The Final Solution to the Jewish Question - Essay Example

Introduction “The Final Solution to the Jewish Question refers to the German Nazis’ plan to engage in systematic genocide against the European Jewish population during World War II…The implementation of the Final Solution resulted in the most deadly phase of the Holocaust. The expression reflects the belief that they Jewish European population itself posed a ‘question’ and a problem” (Wikipedia 2008, p.1). The purpose of this paper is to determine to what extent the final solution was planned. Investigation To what extent was the final solution planned? The mass extermination of Jews in Nazi Germany was a shocking and horrible event that still shakes up our world today. While some people believe that this was a spontaneous decision made by Hitler, others believe that the process was systematically planned. The aim of this paper is to find out how far the Final Solution was planned. The investigation will cover what the Final Solution was, the debate of the decision, the extermination camps, and to what extent it was planned. Summary of Evidence 1. What It Was/To What Extent it Was Planned It was right around 1942 when the plans of the Final Solution fully took hold, but over one million Jews had already been murdered. “It was only with the decision to eradicate the entire Jewish population that the extermination camps were built and industrialized mass slaughter of Jews began in earnest. This decision to systematically kill the Jews of Europe was made by the time of or at the Wannsee Conference, which took place in Berlin, in the Wannsee Villa on January 20, 1942. During the conference, there was a discussion held by a group of German Nazi officials to decide on the ‘Final Solution of the Jewish Question’” (Wikipedia 2008, p. 1). The extent to which the Final Solution was planned can be proven by documents that contain the minutes and other records of the Wannsee Conference. The Allies located these documents at the end of World War II and used them as evidence in the Nuremberg Trials. “The records and minutes of this meeting were found intact by the Allies at the end of the war and served as valuable evidence during the Nuremberg Trials. “By spring of 1942, Operation Reinhard began the systematic extermination of the Jews, although hundreds of thousands already had been killed by death squads and in mass pogroms. In Heinrich Himmlers speech at the Posen Conference of October 6, 1943, Himmler, for the first time, clearly elucidated to all assembled leaders of the Reich, in frank and brutal terms, what the "Final Solution" referred to” (Wikipedia, 2008, p. 1). The Final Solution was the Nazi’s plan to completely eliminate all of the Jews. The effort was led by Adolf Hitler and lasted approximately a decade. It took several stages to fully implement the plan. “After the June 1933 Nazi party rise to power, state-enforced racism resulted in anti-Jewish legislation, boycotts, Aryanization, and finally the Night of the Broken Glass pogrom, all of which aimed to remove the Jews from German society. After the beginning of World War II, anti-Jewish policy evolved into a comprehensive plan to concentrate and eventually annihilate European Jewry” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2008, p. 1). 2. Debating the Decision Euphemistic language was often used in Nazi Germany in an effort to disguise their true meaning. This is why ‘The Final Solution’ got its name. “They used the term ‘Final Solution to refer to their plan to annihilate the Jewish people (United State Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2008, p. 2). Those against cite things such as religion as well. They believe killing is wrong. This question can be answered in a variety of different way. If one were on the German side, he or she woule 3. Extermination Camps In Poland, poor accommodations within ghettos were set aside for Jews to be sent off to. Afterwards, killing squads were sent out into the street to massacre every Jew they came across. They were either shot or gassed to death in portable vans. After a while, however, these methods were determined to be cumbersome. “After the Wannsee Conference n January 1942, the Nazis began the systematic deportation of Jews from all over Europe to six extermination camps established in former Polish territory—Chelmno, Belzee, Sobibor, Treblink, Aushwitz-Birkenau, and Majdanek. Extermination camps were killing centers designed to carry out genocide” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 2008, p. 1). Over 3 million Jews were killed in these horrible extermination camps. Killing methods used included disease, gassings, random acts of terror, shootings, starvation, and more. Many of the Jews were made to suffer before they were finally killed. Evaluation of Sources “Munich: Octoberfest, Dachau, and the Holocaust.” Geibtech. 2001. Online. http://www.rjgeib.com/biography/europe/germany/munich1.html The picture below shows two United States soldiers observing Jewish prisoners that had been killed while on a death train. The opening in which they are stuffed is the door of the train car. It is believed that the purpose of this photo was to show the relaxed state of the soldiers around such a horrid event and, thus, show how cold the human spirit can be. It even appears that one of the soldiers is smiling. This photo shows values such as hatred and cold-heartedness. Its limitations are that one really cannot tell what is going on outside of this one frozen spot in time. Is there an entire train filled with dead bodies? How long have these people been dead? Where are they going? (Munich, 2001) Collier, Martin and Philip Pedley. “German 1919 – 1945.” 2000. Heinemann. Hitler, Adolf. “Mein Kampf.” 1998. Mariner Books The first and second volumes of this book were filled with hatred and ranting. Hitler was considered to be politician of a small party. As one Amazon reader points out: The book details Hitlers childhood, the "betrayal" of Germany in World War I, the :esire for revenge against France, the need for lebensraum for the German people, and the means by which the National Socialist party can gain power. It also includes Hitlers racist agenda and his glorification of the "Aryan" race. The few outside the Nazi party who read it dismissed it as nonsense, not believing that anyone could--or would--carry out its radical, terrorist programs. As Hitler and the Nazis gained power, first party members and then the general public were pressured to buy the book. By the time Hitler became chancellor of the Third Reich in 1933, the book stood atop the German bestseller lists. Had the book been taken seriously when it was first published, perhaps the 20th century would have been very different. The book is ripe with anger, abhorrence, prejudice, and self-exaggeration. As harsh as this sounds, it is extremely important to remember. These events could very well take place again. Reading this book can reveal to someone just how deep hatred, racism, and the like can grow within a person. The person responsible for the Holocaust was the author of this book: Adolf Hitler. Was it planned? "For years, Mein Kampf stood as proof of the blindness and complacency of the world. In its pages Hitler announced--long before he came to power--a program of blood and terror in a self-revelation of such overwhelming frankness that few had the courage to believe it...That such a man could go so far toward realizing his ambitions--that is a phenomenon the world will ponder for centuries to come." -- Konrad Heiden, author of Der Fuhrer: Hitlers Rise to Power Analysis The German Nazis chose to engage in mass genocide against those of Jewish origin during World War II. The Final Solution was the single most deadly portion of the Holocaust. The Nazis believed that the Jewish European population represented a question and a problem and chose to mass exterminate them. The Final Solution was indeed carefully planned. Proof that the Final Solution was planned does exist. There were documents produced at the time of the Wannsee Conference that tell of plans to build extermination camps and eradicate the entire Jewish population. At that time, over one million Jews had been murdered, but the ‘final solution’ to the ‘Jewish question’ was decided at the Wannsee conference and then plans were made to carry out the mass extermination. Conclusion The Final Solution was systematically planned by Hitler and the Nazi Germans. This was the plan to mass exterminate the Jewish population. It took over a decade to complete all of the phases of this horrible act, but Hitler carried on in earnest. This was a terrible occurrence that not only scars our history, but still shocks us today. This was not a spontaneous or quickly made decision. Hitler and the Nazi Germans took a great deal of pride in their systematic planning of each phase of the Holocaust. There were six concentration camps that were built after the Final Solution was made to kill all European Jews. It had been determined that killing them in the streets was too cumbersome, so they were instead shipped off and murdered in the concentration camps. Bibliography “Final Solution.” Wikipedia. 2008. Online. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Solution “Final Solution: Overview.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 2008. Online. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005151 “The Final Solution.” United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 2008. Online. http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/fsol.htm “Wannsee Protocol.” Jewish Virtual Library. 2008. Online. http://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/Wannsee_Protocol.html Collier, Martin and Philip Pedley. “German 1919 – 1945.” 2000. Heinemann. Hitler, Adolf. “Mein Kampf.” 1998. Mariner Books “Munich: Octoberfest, Dachau, and the Holocaust.” Geibtech. 2001. Online. http://www.rjgeib.com/biography/europe/germany/munich1.html Read More