A comparison of the practical differences between the Nuremberg Laws in Germany and the Jim Crow Laws in the United States and the racism upon which each of these legal systems was based.
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the Nuremberg Laws in Germany with the Jim Crow Laws in the United States. It discusses each of these areas of racial regulation in turn and then further examines the subtle distinctions and clear practical differences between the dangerous racism upon which each of these legal systems was based. The paper includes APA style footnotes but does not include a bibliography.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Jim Crow Laws in the United States and Nuremberg Laws in Germany
The Protection of Ethnic Purity: Similarities in Jim Crow and Nuremberg Laws' Regulation of Interracial Relationships and Underlying Legislative Intent
The Protection of Ethnic Purity: Contrast within in the Nuremberg and Jim Crow Laws on Interracial Relationships
Segregation in Education: Further Parallels in the Jim Crow and Nuremberg Laws
Segregation in Education: Contrasting Aspects of the Jim Crow and Nuremberg Laws
The Deprivation of Civil Rights: Similar Laws and Practices Causing "Civil Death" of African-Americans in the United States and Jews in Nazi Germany
The Deprivation of Civil Rights: The Final Solution and the Purely Aryan State, and Further Examples of Where Nuremberg and Jim Crow Differ
Conclusion
From the Paper "This huge disparity can be best explained by referring back to one of the most predominant differences in the purposes of the racially hierarchical systems in place in each country. The Jim Crow laws were passed because Southern state lawmakers were struggling to protect and preserve the white supremacy that they had always lived with, and prevent African-American advancement as a necessary part of this objective. Yet in Germany, the Nazi party's goal was always the total extermination of all undesirables, including Jews, and the legislative deprivation of citizenship was at least in some respects merely a means to that end. Finally, to go along with this fundamental difference, there is one last similarity between the racial laws of these countries: the painful memories of both the Holocaust and the Jim Crow era, and all of the violations of rights, liberties and freedoms that comprised both of these experiences, are certainly still fresh in the recollection of all nations involved, and are still highly prominent historical issues today even as those who lived through these events are increasingly no longer with us."
Abstract The paper analyzes Elie Wiesel's Holocaust recollections in his book "Night" with the goal of pinpointing the sociological realities that tend to breed genocide. The paper poses three central preconditions of genocide; the technological means of genocide, the role of propaganda and the role of extreme nationalism. The paper shows how Wiesel substantiates these preconditions of genocide in his book.
Outline:
Propaganda
The Mobilization of Technology
Nationalism
Never Again?
Conclusion
From the Paper "It would not be an exaggeration to write that Elie Wiesel's Night occupies a special place in the anthology of holocaust autobiographies. Of late, this short work has enjoyed a resurgence of sorts, and has skyrocketed to the top of numerous newspapers' bestselling lists. This paper, however, does not aim to delve into a literary analysis of the book--its inimitable style, its conciseness of language, and its mesmerizing refusal to lend itself to a clearly recognizable literary genre. This book, for all its concern with language and memory, is an autobiography that is grounded deeply in time and place--Poland of the Second World War. Wiesel's book, then, must be read as an autobiography of a Jewish man's appalling journey through that broken period. Consequently, it is up to the reader to make what he/she will of the work and to derive its sociological significance."
Abstract The paper discusses the concepts of genocide and ethnocide using the examples of the Holocaust and Rwanda. The paper looks at the effectiveness of the international community, specifically the Security Council and the United Nations General Assembly, in combating tragedies like Rwanda and at how the international community also failed European Jewry. The paper shows how international agreements and institutions are meaningless unless they have in place practical mechanisms that will make sure rogue states and individuals are held accountable for their actions.
From the Paper "Broadly stated, genocide is the commission of acts that intend to destroy (in whole or in part) a racial, ethnic, religious and/or national group. It involves the killing of members of the aforementioned groups and it involves causing physical harm and mental anguish to group members, as well. At the same time, genocide involves creating living conditions for members of a group that are designed to bring about the physical destruction of those individuals. Lastly, imposing measures to prevent births and forcibly transferring the children of the persecuted group to other communities to be raised by others are also forms of genocide (Ryan Jr., 114-115)."
Abstract The paper discusses how the education system in Germany just prior to and during WWII was very much controlled by the German party and describes how schools would feed constant propaganda to the students. The paper relates that membership in the Hitler Youth was compulsory for all teenagers and it would ultimately prepare the youths to become future Nazi leaders. The paper reveals that these teenagers would be used for the war effort, with thousands either left dead or wounded. The paper stresses how these young impressionable minds were faced with propaganda and caught up, unknowingly, in Hitler's fanaticism.
From the Paper "The early youth movement was part of the German Workers' Party which was founded in Germany in 1919. During Hitler's imprisonment the group failed during that time. Other groups were formed, but a large common unit did not exist. Other units still managed to exist until "Hitler banned all independent youth groups in 1933", Cassidy writes. (Cassidy, 1998) Hein furthers states that "In 1931, Baldur von Schirach was appointed Reich Youth Leader and one of his primary goals was to unify all of the different Nazi youth organizations." (Hein, 2005) The most common synonym for the Hitler Youth group after this period was Hitler-Jugend often referred to with just two letter, HJ."
Abstract This paper examines Primo Levi's "Survival in Auschwitz", which describes his personal experiences in the Auschwitz concentration camp. It discusses how, for Primo Levi, the strength and tenacity to withstand the terrors of the death camps had much to do with his physical and mental stamina, his scientific background as a chemist and perhaps his personal religious beliefs, which certainly helped other Jews to survive.
From the Paper "Without a doubt, Levi did indeed possess great luck, good, sturdy health and much spiritual strength upon entering Auschwitz and certainly retained these traits when he was released in 1945. Physically, Levi was a rather small man but possessed much body mass and strength as a result of climbing mountains as a hobby. He once declared that he "learned the virtues of resistance, endurance and sustenance in the mountains" and admitted that without these "virtues" he would not have been able to survive the death camp at Auschwitz (Pytell, "The Grey Zone: Viktor Frankl's Auschwitz"). Clearly, as a denizen of the Auschwitzian version of "Hell on Earth," Levi found himself dependent on these "virtues" in order to endure and overcome the horrible conditions at the camp and the never-ending taunting and coarse discipline of his Nazi inquisitors. "
A look at how the American Civil Rights Movement and the Nazi regime in Germany that led to the Second World War stand as examples of how social and political perspectives interact with each other.
Abstract The paper relates that the actions of the Nazi regime regime both internally and externally were justified by legal and political rule that gave justification to social segregation, war and even in principle, the holocaust. The paper then points out that, similarly, the Civil Rights Movement highlighted that despite social enlightenment regarding the equality of races, there has been little effect on the political and social representation of minorities in the U.S. The paper concludes that Martin Luther King's statement reminding that the legality of Hitler's actions in the war reflects how the law can be used to the disadvantage of society. This reflects that social conditions influence politics and legislation just as much as they affect society and the need for these various social institutions to check and balance each other.
Outline:
Introduction
Impact to society
Legal foundations as justification
Implications to the civil rights movement
Contemporary legal and political systems
Conclusion
:
From the Paper "According to Stychin and Mulcahy (2007), the establishment of legislation, aside from creating legitimacy for an action, also protects the action from legal consequences even if they interfere with civil or natural rights. In contemporary legal and judicial systems, there is an assumption of the law to take precedence. The only avenue in such settings otherwise is through the order of appeals or higher courts. Thus, the provision or availability of legal justification also implies the political support or justification of the action. At the same time, as illustrated in King's illustration of the right of African Americans to civil liberties, there is an assumption that the public can hold its political institutions accountable. "architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir" (King, 1963b)
This has significant implications to socio-political systems. Pattison and Evans (2006, p. 712) point out that public policies such as laws, "fundamentally change the relationships between citizens and their careers and among careers and the law and the state". This also implies that the law, which is separate from the system itself since it is defined by legislature, is the overriding component in the system (Unger, 1977). Thus, the law may not reflect what is just or equitable but more evidently political perspective of the state. This then requires active action to change and implement legislation through reform or social movements."
Tags: Nazi, Martin, Luther, King, Hitler, political, civil, rights, social
This paper takes a strong stance that both North American leaders and its people did little to aid the numerous Jewish refugees fleeing from Nazi Germany and Austria during WWII.
Abstract The author argues in this paper that one of the great moral blights on the face of Canada and the United States is their failure to act effectively in the face of the horror that Nazi Germany perpetrated against Jews before and during World War II. The author further states that both countries during this period were marked by vitriolic anti-Semitism and goes on to analyze the question of what the leaders of the United States and Canada stood for by refusing to consider the pleas of Jewish refugees for protection.
From the Paper "Within the government of Canada after the Liberal's accession to power in 1935, the Immigration Branch had been shuttled into the Department of Miner and Resources, under minister Frederick Charles Blair. The Immigration Branch was nominally headed by Thomas Creara, but effectively Blair gave the commands to Creara, and Blair was a rule-bound bureaucrat who firmly believed in protecting Canada from refugees, a group that to him meant Jews. (Abella & Troper, 7-8) Blair was anti-Semitic, a man of almost unbounded contempt for Jews, although he insisted in remarkable self-serving statements that he was innocent of all such sentiments and that his refusal to accommodate refugees was actually favorable to Jews, since they would only be despised by the Canadian populace (Abella & Troper, 8-9)."
Tags: anti-Semitic world war II, immigration Roosevelt Nazi
Abstract The paper discusses the extent to which the leaders of the United States and Canada refused to consider the pleas of Jewish refugees for protection during World War II. The paper portrays the vitriolic anti-Semitism present in both countries but shows how the Canadian leadership was more anti-Semitic than President Roosevelt of the United States. The paper still concludes that both countries failed to respond to the plight of Jewish refugees during World War II.
From the Paper "By 1938, few people with more than the most basic awareness of world events could doubt that Adolf Hitler represented a threat to the Jews of Europe. In February of that year, he assumed personal command of the German armed forces (Churchill 261). Days later, he invited Austrian Chancellor von Schuschnigg to Germany, and demanded what amounted to a capitulation of the Austrian government to the Austrian Nazi Party (Churchill, 262-65). It was clear that the Nazis intended to take over Austria, and that the Jewish population of Austria would be subjected to pogroms and expulsion (Gedye "Schuschnigg Visit" 4)."
Abstract The paper explores how so many of Germany's best and brightest young people could become swept up in the machinations of a hate-filled and destructive Nazi regime. The paper provides evidence to show that the Hitler Youth's members were very committed to the objectives of the Nazi government because of their integration with the SS, the SA and the frightfully brutal SS-Totenkopfverbande. The paper then discusses how the situation in pre-war Germany and German youth's exposure to wide-spread indoctrination made it easier for them to be implements of the Nazi regime.
From the Paper "As much as some might wish to deny it, there is strong evidence that the Hitler Youth (the Hitlerjugend or HJ) was well-integrated within the Nazi apparatus. For one thing, it was sometimes said within Nazi Party circles during the midst of the Second World War that the HJ actually walked in lock-step with Himmler's SS (Schutzstaffel). As if this involvement was not troubling enough, it appears as though the Hitler Youth was intimately associated with both the SA (Sturmabteilung) and the SS - though the SS influence and relationship did grow stronger over the course of the 1930s. In any case, the SA did begin training HJ members (under Hitlerjugend auspices) at the age of 17, thereby preparing them for military roles in the war just ahead (Rempel, 19-20)."
Abstract This paper discusses the genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda and how the United Nations failed to respond although their intervention was sought in both countries. The author finds that the U.S. was responsible for the removal of UN peacekeepers already in Rwanda, and posits that many lives could have been saved in both countries, had the U.S. taken the internal conflicts in both places seriously.
From the Paper "As with Rwanda, it is clear that the world knew what was happening, at least after a certain point, and yet failed to do all it could to stop the killing. Howard Adelman and Astri Suhrke find that those in charge of various agencies and stats did not know in the beginning that the Tutsis would be subject to genocide, though they did have the information that could have told them this would happen. These groups should have analyzed the data, drawn the proper conclusions, and then done something to prevent what occurred, but they did not, and the authors cite the failure of the UN in particular."
Abstract This paper explores the life and career of Adolf Hitler. The paper describes his youth and reluctance to join the army, at first. The paper then looks at his political influence in Germany. The paper also looks at his time as chancellor of Germany. The paper then discusses his leadership style and personal characteristics.
Outline:
Introduction
Political and Military Influence
Leadership Style
Characteristics Demerits
From the Paper "Adolf Hitler was inspired by the concept of Pan German-ism for the combination of "German peoples in various countries in Europe as well as look east for Lebensraum". Hitler annexed Austria in 1938, because the international community was extremely sensitive about the possibility of starting another world war. The annexure of Austria took place without any battle. However once he permitted the aggression of Poland by the German forces, the England and United States boycotted, which ultimately led to the World War II. Hitler then started a movement aimed at removal of Jewish community from German society, in this regarded Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht were implemented in 1935 and 1938 respectively. During the World War II, the Nazis established an intricate and rigorous system to work Jews as slaves and slay them."
Abstract The paper discusses Cornwall's research that discovered how the actions of specific men in the Vatican, most notably Pope Pius XII, actually enabled the tragedy of the Holocaust to occur. The paper emphasizes the assertion that Pope Pius XII was blinded from the moral duties of the Church he was sworn to defend. The paper is of the opinion that this book is an important reminder of how the Pope and so many other moral and political leaders remained impassive in the face of the horror that was the Holocaust.
From the Paper "John Cornwall's book entitled Hitler's Pope has a deliberately inflammatory title. Cornwall attempts to expose what he sees as the truth of the Vatican's role in Hitler's Final Solution. He does not believe that the doctrine of the Catholic Church itself supported Hitler's actions in the sense that anything about the true Christian or Catholic spirit could conceivably support the Nazi party's coming to power. He also acknowledges that many individual Catholics worked to thwart Hitler's rise. But Cornwall was moved to research the role of Pope Pious XII, troubled by long-standing allegations that through the Church's institutionalized silence during the war it was complacent in the horror that occurred--and he was horrified by what he discovered."
Abstract This paper explains that Oskar Schindler's wife considered him to be a philanderer, a gambler, a spendthrift, and a very bad businessman and yet, it was these very qualities that enabled him to save 1,100 Jews from the certain death that faced 6 million others. More specifically, the paper relates that, through his contacts, friends and enemies, and through bribery and deception and lots of vodka, Schindler, using his charming personality, saved the lives of the "Schindlerjuden". The paper describes Schindler's life, the way he and his wife saved their "Schindlerjuden" and his burial in the Catholic cemetery on Mt. Zion, Jerusalem, as per his wishes.
From the Paper "Here Schindler and his wife Emilie were able to care for their workers in an even better capacity. They worked hard and paid dear to get them what they needed: new eyeglasses, medicine, food, clothing -- all from the black market. Even when a young girl found herself pregnant, Schindler went to Brno and "bought the necessary surgical equipment, and the doctor in the camp made an abortion." When a Jewish worker died, he or she was buried with full, but secret, rites, despite Nazi rule that they be burned. All religious holidays were observed and celebrated with feasts provided by the Schindlers via the black market."
Abstract The paper discusses the 1930 United States Public Health Service's (PHS) study on the long-term effects of untreated syphilis, known as the Tuskegee experiment. The paper reveals the shocking ethical and
human rights violations and compares them to the horrific experiments conducted by the Nazis on concentration camp prisoners in the Holocaust. The paper notes that this study was authorized,
administrated and perpetuated by the highest levels of U.S. government. The paper discusses how, ironically, this experiment was practically worthless scientifically.
Outline:
The Tuskegee Experiments
Scientific Value
Ethical Analysis
From the Paper "In 1930, the United States Public Health Service (PHS) initiated a large study into the causes and treatments of syphilis and gonorrhea, which had to be substantially reduced in size and expense once the Great Depression took hold of the country shortly thereafter. Since insufficient funding was available for the original study, PHS officials scaled back the original study in 1932 and shifted its focus from treating the diseases to simply studying the long-term effects of untreated syphilis (Lehrer 1997)."
Abstract The paper discusses the criteria for the inclusion of literary works into the educational system and then raises the question of whether noted historian Elie Wiesel's "Night", based on the Holocaust, is a suitable choice. The paper elaborates on the many reasons for the inclusion of the book and concludes that the study of the Holocaust will address one of the central functions of the educational curriculum: how to be a responsible citizen.
From the Paper "On the English side of the curriculum, the reading of Elie Wiesel would be a question of whether it fits into the established literature curriculum. The purpose of teaching literature is not only to teach students to read but, more importantly, to expose them to a diverse array of variety in literature. Thus, most literature curriculums include a course on British literature, world literature American literature, and modern literature. Because Elie Wiesel is Romanian born and Jewish, reading his books in class could fit into the curriculum on the basis of exposing students to a particular ethnic and religious form of literature."
