The Holocaust and the German People - Essay Example

The Holocaust and the German People The Holocaust and the German People Never before in the history of mankind had there even been displayed such a total disregard for human life and the embodiment of such hate and violence as the Holocaust. It is truly a black mark on humankind. Not only did the Nazi Germany regime under the direction of Adolph Hitler try to exterminate an entire race of people, but also the world stood by and watched. Since the end of World War II, much has been written of the events of those days, enough to fill rooms with books and papers. Still, it seems, no on really wants to admit to what was really occurring in Germany and elsewhere while the Holocaust lasted. There are those who proport that the German people did not see and hear the occurrences during those times. No one wants to believe or less admit that a civilized world would sit back and watch a Holocaust of such proportions and still do nothing. So many, even to this day, refuse to believe and continue to deny the facts; deny the truth and claim ignorance. The sad reality is the Holocaust did occur and sadder still is the fact that all saw what was happening and few had the courage to step forward and make any attempt to stop it or even say "This is wrong." "First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out. Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me." - Martin Niemoeller Introduction "'The Holocaust' or 'Shoah' refers to the systematic annihilation of six million Jewish people by Germany's Nazi regime over the period January 30 1933 to May 8 1945." (Overview, undated) In examining the history of the world, there have always been instances of hate and persecution, not just against the Jewish people, but against many different groups of people. The Holocaust was, however, unique in that never before and never since had there been such a systematic attempt to anneliate an entire population of people by a sovereign nation. Although during the period the Jewish people were not the only group targeted for destruction by the Nazi regieme; the list also included "Gypsies, homosexuals, political dissidents and the intellectually and physically disabled" (Overview, undated); this period will always be remembered as the attempted decimation of the Jewish population. To fully examine what was known and understood by the German people during this period and in an attempt to understand how and why it occurred, we need to look to the past and first examine the era predating the Holocaust. Events do not occur independent of one another. Therefore, to see how this occurred, why it occurred, and why the German people and the world stood by, we first need to examine the culture of the period leading up to the Holocaust. Pre 1933 Jewish people have been living in Europe for over 2000 years. Throughout their history as a people, there had always been periods of persecution and hatred. "The place of Jews in the wider society of Europe had always been characterised as a kind of exile. Certainly Christian Europe saw the Jews in their midst as rebels against their 'true' religion, responsible for the death of Christ and generally as an evil presence." (Jewish Life, undated) There have been previous instances where the persecution of the Jewish people included being confined to ghettoes, wearing distinctive markings on their clothing and other forms of degradation commonly associated with the Holocaust; however, the scope and magnitude of that period had never come close in comparison. Prior to 1933, the Jewish people living in Germany had begun to feel increasingly that they were becoming a part of mainstream society. The post World War I era, saw a real integration of the Jewish population into a more accepted position within the German community. The German Jews of this era felt close ties to their German homeland. Many had been born there and viewed themselves first as Germans. The Jews were becoming more readily accepted into German society and "played distinguished roles in all aspects of German life, including the professions, education, the public service, the economy, culture and even in the armed services." (Nazi Anti-Semitism, undated) In 1933, there were a half million Jews living in Germany, about 1% of the total German population. Well over 75% lived in either Berlin or other large cities. 80% of the Jewish population in Germany had been born there (Jews in Germany, undated) and as earlier stated they felt a connection to their homeland. They believed they were first Germans. Ironically, as the Nazi movement began to take hold of the country, this in itself was probably the main factor that kept so many from fleeing. They held the belief that as Germans they would somehow be viewed as Germans first by their countrymen. The Emergence of Hitler and Nazi Germany As Germany left the memories of World War I behind it, in the wake there was massive economic turmoil, high inflation and rampant unemployment. During this post war period many hate groups developed, amongst them the National Socialist Workers, the Nazi party. Emerging from its ranks was Adolph Hitler who had learned how to feed into the German population's latent anti-semitistic views. A major part of this was to give anti-Semitism a pseudo-scientific gloss to define the Jews as inferior and subhuman, threatening the purity of the German master race. The Nazis also propagated false claims such as the supposed role of Jews in the "stab in the back" - the alleged betrayal of Germany's Army that led to the Versailles Treaty with its loss of territory and large reparation payments. (Nazi Anti-Semitism, undated) When Hitler came into power in the 1930's this viewpoint he held became public policy. His teachings in such works as Mein Kampf became widely accepted. The German people were ready to accept that the Jewish population somehow stood against everything good in the nation. He successfully linked racism with a warped sense of religion and national pride which in just a few years would lead to the near extinction of an entire people. The Evidence Although many people blame the German population for sitting back and letting the Holocaust happen, it was not just the local population that saw what was happening. The world as a whole watched. It was years, and countless lives, later before any action was taken to stop the Nazi's attempted genocide. The United States, Britain and Russian governments all knew what was happening but choose to hide the truth. "The churches collected information from clergy and laity living in the vicinity of the death machine and therefore had a very accurate picture of what was really happening." (World Inaction, undated) Yet, no one came forward. It would have been virtually impossible not to be aware of what was happening in Germany while living in its midst. The Nazi party utilized thousand of German citizens alone to participate in the Einsatzgruppen, the mobile killing squads (Germany & Occupied, undated) which were responsible for the death of tens of thousands of Jews. At any given point there were 10,000 civilians employed at the various death camps throughout Germany and the occupied area. Even though the vast majority of the camps were located in rural isolated areas, every one of these people working at the camps or who participated in the death squads had family and friends. People saw. People knew. People talked. They were either afraid to come forward, tried to do something and were themselves exterminated, or agreed with the policies of Hitler's regime. By 1938 there were 645 forced labour camps in the Berlin area alone. By that time the Nazi party was not even attempting to hide what they were doing. As many as half a million Germans participated directly and indirectly in the machinery of the Holocaust. They included middle-aged policemen, young conscript soldiers, clerks, doctors, lawyers and professional army officers. Some rounded up the victims and transported them to mass graves where they were shot; others forced them onto trains which had been scheduled to run to death camps by railway bureaucrats; ordinary workers drove the trains and staffed the railway stations; others administered the camps as they would have a public service department; doctors "selected" who would live and who would die; guards herded the Jews into the gas chambers and dropped the poisonous pellets that brought about an agonising death. (Germany & Occupied, undated) During this period many corporations also saw what was happening and even benefited from it. Some major companies paid for the erection of concentration camps in exchange for slave labour for their plants. In total over 200 corporations profited from the Holocaust. Some of the more well known include: BMW, Volkswagen, Daimler-Chrysler (It was called Daimler-Benz at the time.), and Dresdner Bank. In November of 1938, for instance, in Berlin Kristallnacht, 'The Night of Broken Glass' occurred. (Germany & Occupied, undated) During that evening thousands of Berlin residents watched as the Nazi party burned synagogues, destroyed Jewish businesses and witnessed the violence committed against the neighbours. The next day at a Nazi Party Rally 100,000 German citizens flocked to the Nuremberg Rallies to listen to the Nazi Party's anti-Semitic rallies. How could the people not have known Hitler and the Nazi party controlled the propaganda machine in Germany. Although, published reports of the killing of Jewish people were not reported in the newspapers in Germany at the time, the party's activities were well known to the German people. During the massive rallies that were staged, Hitler, Goebbels and other high ranking Nazi officials frequently made mention of the Jewish problem and the solution. "The NAZI Stromtroopers (SA) and Hitler Youth had songs and chants with the words, "Death to the Jews". The NAZI pogrom of Kristallnacht was conducted in Germany in the full view of the German people. While the actual number of deaths was minimal compared to the later killings, there were killings and vicious beatings carried out in public view." (The Holocaust, 2004) While researching the extent of the German newspaper coverage during the Holocaust, the researcher noted that "in the 1930s reports numerous stories concerning the institutionalised brutality to which those who were arrested were subjected. There were some Germans who were horrified at the perversion of the legal system. But Germans rather than being terrorized into accepting this appear to have on the whole supported it." (Gellately, 2000, pp. 380) "The circulation of the German daily press in the first quarter of 1936 was 19,700,000." (Amann, 1936) This statement was made in a speech by the author in 1936. He was one of Hitler's close associates and controlled the Nazi publishing system during World War II. In his speech Amann had commented that upon Hitler's rise to power, the Nazi party seized control of the press ensuring what was printed was what they wanted known. The newspapers were a forum for Nazi politics. However, Amann did go on to say in his speech that many underground papers were printed and circulated during the time. This would tend to further support the claim that these underground papers, in opposition to the Nazi party, would print more factual information as to what was occurring in Germany during this time. This lends still more credence to the fact that the German people knew, at least to some extent, what was occurring in their midst. Eva Galler, a Holocaust survivor retold her experiences during that time. She was retelling about the period when she and her family were picked up for deportation to the concentration camps. She writes. "We knew where we were going. A boy from our town had been deported to Belzec camp. He escaped and came back to our town. He told us that Belzec had a crematorium. Deportation trains from other cities had passed by our city and people had thrown out notes. These notes were picked up by the men forced to work there. The notes said, "Don't take anything with you, just water." (2000) It was a known fact what was happening in Germany and in the countries under its control. It should be noted that while on that train, she and her two sisters jumped from the train while it was in route. German guards shot her two sisters. Eva survived. She never saw again the other members of her family who remained on the train "While delivering a speech at the Sports Palace in Berlin that was recorded by the Allied monitoring service, Hitler declared: "The result of this war will be the complete annihilation of the Jews... the hour will come when the most evil universal enemy of all time will be finished, at least for a thousand years. On February 24, 1943, he stated: "This struggle will not end with the annihilation of Aryan mankind, but with the extermination of the Jewish people in Europe." (Holocaust Denial, 2005) These speeches were not delivered in a vacuum, nor were they only spoken to German Army Officers. They were spoken at mass rallies held with thousands upon thousands of German citizens in attendance. Any claim that they did not know, comes from their choice to deny, perhaps even to themselves; they did know, but chose to do nothing. Evaluation By far the most important source in producing this paper was the Australian Memories of the Holocaust Museum Website. The website is based on an actual museum which houses information on this era of our history. What was determined to be most useful about the site was its organization and detail. It was educational and factual and contained a wide range of information that encompassed the breadth and scope of the Holocaust. Although it was set up to commemorate those whose suffered through those years, the website was more than merely a commemoration; it is an educational instrument which provided factual data. It was not set up to sway people's opinion, but rather offered the information to allow each person to decide for themself. Although the tone throughout was neutral there was a lack of personal information to draw on from the German perspective. There were some personal presentations in portions of the website from those who had been in the concentration camps, but no humanistic stories depicting what the German people at the time were saying and thinking. However, from a purely historic educational perspective it can be a valuable tool for educators to present a factual presentation in an unbiased manner. The second source which determined to be both useful and important was the Holocaust Survivors Website. The website was set up originally as a means for survivors, who had recently immigrated to the United States after the conclusion of World War II, to search for missing loved ones and also to speak about their experiences when they were ready. It was a healing process for them. This website was an importantly significant source in that it offered bits of history that are never read in the history books. The site itself was surprisingly quiet for lack of a better term. There was almost a reverence to it. The information was laid out well within the various articles; however, the major limitation also dealt with the layout. The main pages of the site were cluttered proving difficult to navigate to the various pages and sections. Conclusion Sixty years ago World War II ended. The wounds are still as fresh today as they were to some who witnessed and survived the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust. In a newspaper article published in January 2005 in London, a poll had been taken in Germany. "Some 62% of the 3,000 people questioned agreed they were sick of all the harping on about German crimes against the Jews". (Germans sick) Many German citizens share that sentiment. They feel they have more than paid the price for their parents and grandparents 'crimes' and the Holocaust should be put in the history books. Still we want to deny and make it less real. Until we face it, it will never be a part of the past. In researching this topic many different possible reasons for the German people's failing to do anything during the Holocaust have been explored. There is probably, at least, some basis in fact for some of them. The research shows that the normal German citizen did not know the fully extent of the misery inflicted during the Holocaust. Others claim it was fear that prevented people from speaking out. To an extent that may be true as well. However, life in war time Germany was not as it is often depicted on television and the movies. Non persecuted German citizens went about their business every day, and here were examples showing that the people did speak out at times, for instances during the initial T-1 programs where mentally retarded, mentally ill, and other "sub humans" were exterminated. The German people protested and those killings stopped. Perhaps it was the mob mentality that propelled a generation of people to accept and condone the slaughter hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children. Whatever the ultimate reasons were, the fact remains that the complicity of the German people contributed to the horrifyingly sickening totals. To say I didn't know or I could not do anything is not, really much different that a Nazi Party member to say I was only following orders. It is not my fault. We did not believe them. Should we allow an entire nation to use the excuse The Holocaust happened. How we live our tomorrow will be based in large part on what we learned yesterday. In denying the past and refusing to see their complicity, could it happen again Work Cited Amman, Max. "The Transformation of the German Press in National Socialist Germany." 1936 Calvin College Website. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006. . Galler, Eva. "Survivor Story". Holocaust Survivors Website. 2000. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006. http://www.holocaustsurvivors.org/cgi-bin/data.show.pldi=record&da=survivors&ke=6 Gellately, Robert. "Backing Hitler: Consent and Coercion in Nazi Germany." London: Oxford University Press, 2003 "Germans 'Sick' of Nazi Reminders." Times Online. Online version of the London Times. 16 Jan. 2005. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006 . "Germany & Occupied Europe." Australian Memories of the Holocaust. Undated. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006 . "Holocaust Denial." Jewish Virtual Library. 2005. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006. . "The Holocaust in Germany: Knowledge and Complicity." Historical Boy's Clothing Website. 14 Mar. 2004. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006 http://histclo.hispeed.com/essay/war/ww2/hol/ger/hg-kc.html "The Jews in Germany." Australian Memories of the Holocaust. Undated. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006 . "Jewish Life in Europe before 1933." Australian Memories of the Holocaust. Undated. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006 . "Nazi Anti-Semitism." Australian Memories of the Holocaust. Undated. Accessed 8 Jan.2006 . "Overview of the Holocaust." Australian Memories of the Holocaust. Undated. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006 . "World Inaction." Australian Memories of the Holocaust. Undated. Accessed 8 Jan. 2006 . Read More