To what extent were the Nazis more evil (1933 – 1945) than other genocidal regimes? A. Plan of Investigation The investigation assesses the Nazi regime from 1933 – 1945 in regards to the totality of their actions. In order to evaluate the Nazi regime on whether or not they were more evil than other genocidal regimes, the investigation evaluates how the Nazis controlled their country. The investigation will start in the early years of the Nazi regime in how they set up their totalitarian government and how they expanded their control. Then the Holocaust will be looked at for how the Nazis treated those they were exterminating. Accounts from soldiers and Jewish people who lived through the Nazi control will be mostly used to evaluate if the Nazis were more evil than other genocidal regimes. Two of the sources used in this essay, “The Liberation of Dachau” by Chuck Ferree, and “Fate did not let me go” a letter by Valli Ollendorff are then evaluated for their origins, purposes, values and limitations. B. Summary of Evidence The whole program to rebuild Germany was based on the idea that Germany had been betrayed and that the only way for Germany to avenge itself upon its enemies and put an end to the conflict that had begun in 1914 was through military action. (Nelson) Through the bad state of the country, the Nazis were able to use propaganda that influenced the German people to believe that it was right to punish the groups who they believed were to blame for their
Throughout the years 1933-1939, the Nazis consolidated and strengthened their power over the German people in a number of ways. The debate as to whether they depended on their broad popularity or on terror has been argued by historians ever since. The view given by Gellately in Source 4 strongly agrees with that in the question, whereas Evans, in Source 5 combines the terror and popularity aspects of the regime and says that the German people perceived terror as being popular. Johnson presents the view that the selective nature of Nazi terror created a sense of security for German citizens who should have nothing to worry about. However, on any level it
The Nazi Party’s rise was to an extent due to the use of terror and violence, however there were limitations with this as the party was not strong enough to exert this. Their consolidation of power in 1933 was also enabled by their means of legality, and Hitler becoming Chancellor in January 1933. This rise to power was viable due to numerous factors; Hitler’s own tactical manoeuvring of the Reichstag, Germany’s growing economic downfall, Germany changed political landscape and in according to the title, terror and violence caused by the SA. They were the reason the Nazi party were often referred to as a
For decades, historians and citizens have struggled to grasp the relationship between the German army and the mass murders committed during the Holocaust. These questions have persisted since the concentration camps were liberated and the extent of the atrocities committed during World War II were revealed. Omer Bartov provides a myriad of scholarly interpretations in his fifth book, Germany’s War and the Holocaust: Disputed Histories. In this work, Bartov provides a historical and scholarly discourse on the German army and its institutionalization of mass murder. Overall, Bartov’s book is well supported through his extensive use of secondary material and his ability to appropriately characterize specific nations’ reactions to historical Holocaust assertions. However, Bartov’s lack of primary documents, exaggerated critiques, and organizational flaws detract from his expressed thesis. These deficiencies cause his work to read more as a disjointed series of book reviews, rather than a single, unified statement.
The Holocaust is considered one of the darkest times in history. The Nazis killed over six million people in one of the largest coordinated mass genocides in history. When reflecting on this time in history, it is assumed that the deaths of many came at the hands of the few or, in this case the Nazis. That, simply, is not the case. Although Hitler, the SS and the rest of the Nazi party were the principal players, this book makes it abundantly clear that the Nazis delegated some of the racial tasks to the common people in Germany. In the book, A Small Town Near Auschwitz, by Mary Fulbrook, she examines the life and actions of Udo Klausa. Klausa is a civilian administrator in the Nazi regime, in the town of Bedzin. Bedzin is a small town near the famous concentration camp of Auschwitz. Fulbrook discusses the actions that Klausa must take and the laws he must enforce in order to live with the Nazis. Klausa was charged with enforcing the racial laws put into effect by the Nazis. He was a civil servant, the Chief Executive of the county. This paper will examine how the Holocaust Process almost destroys the town of Bedzin, as well as, Klausa’s struggles to distance himself from being involved in the violence of the war
To what extent did the Nazis succeed in establishing a totalitarian state in Germany in the years between 1933 and 1939?
The scope of this investigation consisted of an evaluation of the different factors and how they influenced the decision making process of Nazis. Sources were obtained from websites, books, as well as Museums to obtain the most appropriate and knowledge
In a world plagued with evil, we as man witness incidences of degeneracy on a daily basis. Whether it be road rage in response to scanty driving, acts of aggression spurred by those who have felt wronged, or the theft of lavish items; inimical acts have become all-too-ordinary in society. In American culture, the broadcasting of such acts has become commonplace through televised news and newsprint. Their mark on our hearts is minute- only to be replaced by another crime committed the following week. Luckily for man, acts of evil so heinous and vile, that they are remembered by the world for centuries, are virtually notional. The Holocaust is a rare exception of this statement- this atrocious act of evil paves the way for us to understand the innate evil of man presented in our past, present, and future; the constant will of man to hold and maintain power over others.
The Holocaust, the execution of the Final Solution in response to the Jewish problem, commenced in the early 1940s. However, throughout the beginning and middle of World War II, Hitler tyrannized European Jews by forced emigrations and deportations out of Western Europe. World War II comprised this incremental radicalization of oppression towards the Jews; expulsions and deportations to prohibitions and ultimately, an attempt to enact mass genocide. What was the cause for the intensification of the Nazi Jewish policy? In order to answer this question, investigation as to when the Final Solution was devised and what influenced its formulation must be addressed. Regarding these questions, there has been much debate between clashing ideologies.
Throughout history, there have been dark moments that have stained the stories of civilizations. Whether it is a natural disaster, war or disaster at the hands of a leader, events change the way that we interpret history. Without question, one of the darkest periods in history was put into effect by the Nazi’s during World War II. The Holocaust was the systematic killing of over six million Jews. The Holocaust has been the topic of many books and has been explored from many different viewpoints. It has been studied from a historical perspective for the Germans and the Allied forces; Hitler and the Third Reich as well as, firsthand accounts from survivors of the horrific death camps. Some of the greatest books of our time are the stories of survival. The Diary of Anne Frank, a well-known story of survival, is one of the most read books of all time. I Shall Bear Witness: A diary of the Nazi years, by Viktor Klemperer, is the story of Viktor and Eva Klemperer living during the reign of Hitler and the Third Reich. The diary describes that not all Germans believed in Hitler’s plan. The book follows Klemperer from the time Hitler came in to power as chancellor in 1933 until 1941, three years into the war. I will examine two themes that are presented in the book; the Klemperer’s survival strategies and Viktor’s understanding of his “German-ness”.
The events of Nazi Germany 1939-1945 influenced psychological research. Psychologists considered “whether there was a particular type of person who is more likely to commit this type of aggression” (McAvoy, 2012, p.24). Adorno et al from the University of California, “suggested that some people have a specific kind of personality that makes them susceptible to extremist ideologies and predispos-es them to commit acts of aggression and murder in the name of political ideology. They called this the authoritarian personality” (McAvoy,2012, p.24). Nevis Sanford and a PhD student Daniel Levin-son wanted to find a way to measure anti-Semitism. The pair recruited Frenkel-Brunswick and Adorno who had witnessed the rise of fascism and anti-Semitism
The Nazi Terror intensified inexorably. From 1941, Poland became the home of humanity’s Holocaust, an ‘archipelago’ of death-factories and camps, the scene of executions, pacifications, and extermination which surpassed anything so far documented in the history of mankind.
The treatment of Jews before the Nazi Party’s ascent to power will also be observed and compared to that of the treatment undergone during the period of 1933 to 1945. The changes in treatment and their ultimate effects and impact will also be examined to demonstrate the true extent to which the Nazi Party were able to initiate an act of genocide in order to achieve their goal of a “perfect, strong, desirable”
Hitler and Stalin were both cruel dictators around the time of WW2, but to what extent were these two men similar? Firstly they were both dictators throughout WW2; however they were both of different beliefs. Hitler was a fascist and Stalin was a communist, however they were both such extreme versions of these beliefs that they were, in many ways alike. Starting with childhood, Adolf Hitler was born on April 20th 1889 in a small Austrian town called Braunau, near to the German border. His father, Alois Hitler was an abusive drunk similar to Stalin’s father, Besarion Vanovis Jughashvili. This evidence suggests that perhaps the bad relationships these men had with their fathers, who made very
There has been many eras in history that have been appauling to human rights; Nazism in Germany was one of these eras. After its defeat in World War I, Germany was humiliated by the Versailles Treaty, which reduced its territory, drastically reduced its armed forces, demanded the recognition of its guilt for the war, and stipulated it pay reparations to the allied powers. Therefore with the German Empire destroyed, a new parliamentary government was formed. And so, in 1933, Adolf Hitler, was named chancellor of Germany. After the Nazi party won in the elections of 1932, the Nazi party conducted propaganda campaigns. Propaganda appeared to depict the Nazi government as stepping in and restoring order. This propaganda was used to maintain power, implement policies, and justify the extermination of millions of Jews and others considered inferior by Hitler and the Nazi party. Therefore, Nazi ideology was defined as theories of racial hierarchy and Social Darwinism, which identified Germans as part of what Nazis regarded as an Aryan or master race. This ideology aimed to overcome social divisions and create a homogeneous societies, or national unity. The Nazis aimed to unite all Germans living in German territory, as well as gain additional lands for expansion. The German people were reminded of the struggle against foreign enemies and Jewish Disruption through propaganda campaigns. Thus, the effects of Nazism were Anti-Semitism, Euthanasia programs, and the Holocaust.