Abstract This paper explains that there are a number of factors that led to the Nazi seizure of power. The paper examines the events leading up to the Nazi party's victory, including: the democratic Weimar Republic had always governed on shaky ground; the Depression of 1929 only gave opposition parties more force with which to crush it and create an authoritarian state. The paper then explores the methods used by Hitler to take advantage of the current situation and gain control of the government. Finally the paper looks at Hitler's extraordinary use of propaganda to further destroy democracy and sway the disorientated masses toward the Right.
From the Paper "Through the use of unprecedented political exploitation, the Nazis were able to seize power in a country shattered by the failure of democracy and in the depths of a national crisis. The deep-seated weaknesses of the Weimar Republic were easily exploited in plunging the country into political crisis, and the Depression provided an essential backdrop for the radicalisation of the people toward extremist fringe parties. Hitler's clever political manoeuvres both before and after 1929, which included joining the force against the Young Plan, and redirecting his energies toward rural Germany, combined with his unprecedented use of propaganda, however, proved to be the most essential factors in establishing the political force of the Nazis."
Abstract This paper details the events of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising and discusses what might have happened had it turned out differently. The writer explores the events and their impact, as well as the idea of it turning out differently, and how that would have impacted the war and the world.
From the Paper "The Holocaust was arguably the most tragic event of the modern world. It was a time in which one man and his regime wreaked immeasurable pain on millions of individuals and their loved ones. It was a time when entire populations turned to a regime willing to commit mayhem and murder rather than find their way out with a different solution. It was a lesson that will never be forgotten, however, among the anger, emotions and tragedy there is proof of the strength of human hearts and motivation. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is an example of just how strong the human spirit is and its existence provides the world with the knowledge that man will not be defeated regardless of the powers that may try and do so."
Abstract Using Browning's "Ordinary Men" and Rhode's "Masters of Death", the author explores the origins of the men who were responsible for the Holocaust, the SS-Einsatzgruppen and Reserve Police Battalion 101. The author believes that two different dynamics that drove these men to kill millions. Peer pressure and the situation drove some, but ultimately, an active decision to kill was required of every man.
From the Paper "In an unfortunate relationship, the most intriguing events throughout the course of humanity are the most brutal and horrific. The Holocaust at the hands of the Nazis and Hitler's Aryan race was quite certainly the most appalling event in modern history and the question of "how did it happen" still stands today. Two recent works, Masters of Death and Ordinary Men, by Richard Rhodes and Christopher Browning, respectively, attempt to answer this query. Though both authors discuss the physical actualization of the mass murders, the more important topic between both is the work of Hitler's most dastardly henchmen: the unlikely Heinrich Himmler's pet SS-Einsatzgruppen and Reserve Police Battalion 101. However, the question is by no means of a single man"Hitler was quite obviously insane"but rather of the men who acted directly as the hand of God to cleanse the Reich. The Wehrmacht invaded territory after territory with devastating effect, but the Reichsf"hrer's (Himmler"s) Einsatzkommandos and the Police Battalions followed with a single mission: stability through purification. The fundamental difference between Rhodes's account and Browning's is whether or not these men made any active decision to embody their orders and become pure executioners. Rhodes believes that the common soldiers"the men who actually dispatched the victims of the cleansing"at one point or another believed what they were doing was justified in some manner and thereby made a positive decision to take steps against civilians and accept execution as their profession. Browning asserts that the men of the Reserve Police Battalion were simply thrust into their acts of violence and lacked the time to consider their orders as heinous, a position that allowed many of them to continue the atrocities after being propelled into the fray. Essentially the Einsatzgruppen were bred for and accepted the role of slaughterers while the Reserve Police Battalion simply found themselves caught-up in a frenzy of death and continued on."
Abstract This paper relates that Steven Spielberg's ?Schindler's List was made superbly, using techniques that enhanced the impact of a powerful storyline. The author points out that the cinematography, the unique camera work, sharp angles, and black-and-white filming contributed to the success of this brilliant film. This paper explains that John Singleton's "Rosewood", another movie that captures the horrors of racial violence, is not as superbly made as Spielberg's film; nonetheless, it does full justice to the issue of violence, especially lynching.
From the Paper "Based on true events that took place in 1920s, the movie was hailed for its realistic depiction of violence; but it failed to win accolades at the box office because of its not so powerful cinematography and less than unique film techniques. Unlike "Schindler's List" where everything contributed to make the movie successful, the same things did not serve the right purpose in "Rosewood". Singleton's camera work effectively captured fear and terror of racial violence, but it did nothing to accentuate the impact of important scenes. Unique camera work and exceptional editing skills were required to add excitement to an otherwise clich?d issue. However, neither Singleton's direction nor Gregory Piorer's script could lift the film to the status of "Schindler's List". In the opening scenes, for example, the contrasts between white and black towns are almost too obvious and are given elementary treatment."
Abstract This paper explores the notion of genocide and offers different historical examples outlining the nature of genocide and how it affects the world and different communities. It specifically analyzes the genocide that took place in Indonesia under Suharto's rule and compares and contrasts Suharto with Hitler. It tries to offer explanations as to why genocide occurs, especially after the Holocaust in World War II.
From the Paper "Indonesia is a country that has suffered through a series of tragic mass killings ever since the rebellion of 1965. Indonesia is made up of several islands that form one nation. The national composition of Indonesia is severely diverse and is made up of people from over 300 ethnic groups who speak over 250 languages that cover 13, 700 islands. With so much instability and almost no national unification, Indonesia is a difficult country to have any authority over. Indonesia gained independence in 1949 from the Dutch East India Company and from that emerged two great political parties: the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) and the Indonesian National Party (PNI)."
This paper describes the life of Pope Pius XII (Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli) and questions his motivation in not stopping the atrocities associated with WWII.
Abstract This paper explains that journalists, statesmen, and historians claim that, during World War II, the Pope remained impassive and silent, despite the fact that he knew about the atrocities committed by the Germans. The author reports that, years after he died, it was discovered that the Pope was close to publishing a major encyclical on racism; but the question remains if it was just lost within the bureaucracies, or if it was purposely lost by Pacelli or someone else who did not want to rock the boat. The paper stresses that, finally, on Christmas Eve 1944, when the outcome of the war was decided, the Pope made a statement condemning the war, but not the atrocities.
From the Paper "When he assumed the highest office, Pope XII had to decide what to do with the prior pope's encyclical. "The decision was momentous, because Humani Generis Unitas would finally, and publicly, have the church defend the hounded Jews by explicitly condemning the Nazis" anti-Semitism and calling for the cessation of the German prosecution of the Jews?. Within the report, Pope Pius XI said, ?It becomes clear that the struggle of racial purity ends by uniquely the struggle against the Jews. Save for its systemic cruelty, this struggle is no different in true motives and methods from prosecutions everywhere carried out against the Jews since antiquity."
Abstract This paper presents a positive review of Gitta Sereney's book about Adolph Hitler's personal architect and close friend, Albert Speer. The paper looks at the quality of the source material Sereny uses for her book, how Sereny is able to get into the psyche of Speer and adeptly depict his character, and what Sereny's objectives were in writing the book.
From the Paper "Steeped in controversy and tainted by his legacy as Hitler's personal architect and close friend, Albert Speer is a difficult historical figure to portray and to pinpoint. Gitta Sereny explores the life and the mind of this complex man with brilliant insight, historical awareness, and sensitivity, as she examines the surprising moral conflicts that Speer faced later in his life, especially after the Nuremberg trials. As the only member of Hitler's inner circle to be spared from the death penalty, Speer had ample time before his death in 1981 to reflect on his role in Nazi atrocities. Although Speer ostensibly never killed a soul, nor did he outwardly perform any act of violence or hatred, he nevertheless supported and loved the man who ordered the brutal deaths of millions of Jews as well as Catholics, gypsies, and homosexuals."
Abstract This eight-page paper presents a detailed examination about the Gypsies in the Holocaust. The writer explores the genocide of the Gypsies and the fact that schools and others rarely teach or examine the plight of the Gypsies during that time as the Jewish plight is taught or explored. The writer argues that the Gypsies self-imposed lifestyle and distancing from society in general was the foundational reason for the "blind eye" when it came to what happened to them during the Holocaust.
From the Paper "The Gypsies of the world were also targeted by the Holocaust and were also the subject of rounding up and being killed. For the most part, classrooms rarely mention this fact as they look into the events of the time and the horrors that occurred. Experts have a hard time agreeing on a reason for the passing over of the genocide of the Gypsies in most classroom settings. When one begins to study the situation however, a pattern begins to form. Gypsies, by and large, shut themselves off from the rest of the world. Their very culture is about seclusion and withdrawal, and when one studies the treatment of the Gypsies during that time one can see how the current attitude of withdrawal came about."
Tags: hitler, concentration, camp, extermination, discrimination, germany, jew
Abstract This paper is a literary comparison based on showing the theme of the strength of the human spirit by using "The Diary of Anne Frank" and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". The paper covers the main plot of the two books, highlighting the main characters and the core themes, including a comparison of how the two books address the theme of the strength of the human spirit.
From the Paper "There are many common elements in the two books. First and foremost, both are based on strong females as the main characters. Second, both females face unforeseen circumstances because of their heritage or birth. Third, both go through difficult and tiring times not only for themselves but for their family. Maya is a black female, faced with prejudice, hardship, torture, rape, misery and poverty. Anne is a Jewish female, faced with hatred, fear, misery, and poverty."
Abstract This paper explains that the most intimidating feature of the Holocaust was that people were mute to extremities of human pain, eking out their survival under the most discouraging conditions. Heroism is at the core of the Holocaust, an irredeemable section of it. The author points out that Israel, with the largest number of survivors, has had a large role in saving the reminiscences of the people of the Holocaust. The paper relates that, in Israel, the 27th of Nissan, which comes after Passover, is Yom Hashoah, the Israeli national day of mourning and commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust and other martyrs.
From the Paper "For these survivors, marriages were seen to be a tough experience, and the task of raising children was even tougher. One among the most recurrent argument in favor of the survivors is that they wanted to become parents so as to ascertain themselves with a proper relationship. The most prevalent aspect of child survivors is the fight with their memories, whether there is abundance or a dearth of it. Nowadays for the child survivor, an even more confusing dilemma is the intervening parts of memory - most are emotionally virulent and sorrowful but make no clear sense. They seem to recur more and more in course of time and are set off by umpteen subconscious or unconscious memories."
Abstract This paper discusses what motivated some Gentiles to overcome their fear of death to aid Jews in escaping from the Nazis. It looks at the history of this phenomenon and focuses on the efforts made by Gentiles in Denmark, which had a population of 8000 Jews before the war. It mentions the efforts made by Daniel Trocme, who saved hundreds of Jewish children, and explains the processes and procedures he had to go through in order to perform this righteous task.
From the Paper "When searching for motivations strong enough to outweigh one's instinct for survival, one discovers that he/she must truly start with a much simpler question. Instead of beginning with "Why" or "How," the first question must be "Who." To understand why they helped, one must first understand who they were. The list of rescuers is extremely diverse and somewhat long, making it difficult to focus on common traits. Therefore, "who" has innumerable answers for no one story of rescue is the same. Rescuers were peasants and aristocrats, police officers and clergy, doctors and diplomats. Most were Christians but some were Jews with falsified papers. They could be friends and neighbors, employers and employees, or even complete strangers."
Tags: denmark, daniel, trocme, nazi, germany, second, world, war
Abstract This paper discusses holocaust education in Lithuania and attempts to argue that even today it is influenced by social and political context. It deals mostly with the context in which the holocaust education is formed and what is emphasised. It also looks at the impact of this context to children's attitudes and stereotypes towards the Jews. The inclusion of the holocaust in the secondary school curriculum is also examined including different methods of presentation.
From the Paper "The more concrete question of the Holocaust is covered in the 10th form curriculum under the topic "Democracy and Dictatorship", which is aimed to explain the formation of Nazi Germany. Subtopic devoted to it is called "Anti-Semitism and the Jewish Genocide" . The negative sides of dictatorship tend to be presented through the negative phenomena. It might appear that the Holocaust is nothing more but the outcome of the arrangement system of dictatorship as political power. Such presentation could create a view, according to which, there would have been no Holocaust, if all the countries had applied and cherished democratic institutions."
This paper reviews Elie Wiesel's "Night", an accounting of his later childhood in Hungary and how he and his family ended up transported to German concentration camps.
1,420 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 0 sources, 2004, $ 47.95
Abstract This paper explains that Elie Wiesel's "Night" is emotional and moving, although Wiesel does not use emotional words or phrases. Instead, his simple language and matter-of-fact approach remind the reader of just how ordinary the horrible things he and his family went through were. The author points out that the story reflects Elie Wiesel's personal journey, as well as all the events that take place. The paper reveals that, although most of the story is very unemotional, at one point Elie cannot stay separated from what he's saying; the topic is the death of his father.
From the Paper "Some time later, however, Moshe returns telling a horrible story. He says they were forced off the train, made to dig a big pit, and then stood at the edge and shot. Moshe? escapes by pretending to be dead. Perhaps the Jews in Singhet would have believed him if his story had not been so awful, but he describes babies thrown up into the air and shot as they fall back to Earth and other awful sights. Elie says, "there was no longer any light in his eyes" (p. 17), but no one believes Moshe's story. In addition, Moshe believes that his life has been saved by divine providence to come back and warn the Jews of Singhet, but Moshe was not a respected member of the community, and people disregard his story and his concerns."
Abstract This paper compares main themes in Elie Wiesel's "Night" and Adolf Hitler's "Mein Kampf". It looks at how, although these two books would appear to have nothing more in common than the fact they both speak of the Holocaust, there are common threads tying them inevitably together. It explores how Wiesel is, of course, more justified in his anger; but an understanding of the causes leading Hitler to his anti-Semitism show that these two men were more alike than many would believe.
From the Paper "The culprit was once an Austrian youth whose mother was doctored by a Jewish man, a money-grubber who would not cure her cancer but sent her home to die, to leave her only son an orphan; the child whose only dream was to be an artist but was rejected from the Academy by a board comprised of French Jews. This young man, whose heart was broken countless times, whose dreams were shattered, whose life became that of an orphan, a destitute vagrant"could he not also look to the ruins of his life, the culprits behind the destruction of his world"a handful of Jews"and feel unadulterated hatred""
Abstract This paper examines how Baldur von Schirach was among the major war criminal defendants at the first Nuremberg trial. He was a Nazi politician and former head of the Nazi youth movement. It looks at how, while some of the defendants were acquitted, and others sentenced to death, Baldur von Schirach was among four of the defendants whose sentences ranged from 10-20 years, with Schirach receiving a 20-year sentence. In order to determine whether Baldur von Schirach received a fair trial, it provides an analysis of the events that led up to Schirach's prosecution at Nuremberg and an assessment of the proceedings of the trial, followed by a summary of the research in the conclusion.
From the Paper "Baldur von Schirach was among the four defendants who were sentenced to terms of imprisonment ranging from 10 to 20 years; the others included Karl D"nitz , Albert Speer, and Konstantin von Neurath. Three of the Nuremberg defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment (Rudolf Hess, Walther Funk , and Erich Raeder) and twelve others were sentenced to death by hanging; ten of them (Hans Frank, Wilhelm Frick , Julius Streicher, Alfred Rosenberg, Ernst Kaltenbrunner, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Fritz Sauckel, Alfred Jodl, Wilhelm Keitel, and Arthur Seyss-Inquart, were hanged on October 16, 1946. Martin Bormann was tried and condemned to death in absentia, and Hermann G"ring committed suicide before he could be executed) (Penrose 2003)."
