This paper reviews political theorist Hannah Arendt's book "Eichmann in Jerusalem", which is based on the trial of Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Israel in 1961.
1,025 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 0 sources, 2005, $ 36.95
Abstract This paper explains that Hannah Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem" follows the trial chronologically, dealing primarily with the trial, Eichmann as a person and especially the treatment of Jews to "solve" the Jew issue in Germany during the rule of Hitler. The author points out that Arendt asserts that the primary driving force of Adolf Eichmann, who had no personal hatred against Jews, was his wish for a career in the Third Reich; therefore, on this premise, Arendt suggests that a holocaust such as the one in Germany could have happened anywhere, and could happen again. The paper relates that the subtitle of the book, "A Report on the Banality of Evil", gives the reader an interesting idea that Arendt's view of evil is banality, which can be prevented by rational thought.
From the Paper "Of particular interest is the section dealing with Eichmann's personality. What makes this interesting is that Hannah Arendt does not assume the role of psychoanalyst when writing about him. She merely presents him as he is through his actions and his words. Thus, the reader is introduced to an unexceptional man who willingly became involved in the merciless killing of millions. It is similarly interesting and also horrifying to note that even while on trial, Eichman showed absolutely no remorse for his actions. His main regret is his inability to further his Third Reich career."
Abstract This paper explains that Elie Wiesel's "Night" is a harrowing tale of a young boy and his father, who are shipped from their home in Sighet, Transylvania, to the Nazi death camps in Auschwitz and later Buchenwald. The author points out that, while the story is presented as fiction, the book is a true account of Wiesel's experiences as a Jew during the Second World War, demonstrating one boy's struggle with his faith in a world where God has seemed to abandon him: Does God exist for modern man? The paper relates that, even the writing form - short excerpts, vivid details, almost like dreams and snapshots - emphasizes the emotional charge of the bleak "endless night" of the concentration camp experience, which transforms the human individual into an animal being; however, in the incessant lamentation and anger that accompanies Wiesel's theological doubt, there is always an element of faith that springs forth.
Table of Contents
Thesis
Critique
Summary Paragraph
From the Paper "The absence of God crushes Wiesel's soul as much as the horror around him. He feels the need to find God, to explain why God is so silent. The question repeats itself throughout the book: "Where is God now?" It is followed by the more specific: "What are you, my God?...What does your greatness mean?" Unable to reconcile his belief in a caring, merciful God with his real-life experience of a silent, negligent God, Wiesel turns to his father. His deepest concern in life is to remain close to his father, to not be separated by the constant "selection" of the SS officers, to not let his father become physically weak or to die and leave Wiesel alone. When on the way to Buchenwald he thinks that his father has died, he feels a meaninglessness pervade him and says "there was no more reason to live, no more reason to struggle.""
Tags: writing-form, theological-doubt, faith, concentration-camp, boy
The Romani involvement in the Holocaust is discussed along with their pre-war and post war treatment. Arguments are reviewed regarding their status as true victims of the Holocaust.
Abstract A thorough research paper that discusses the treatment of the Roma (Gypsies) during the Holocaust, and the controversy that surrounds the way they are remembered in the Holocaust. The paper details the Nazi logic leading to the Holocaust, the targets of the Holocaust and the arguments of the debate on whether or not Romanies should be considered true victims of the Holocaust.
Paper Outline:
Background
Leading up to the Holocaust
Nazi Logic
Targets of the Holocaust
The Holocaust
Treatment of Jews and Roma during the Holocaust
Post World War Two Treatment
Roma Minimization in the Holocaust
Holocaust Controversy
From the Paper "Proponents of Roma exclusion as victims of the Holocaust point to the overall death rates as proof that the Roma were not targeted for total annihilation. Research by Brenda and James Lutz offers an explanation for the discrepancy in the number of deaths. They attribute the difference in death counts to location. Their research has found that in areas under direct Nazi control, Gypsies and Jews were eliminated in equal proportions. The difference in death counts are found in areas that were not under direct occupation by the Nazis. Fortunately for the Roma, the majority lived in such places were the government refused to cooperate in the Nazis plane to eliminate the Gypsies and Jews."
Abstract This paper analyzes the role of the Vichy Police in France during the Second World War, including its relationship with Nazi Germany and its treatment of the French Jewish community. The author concludes the paper by summarizing what happened to Vichy police officers after the end of the war.
General Background on the Activities and Actions of the French Police in Vichy France
How Vichy Police Were Affiliated with the Germans
How They Treated the Jewish Population
The Relationship between Marshal Petain and the Police Department
What Happened after the War to Members of the Police Department
From the Paper "Despite presence of German security forces and Nazi police in Vichy France, the regular Vichy police force was a state-run apparatus that managed to maintain its strength throughout the Occupation while sacrificing much of its autonomy. The Germans continually attempted to establish parallel administrative divisions within the French police in order to successfully carry out their policies of eradicating the Jews, yet as the war progressed, the Germans became heavily reliant on the Vichy police to do their grunt work. Thus, as Vichy gained new specialized police forces and greater power, it also gained a greater responsibility in upholding the German war-making interests."
This paper reviews Abram and Joseph Korn's "Abe's Story: A Holocaust Memoir", a story not only of murderous actions and mass genocide but also a story of survival.
Abstract This paper explains that, after Abram Korn's death in 1972, his son Joseph began compiling and editing his father's writings to be published as a reminder to the world of the atrocities which occurred during the Holocaust and to serve as an example of his father's will, determination and human strength. The author points out that the story relates the survival of Abram Korn, who, during the entire war, was a Jewish prisoner inside various ghetto's, concentration and work camps and the Death March from Auschwitz. The paper relates details of his life during the Holocaust, from the daily life inside the ghetto, which called for extreme patience with extremely long lines to get food, water and even to be buried, to, finally, after many concentration camps, the afternoon of April 11, 1945, when out of the blue, Abram heard singing coming from outside his barracks and soon witnessed German solders being bound together and brought in front of the prisoners, helpless for the first time.
From the Paper "In the early morning hours of September 1, 1939, Abram Korn, along with many Polish citizens, was awoke by the sound of air raid sirens as Hitler's air force, the Luftwaffe, began their invasion of Poland marking the start of WWII. "Even though the number of injured in this initial attack was relatively small, the bombing foreshadowed a war that would destroy millions of people and would touch uncounted lives with misery" (Korn). Soon after the invasion Abram and his family were deported from Lipno to the Kutno Ghetto."
Abstract The European Jews were the primary victims of the Holocaust. During the Holocaust over 6 million Jews from all over Europe were annihilated by the Nazi death machine. The paper questions why European Jews allowed themselves to be led to their death, despite their innocence of wrongdoing and why they not resist. The paper examines two responses to this question. One response includes psychological, historical, religious and tactical reasons. A second response is that in fact there were instances of resistance and the paper uses the uprising in Sobibor death camp as an example of Jewish resistance.
From the Paper "The inmates interred in the camps as workers were almost totally focused on simply surviving; chronic starvation robbed concentration camp inmates of their physical strength. There were uprisings in the camps, but they were rarely successful. Those attempting to resist faced almost impossible odds. It was much more difficult for resistance fighters to organize themselves and engage in armed resistance activities because they were completely exposed to the camp administration, the guards, and unofficial collaborators among the concentration camp inmates. The Nazis also used the principle of collective responsibility against the concentration camp inmates, punishing groups of inmates for the acts of one or a few individuals in a group."
Abstract This paper studies the actions and decisions of the Vichy government in France during World War II. The author of this paper asserts that French anti-Semitism -- particularly toward non-French Jews -- rivaled even that of the Nazi's. The paper chronicles specific decisions, including deportation orders, against children and the elderly, in particular. The author also looks at cultural and societal anti-Semitism, as manifested in posters/advertisements and public demonstrations.
From the Paper "Three episodes involving Jewish children are remembered: The first and largest was the roundup at the Velodrome d'Hiver, where more than 4,000 Jewish children were arrested and kept in this cycling venue of the Paris region. "It was carried out exclusively by the French police in the summer of 1942. "None of the thousands of children deported following these police raids survived." The second was a roundup of Jews in Lyon, headed by the now infamous Klaus Barbie. They took 44 Jewish children, all of which were murdered. The third episode was the raiding of Jewish Children's homes in the Paris area. This happened shortly before the liberation of Paris. 250 children were seized, deported and murdered, only weeks before Paris was freed."
Abstract This paper examines how the justification for Nazi programs involving involuntary euthanasia, forced sterilisation, eugenics and human experimentation were strongly influenced by views about human dignity. It looks at how the historical development of these views should be examined today because discussions of human worth and value are integral to medical ethics and bioethics. It discusses how social Darwinism was foremost amongst the philosophies impacting views of human dignity in the decades leading up to Nazi power in Germany and how Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory was quickly applied to human beings and social structure.
Outline
Abstract
Background
Major Influences
Malthusianism
Herbert Spencer
Natural Selection
Hereditary
Eugenics
The Path to Nazi Medicine
Five Beliefs and their Impact on Bioethics
The Nature of Ethics
Human Distinctiveness
Human Gradation
Life Not Worth Living
Survival Of The Fittest
Inherent Human Dignity
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Social Darwinism was foremost amongst the philosophies impacting views of human dignity in the decades leading up to Nazi power in Germany. Charles Darwin's evolutionary theory was quickly applied to human beings and social structure. The term 'survival of the fittest' was coined and seen to be applicable to humans. Belief in the inherent dignity of all humans was rejected by social Darwinists. Influential authors of the day proclaimed that an individual's worth and value were to be determined functionally and materialistically. The popularity of such views ideologically prepared German doctors and nurses to accept Nazi social policies promoting survival of only the fittest humans. A historical survey reveals five general presuppositions that strongly impacted medical ethics in the Nazi era. These same five beliefs are being promoted in different ways in contemporary bioethical discourse. "
Abstract The writer of this paper asks and answers the question about WWII, Hitler and the Nazis: Could it all have been prevented? According to William L. Shirer's book "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" the author states that it was Hitler and no one else who brought both triumph and tragedy to the German people and the rest of the free world. This informative paper contains detailed historical facts of how the war began and the major characters and countries involved.
From the Paper "Shirer sees 1942 as a real turning point against Germany. Of course, the U.S. declared war against Germany after Pearl Harbor, but American troops would not be a major factor until General Montgomery defeated Rommel's panzer divisions at El Alamein in the desert of Egypt. Slowly but surely, Allied forces forced the German north Afrika Korps back until they had to abandon all of their positions. Next, would come the American invasion of Sicily, and then, Italy. Of course, all this time, Allied bombers were blasting targets in Germany. But, the Germans had one final weapon- V-1 and V-2 rockets which did a lot of damage in Britain. Again, it is important to remember that this is a book about the Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, not a moment-to-moment description of the war itself."
Tags: world, war, 2, adolf, hitler, holocaust, anti, semitism, jew, europe, germany, russia, joseph, stalin, history
This paper reviews and discusses Holocaust survivor and author Eli Wiesel's 1960 novel "Night" which has become required reading in most U.S. high schools.
Abstract The writer of this paper details the horrors of the Holocaust, and Auschwitz in particular, in Eli Wiesel's novel "Night." The writer also examines whether parts of Wiesel's writings are autobiographical, as it's clear the author struggled with his memories and tried to set apart some scenes he would write about whereas others remain locked in his own memory.
From the Paper "Time and time again, the book brings us back to Wiesel's feelings and comments about God. He occasionally seems to give up on any hope for humanity. But, he retains his faith in his Jewish heritage. This, of course, happened to Elie the novel's narrator, and to Wiesel the actual writer and humanist today. In looking at the copyright date, 1960, it is obvious that Wiesel struggled with his memories and tried to set apart some scenes he would write about and others that would remain locked in his own memory. Still, he has no master plan in what he has decided to write about and just how intimately he is willing to share the Truth as he lived it, with the reader who can only imagine the awfulness of all those years."
Tags: book, novel, holocaust, auschwitz, birkenau, concentration, camp, nazi
Abstract This paper focuses on two books written by Art Spiegelman depicting the impact both during and after the Holocaust. Spiegelman's books represent an unerringly earnest attempt at the history of the 1930s and 1940s in Poland as experienced by Vladek Spiegelman, a survivor of Auschwitz and the author's father. The writer of this paper examines the author's unique style of writing which has been described as a comic strip about the Holocaust with Jews as mice, Germans as cats and Poles as pigs. This paper also discusses the critics and survivors who took offense at the author's sometimes humorous representation of the Holocaust.
From the Paper "The use of the comic strip as a medium is a way for Spiegelman to deal with his emotions, both on the subject matter and with his father, in a way with which he is comfortable. This is a common psychological approach, especially with someone who is artistically inclined. The use of animals allows Spiegelman to a certain degree disassociate from the gravity and brevity of the situation. It is easier to deal with the subject matter if they are represented by animals than actually telling the story in terms of experiences of human beings."
Tags: book, review, humor, holocaust, survivor, auschwitz, poland, history, war
Abstract This paper explains how Adolf Hitler was able to take advantage of inherent weaknesses in the Weimar Republic and the burdens created for Germany by the Treaty of Versailles to eventually wrest the German presidency away from Paul von Hindenburg. The paper also describes how Hitler used propaganda and efficient organizational methods to generate support for his leadership as well as how he was able to use the worldwide depression of the times to further advance his goals.
From the Paper "The Weimar Republic had inherent weaknesses, which combined with economic strife and early political challenges to create a high level of instability. This allowed radical political groups to rise to prominence and Hitler's forceful Nazi Party was especially able in making an impact by exploiting the Republic's weaknesses. At the end of World War I Germany underwent a rapid political restructuring. Following this transition from authoritarian monarchy to democratic republic, Weimar Germany immediately began to display weaknesses that it could never fix. Clouds surround the way democracy was instituted, there were flaws in the constitutional and party system, and the republic had difficulty in gaining acceptance for many reasons."
Abstract This paper traces the roots of modern nationalism back to the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars and describes how its ideologies affected Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. The writer of this paper defines nationalism as the right of every citizen and every nation to exist in freedom and to develop its own singularity. The strongest catalyst for European nationalism emerged in the 19th century with the industrial revolution. This paper examines the pros and cons of modern nationalism and discusses how the central European revolution of 1848 sparked a bonfire of nationalism. This paper also explores the effects of nationalism during Hitler's reign.
From the Paper "For modern nationalism was born in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Effectively controlled by the French republic during the Reign of Terror, nationalism helped repel France's foreign foes. Meanwhile, all across Europe, patriots tried to kindle nationalist flames in the war against Napoleon. So by 1815 there were already clues of how nationalism could spread and quickly develop. During this early age of nationalism, its proponents usually believed that every nation, like every citizen, had the right to exist in freedom and to develop its singularity."
Abstract This paper presents a highly positive review of Elie Wiesel's novel, "Night", explaining that the book is the most riveting and inspiring of his works, as well as the most profound and heart-wrenching of all the works written on the subject.
From the Paper "He describes in vivid detail his fight for survival from the time he and his family were deported along with the other inhabitants of Sighet in Transylvania in 1944. During the next few months he and his father endured the degradation and fear of the concentration camps after watching his mother and sisters be led off to their deaths in the ovens at Birkenau. The two survived a year of labor in Auschwitz and Buna before finally being moved to Buchenwald, as the Germans were on the run from the Allied front. Wiesel was liberated by Allied forces who entered Buchenwald in 1945, days after the death of his father."
Abstract This paper discusses aspects of the Holocaust with particular focus on Karl Adolf Eichmann (1906-62), a Nazi official responsible for the execution of millions of Jews during World War II. The paper looks at how his decisions about which Jews would be allowed to emigrate (and later, which Jews would be sent to their deaths) affected society and how his eventual capture influenced the way in which the world thought about horrible war crimes and the people who committed them. The paper explains that Eichmann forever changed the course of history for millions during the war, and his trial changed the way sociologists, psychologists, and historians would think about Hitler's executioners.
From the Paper "Eichmann could not have impacted history on his own: that is one of the facts that caused such an impact. It had been commonly thought that only powerful men and women, either by great or by infamous deeds, could influence their communities and the world. Eichmann disproved this theory. He was a mild man who followed orders to the best of his ability and loyally attempted to serve his country well in a time of war. In effect, he acted according to accepted values and standards. When he was finally captured in 1960 and tried in Jerusalem, the world awaited the trial of a madman whose inherent evil nature would be revealed by the court. His years of hiding were over, and his mild nature was expected to drop from him like a curtain, exposing the moral corruption that allowed him to send millions to their deaths. Sociologists awaited a monumental event; survivors awaited answers, admissions of guilt before the law, and justice. None of these were forthcoming from the trial."
