does he deserve it? Only history will tell.