Examining the worldview of the Harry Potter World.
The conflict between Wizards and Muggles is not a simple battle between good and evil; rather, it is a profound tragedy rooted in fear, misunderstanding, and the desire for power.
“It’s no wonder that it evokes fear and rejection among many Wizards, leading radicalists like Gellert Grindelwald, who advocate for Wizard supremacy and warn of the threat of Muggle Technology, to gather many followers.” Ian clearly knew that what frightened Grindelwald were indeed the Muggles’ nuclear weapons.
If we shift the perspective to the Wizard community, particularly the extremists represented by Gellert Grindelwald, it becomes apparent that their proclamation of “Wizard domination” is not just an insane ramble occurred out of thin air, but stems from a deeply rooted, generational fear of survival. This fear has quietly germinated ever since modern technology began to emerge.
Grindelwald’s prophetic ability, coincidentally, glimpsed the scenario that Wizards don’t want to see—Muggles surpassing Wizards with their imagination.
How can Muggles possibly defeat Wizards?
This disparity.
Exists in almost every Wizard’s heart.
To most Wizards, they see themselves as the most formidable group, an “exceptional” evolution, akin to how mutants view normal humans.
Even those with good intentions still consider Muggles inferior to themselves, at least deep down, and precisely because of this, once they see Muggles as an “alternative evolution” choice.
Most Wizards find it unbearable.
It’s this fear of Muggles, along with the imbalance, which paved the way for Grindelwald’s rise, allowing him to rally a worldwide wave.
Of course.
In fact, it’s not just about their own superiority, this fear’s origin can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Before the signing of the International Confidentiality Law, the Wizarding World openly existed. However, the Muggle society reached its peak fear of the unknown forces, viewing Wizards as heretics, servants of the devil.
The shadow of the Witch Hunting Movement, like a nightmare, is branded in the collective memory of every Wizard family. Wizards burning at the stakes, Witches chained and tortured, these painful histories are not legends but actual occurred collective traumas. Muggles systematically persecuted and massacred Wizards with ignorance and violence.
No choice.
Not every Wizard possesses extraordinary magic ability capable of single-handedly battling an army, particularly before the mainstream recognition of academia, the Wizards’ levels were uneven. Many adult Wizards might not even surpass second-year Hogwarts students in Magic Ability levels.
Moreover, the Pure-blood Clans tend to intermarry, lacking genetic diversity, resulting in many Pure-blood descendants being quite idiotic, greatly reducing the number of outstanding individuals among Wizards.
This prevalent situation caused many Wizards, despite possessing such an idealistic ability as magic, to remain unable to match Muggles’ schemes and numerical strategies.
How to put it, it’s actually an understandable issue, just like how well-equipped Mechanicians are unable to resist the flood of simple rifles; many disparities in firepower can be filled by numbers.
If this can happen under a hail of bullets, let alone during a Magic Era where average magic ability roughly equaled to Hogwarts freshmen, that era’s Wizards were either extremely strong or exceedingly weak. Much like Ian’s current situation in Africa, or even worse than the prevalent situation in this Africa.
After all, nowadays after all is said, there has been era’s development, regardless of whether it’s the wandering education style’s apprentice survival rate or dissemination of various learning books after the spread of paper.
People from the past didn’t have many “self-learning” methods like today, so whether in the West or North or South or East, many lacking adequate ability to become Wizards were easily persecuted by Muggles.
Such past.
Causes Wizards’ subconscious attitudes towards Muggles to harbor not only arrogance but also a genetic vigilance similar to that of mice encountering a cat.
For Wizards.
Muggles are no longer mere “non-magic folks.”
They represent ignorance, cruelty, and a destructive threat. This kind of historical trauma passed down through generations, making “Muggle = danger” an almost instinctive cognition.
The deep motivation for Wizards wanting to “eliminate” Muggles is not simply a sense of racial superiority but a survival logic driven by fear. They view Muggles as the executioners who historically persecuted them, a hidden threat to their secrecy in the present, and potential “barbarians” who might initiate a destructive war in the future.
Grindelwald’s success lay in packaging this deeply entrenched fear into an idealistic “salvation” movement. He made followers believe that eliminating Muggles’ autonomy, or even their existence itself, was not an atrocity but a “necessary evil” for ensuring all Wizards could live safely and freely.
Entering the 20th century, although the signing of the International Confidentiality Law allowed the Wizarding World to develop safely in shadows, this safety is fragile. The Ministry of Magic repeatedly emphasizes that Wizards must conceal their identities, use Obliviate to erase Muggles’ memories, and any exposure of magic will result in severe punishment.
This ongoing “hiding” state itself is a profound insecurity. It constantly reminds Wizards: Your power is not permitted, your existence is illegal, and once discovered, it could replay historical tragedies. Such a situation hardly aligns with most Wizards’ self-perception.