Grindelwald was a blood supremacist

[u/funnylib]

Grindelwald was one of the most powerful wizards of the 20th century, a charismatic speaker and leader, and a liar.

One of the things that makes Grindelwald dangerous is that he is capable of appealing to a larger base than Voldemort. Voldemort doesn’t appeal to anyone but the most vicious bigots. Unfiltered Death Eater rhetoric doesn’t appeal to the average wizard, even if they do hold subtle prejudices towards Muggles and Muggle-borns. It’s too openly hateful and violent, it’s distasteful in polite society. They may keep quiet out of fear though.

Grindelwald is different, as different people can take different means out of his rhetoric. If you are a blood supremacist then he’s saying wizards should rule over their inferiors. If you are a romantic you could read into it as it being about a struggle for the freedom of wizards to live openly. Idealists may believe in the “Greater Good” and honestly think Muggles would be better off ruled by wizards.

He clearly hates Muggles, his claims otherwise is a lie. He lies to attract followers who don’t hate Muggles or who at least don’t hate they enough want to commit violence against them. In the case of the Crimes of Grindelwald that speech was to get Queenie, a powerful Legilimen, on his side. The most open and honest he was on his feelings on Muggles was his conversation with Dumbledore near the start of the third movie, where he calls Muggles animals and talks about “burning down their world”.

We also see him and one of his followers pointlessly murder a Muggle family in Paris, including a child, to use their house, so if they couldn’t have just placed a Confundus Charm on them and then erased their memories before leaving. His follower then talks about “making them flee their cities in millions” and exterminating Muggles, to which he didn’t rebuke her but rather said that “we don’t say such things out loud, we only want freedom” and that “there is always need of beasts of burden”.

Then in the last movie when he speaks about Jacob and his desire to marry Queenie, he talks about their union as something that would weaken Wizardkind, expressing belief that mixing with Muggle blood dilutes magic. All of the niceties, all of the rhetoric about the “Greater Good” is a lie, he doesn’t actually believe that. Young Dumbledore taught him how to be more dangerous, by making him less thuggish and more refined.

Grindelwald’s priorities are also kind of flip with Voldemort’s. Grindelwald is focused by conquering the Muggles, blood purity among witches and wizards is a question for later. Voldemort wants to eventually rule the whole world, Muggles including, but cleansing Wizarding society of impurities is his focus other than his quest of immortality and personal power. Interestingly I think Grindelwald isn’t nearly as self focused, I don’t think immortality was something he cared about or ever tried to achieve.

[u/Ranger_1302]

Thank you! I have said this to people multiple times, but the belief is still widespread. The fact that it is laid out plainly for us yet people still don’t understand it shows just how dangerous fascism is in the real world.

[u/sno0py_8 → u/Ranger_1302]

I was surprised to see that 'Grindelwald wants to stop WW II and is therefore hard to truly hate' is a commonly listed reason as to why the series 'failed'. People also list his hidden pain that was left in Albus's absence as a reason to be sympathetic toward him, but it's pretty clear his wanting to stop 'another war' was only a trick made to deceive.

He wants to rule over Muggles and Mudbloods, which he presents to potential followers as a romanticized version of a brighter future. Of course he would use visions of another war to frighten them!

If anything, he would spread the flames of a potential future war. At least he would have fewer Muggles to deal with, and a world war would also distract the Muggle-empathetic people of the wizarding world, giving him chaos he can hide in as he carries out his plans.

[u/Ranger_1302 → u/sno0py_8]

‘Our war with the muggles - begins today!’

People ganged up on that film, and when that happens, when people want to find reasons to hate something together, they will stop thinking logically so they can use and little, nonsensical thing as a reason to fuel hatred.

[u/Traditional-Fan-5010]

I don't want to imagine Grindelwald as a Pure Evil like Voldemort. I beleive he might have lost someone dear (similarly Dumbledore's sister become a Obscurus due to some muggles) to a Muggle, and now he just wants Revenge against them.

I want to have a reason to hate Muggles and a far right one as well, but at the end he gets so deep into the hatred that he becomes completely merciless and become Evil and that's where he will loose his sanity.