Martin Niemöller was a prominent Protestant pastor in Germany who was an early Nazi supporter but emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime. His postwar words, “First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out…” continue to be used in popular culture and public discourse today.
![German naval officer Martin Niemöller (top, foreground) commands a U-Boat during World War I. [LCID: 63454]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/4c5c9755-10c6-4c67-a398-27c12d50f7e1.jpg "German naval officer Martin Niemöller (top, foreground) commands a U-Boat during World War I. [LCID: 63454]")
German naval officer Martin Niemöller (top, foreground) commands a U-Boat during World War I. Flensburg, Germany , ca. 1914–17.
Item View![Martin Niemöller, a prominent Protestant pastor who opposed the Nazi regime. [LCID: 79623]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/8caafcbd-ca18-4f24-91f0-69a08316fca3.jpg "Martin Niemöller, a prominent Protestant pastor who opposed the Nazi regime. [LCID: 79623]")
Martin Niemöller, a prominent Protestant pastor who opposed the Nazi regime. He spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. Germany, 1937.
Item View![Pastor Martin Niemöller at his desk in his home. [LCID: 63455]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/55fff801-49a8-4d3f-81c4-a395378c785e.jpg "Pastor Martin Niemöller at his desk in his home. [LCID: 63455]")
Pastor Martin Niemöller at his desk in his home. Berlin, Germany, ca. 1936.
Item View![Martin Niemöller, a German theologian and pastor, on a visit to the United States after the war. [LCID: 90987]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/e0a4727a-2b31-4c68-97a1-70f7a836600e.jpg "Martin Niemöller, a German theologian and pastor, on a visit to the United States after the war. [LCID: 90987]")
Martin Niemöller, a German theologian and pastor, on a visit to the United States after the war. A leader of the anti-Nazi Confessing Church, he spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. United States, October 4, 1946.
Item View![A visitor stands in front of the quotation from Martin Niemöller that is on display in the Permanent Exhibition of the United States ... [LCID: usma0093]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/fb09c57e-f2fb-4c52-896d-b9c0e022fc25.jpg "A visitor stands in front of the quotation from Martin Niemöller that is on display in the Permanent Exhibition of the United States ... [LCID: usma0093]")
A visitor stands in front of the quotation from Martin Niemöller that is on display in the Permanent Exhibition of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Niemöller was a Lutheran minister and early Nazi supporter who was later imprisoned for opposing Hitler's regime.
Item View![Visitors stand in front of the quotation from Martin Niemöller that is on display in the Permanent Exhibition of the United States ... [LCID: img4857]](https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/images/large/6496052e-1383-4c7a-b28b-28286277ced7.jpg "Visitors stand in front of the quotation from Martin Niemöller that is on display in the Permanent Exhibition of the United States ... [LCID: img4857]")
Visitors stand in front of the quotation from Martin Niemöller that is on display in the Permanent Exhibition of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Niemöller was a Lutheran minister and early Nazi supporter who was later imprisoned for opposing Hitler's regime.
Item View
Quotation from Martin Niemöller on display in the Permanent Exhibition of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Niemöller was a Lutheran minister and early Nazi supporter who was later imprisoned in the camp system for opposing Hitler's regime.
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me-and there was no one left to speak for me.
Martin Niemöller (1892-1984), Lutheran minister and early Nazi supporter who was later imprisoned for opposing Hitler's regime.
Item View
We would like to thank Crown Family Philanthropies, Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, the Claims Conference, EVZ, and BMF for supporting the ongoing work to create content and resources for the Holocaust Encyclopedia. View the list of donor acknowledgement.
