The problem with this "sacrifices for the greater good" stance is, of course, that it can be used to justify just about anything, especially if the ostensible good aim is somewhat removed in the future. For example, Josef Stalin used this tactic to justify the gulags as well as various genocides and mass starvations. He claimed that these were necessary sacrifices to build the communist Paradise On Earth, but in truth, it was just a convenient excuse to increase his personal power and destroy all opposition.