Abstract This paper will focus on this process of depersonalization through the experience of Primo Levi which is documented in "Survival in Auschwitz: The Nazi Assault on Humanity". Initially, the techniques that the Nazi's used to depersonalize their victims will be explored. Subsequently, Levi's response to this process will be considered. Specifically, its impact on him, his responses to it and their effectiveness will be assessed.
Abstract This paper presents the topic of racism as the world developed from the turn of the century, through two world wars, and into the modern and developed Western world today. The paper begins with a reference to Charles Darwin's theory of "Natural Selection" or "Survival of the Fittest" and uses this to explain how racism came about. The writer then mentions Hitler's form of racism as possibly the greatest example of the extent of racism in the 20th century. The writer connects the two theories of Darwin and Hitler as subscribing to the superiority of one race over any other.
From the Paper "Charles Darwin was the first person to propose the theory of "natural selection" and "Survival of the fittest" by which he explained the inner workings of nature to either help sustain or eliminate a species. According to the theory it is the design of nature to sustain the healthy and the strong so that best of species survive to create a stronger progeny. The theory of evolution explains the alteration in characteristics of species over a period of time to survive the adverse conditions. Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest has been much espoused by political leaders and it has been used extensively to support and explain their colonial and imperialistic tendencies. Even some religious leaders used Darwin's theory to explain racial and religious superiority. The writings of Josiah Strong, the protestant reformer of the ninetieth century clearly echoes his belief of the superiority of the Anglo Saxon race."
Abstract This paper explains why the movie and the book, "Schindler's List," while not conforming to typical Hollywood formula films, is nonetheless a great work of art and why it so successfully delivers its intended message. The paper analyzes the main character, Oskar Schindler, and Liam Neeson's portrayal of that character and examines how they so effectively make viewers and readers question, not so much why Schindler acted in the moral and ethical manner that he did, but why the rest of the German citizens didn't.
From the Paper "In the novel Schindler's List by Thomas Kenneally, the story of the Holocaust is told from a dual point of view--that of the Jewish people who are downtrodden, rounded up and taken to camps, murdered and degraded by the Nazis, and that of the German industrialist who takes it upon himself to save a large number of Jewish people from their fate. The question raised by the book is not as much why does he do this as why does everyone else not. Some of the reasons have been given before--many of the most culpable, the Nazi bureaucrats who assisted directly in the deportation and murder of millions of people, argued that they were under orders and had no choice, and they pleaded during their trials that they had all acted under orders. The novel and the film both tell the story of a man who did not leave it to others and who saw it as a personal need to do what he could to alleviate if not change the situation. Much of the critical response to the film has centered on issues related to this central character and to why he acted as he did."
Abstract This paper explores the tactics and tribulations that American propaganda employed and faced during World War II against the Nazis. Comparisons are given at the beginning of the paper with just how effective the Nazi propaganda machine was in destroying a nation's morale before military action and how this clearly weighed on the minds of American political leaders at the time. Quotes and excerpts are given throughout the paper from declassified documents from the OSS and OWI, all lending credence to the idea that America's first priority in terms of propaganda was eliminating the concept of an all-powerful Nazi state. The latter half of the paper gives specific examples and discusses them all in great detail. American film, radio broadcasts, posters, cartoons, and magazine ads are all examined and given as proof of how American propaganda sought to dehumanize and discredit the Nazi regime in order to strengthen the will to fight the Nazis. The concept of morality is heavily discussed, with many propaganda examples containing an idea of American superiority over Germany.
From the Paper "When Adolf Hitler declared war on the United States on December 11th, 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, America was confronted with the prospect of fighting a war in both Europe and Asia. A stream of propaganda against the United States followed the declaration of war from Nazi Germany, and America responded throughout the war with equally strong propaganda that could be found in a variety of mediums. From the traditional war posters, the more modern idea of magazine ads and the growing influence of Hollywood, American propaganda was vital in winning the war against Nazi Germany by strengthening the public's resolve at home and weakening the Nazis psychological grip over Europe."
Abstract This paper discusses the psychological techniques that Hitler and the Nazis used during the 1930s to assume control in Germany and maintain order until their defeat in 1945. The paper breaks down several sociological and psychological concepts such as obedience, conformity, the power of iconic symbols, national pride, and the authority of a centralized ideal over the individual. The paper demonstrates that the Nazis were adept at creating an environment in which the wounded German psyche, crippled from harsh treatment from the Versailles Treaty and foreign oppression, was able to restore its strength under the symbol of the swastika. While many Germans understood that the Nazis were perhaps corrupt and performing cruel actions against their fellow man, particular psychological elements that the Nazis installed upon their rise to power in the 1930s prohibited any individual from opposing their rule. The last part of the paper discusses how many Germans felt that following the Nazis was a way for them to restore the pride they had lost, and Hitler capitalized on this feeling with great effectiveness. There is also a brief description of the tactics that Goebbels used in using his Propaganda Ministry to keep the German masses completely under the heel of Nazi brutality.
From the Paper "The inclination of human beings within any society to design and accommodate a government that protects their rights as citizens normally is considered top priority for any culture or ethnic group. Throughout history, societies have been influenced by many sociological factors that dictate what system of government they install, or in some cases, governments that are installed for the public by an authoritarian ruler. Nowhere in the annals of human existence can this forced subjugation of the masses be seen more clearly then in Nazi Germany, beginning in 1933 and ending after the Allied victory at Berlin in 1945. This particular case is peculiar however, for not only were the majority of citizens in Germany at the time willing to comply with Hitler's tyrannical government, but many individuals actively participated in the horror that was the Nazi regime. The question behind the German populace's compliance has been explained from the political and economic perspectives countless times, but the most interesting aspect of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich is from a sociological point of view."
Tags: adolf, authority, germany, goebbels, hitler, ii, impact, obedience, propaganda, psychological, war, world
Abstract This paper discusses Hitler's influence on Germany from the mid-1920s to the mid-1930s. It explores the sources of his influence and why he was initially successful. The author describes the Post World War I conditions in Germany. The paper expands on Hitler's successful use of radio & propaganda films in order to establish a Third Reich.
Discussion of the Holocaust centering on Hannah Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem" examining both age old anti-Semitism in Germany and the banality or ordinariness of Hitler's bureaucratized system of annihilation.
1,535 words (approx. 6.1 pages), 3 sources, 2002, $ 50.95
Abstract This paper is based on Hannah Arendt's "Eichmann in Jerusalem". It discusses two views of the Holocaust: one that the perpetrators were Germans nurtured on a centuries old anti-Semitism tradition; and another that the perpetrators were ordinary people, caught up in a bureaucratized system of annihilation that encouraged unthinking complicity that made this evil seem banal or ordinary because everyone was going along with it. That these two views are easily reconciled is the thesis of the paper. Elie Wiesel's "Night" and Michael Dobkowski's "Genocide and The Modern Age" are used to supplement discussion of Arendt's treatment of the trial of Adolf Eichmann.
From the Paper "It is true that the Holocaust was perpetrated by Germans with a long history of pervasive inhumane anti-Semitic views. It is also valid to say that the Holocaust was facilitated by banal acceptance of a bureaucratized system of annihilation. With centuries of hatred, and barbarous treatment of Jews as precedent, it was easy for the Germans to move on to state sanctioned systematized slaughter. Those whose upbringing had taught them to hate Jews, might move quickly into positions of power in the Third Reich. Others who weren?t capable of thinking for themselves, saw everyone else, including those they respected and admired supporting Hitler's answers to the Jewish question. A long tradition of anti-Semitism joined with unthinking complicity to escalate the banality of evil. As evil progressed through stages of classification, ghettoization, deportation, and concentration to eradication, it was just another step in the progression of dehumanization for those who had forgotten the unity of the human community."
Abstract This paper reviews the history leading up to the Holocaust and the Holocaust itself. The author feels that the Holocaust is not just a tragedy for the Jews, but for all people. The author states that the Holocaust may have been somewhat easier for active believers in the Jewish faith.
From the Paper "We think of the Holocaust, of the slaughter of innocents on a before-unimaginable scale, as something that happened to the Jews of Eastern Europe. And unless we ourselves are of Eastern European Jewish ancestry, we find this assignment of the unimaginable horrors of this era to bring us a sense of at least some psychological relief. It was a terrible thing, of course, but we can place some distance between ourselves and such an atrocity."
Historical overview of anti-Semitism from Middle Ages to end of WWII, focusing on Germany & U.S. from 1900 to end of WWII. Assimilation, immigration, ghettoization, politics, religion and law.
1,800 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 5 sources, 1997, $ 63.95
From the Paper "At the beginning of the twentieth century, antisemitism was openly espoused everywhere in the Western world, even in the most respectable circles, to a degree that cannot easily be appreciated today. In consequence, Jews throughout Europe and the United States lived in a state of uncertainty, usually "tolerated" but seldom fully accepted. In the course of the following forty years, European and American Jewry would experience radically different fates. Nazi Germany would attempt to exterminate the Jews of Europe, and would succeed in killing some six million of them. At the same time, American Jews would move more nearly into the mainstream of national life than perhaps any other Jewish community in the Western world. The following discussion will compare the dramatically divergent experiences and fates of the Jewish communities in Germany and.."
Abstract Fascism is arguably the most influential and controversial political ideology in modern history and continues to be a fascinating topic for political study and discussion. The paper shows that ,despite fascism's worldwide existence and its responsibility for the development of numerous groups and political movements, Germany remains only one of two countries (the other being Italy) in which the ideology of fascism has enjoyed the success of political power. The paper shows that although there is very little consensus amongst political scientists and academics on many issues of fascism, there is a general agreement that the success of fascism in Germany was not due to any singular, or isolated, factor. Rather, it prospered as a result of Germany possessing the ideal combination of a strong national identity, a well-developed system of public persuasion and propaganda, and an existing government that was too weak and unstable to provide effective resistance against social and economic crisis. Therefore, although the accepted opinion is that German fascism was an evil and isolated abhorrence that was ended forever by the Allied victory in World War II, this paper proposes that its success was achieved through a set of political, social and economic conditions that could occur in any country, at any time.
From the Paper "Yet, despite achieving power on the basis of overwhelming popularity among the German public, it became immediately apparent that German fascism intended to control all aspects of national life, ensuring that their patriotic propaganda was able to permeate every area of German society with little resistance (Brady, 1969). Hitler's powerful personal charisma, aided by his meticulously organized public appearances and the saturation of everyday life with Nazi symbols, posters and indoctrination, established him as the infallible, heroworshiped savior of the German people (Payne, 1995). Despite the fact that his repressive totalitarian regime had abolished many of their basic liberties, and that every area of their lives was pervaded and controlled by state police organizations (Berwick, 23), many of the German people responded with uncritical loyalty to their leader and a frightening willingness to obey all state issued directives. The Nazification of German society was greatly assisted by the efforts of the Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda under the control of Joseph Goebbels, which was highly effective at promoting the fascism regime as a welloiled Nazi machine (Eatwell, 111), by means of mass rallies, military parades, and sophisticated manipulation and censorship of the media. Such was the appeal of the fascist philosophy and propaganda that, in Germany in particular, the majority of people were willing to sacrifice their individual freedoms and ambitions for the greater good of their nation."
Abstract Examines Zionism during the period of 1942-1945. Argues that Zionism during this time has been marked by a disregard for the events in Europe. Concern of Zionists for their cause over the plight of European Jewry. Zionists collabortion with Nazis to achieve their political aims. Brief discussion of Zionism in general.
From the Paper "HISTORY OF ZIONISM DURING THE HOLOCAUST
The history and roots of the Holocaust go back a long way. While the industry of death and destruction did not operate before 1942, its roots were firmly established in the 19th century. Jewish aspirations for emancipation emerged out of the national struggles in Europe. When the hopes for liberation through democratic change were dashed, other alternatives for improving the lot of the Jews in Europe achieved prominence.
It is the purpose of this paper to examine the history of Zionism during the period of the Holocaust (1942-1945) and suggest that this ..."
Abstract This paper examines the comic book "Maus" by Art Spielegman and analyzes how its portrayal of the history of the Holocaust is shown as subjective to its characters and relationships, mediated by time and memory. It looks at how Spielegman's task is challenging in its scope, in trying to grasp the human dimensions of an unfathomable experience of a Holocaust survivor. It evaluates how the medium of the comic strip aids in the creating a larger exposure to the story, as well as demonstrating the assembly of a history as a narrative through its use of inclusive interviews and interview methods.
From the Paper "Remembering is a construction of the past, clips of memory placed into frame. Maus examines the limitations of the techniques of recording experience, by engaging the problems of oral history and memory. The comic strip is a story about telling a story, the testimony of a witness to a significant historical event, as well as a telling of that event. Because it is only one man's story of the Holocaust, his interpretation is limited in the larger picture of the Holocaust. Yet it also becomes everyman's story due to the personalizing of the event, the ability an individual's story has to humanize and universalize. Artie discusses his father's romances, depression, things that would not otherwise be included or deemed important in a life history during a time of war and genocide. "
Abstract This paper looks at the responses of the American public, press and government to the Holocaust in Europe during World War II. It discusses whether the U.S. government did enough to stop the genocide of over six million Jews. It shows how the U.S. government did very little to stop Hitler, how the press made little effort to give the proper coverage and how this kept the public ill-informed and passive.
From the Paper "The purpose of this paper is to examine the responses of the American public, press and government to the Holocaust in Europe during World War II and to ask the question: Did the U.S. do enough to stop the genocide to over six million Jews?. The answer is simple: no. The U.S. government did very little to stop Hitler, the press made little effort to give the proper coverage and that in turn kept the public ill-informed and they acted very passively. There were different responses and actions taken by the U.S. While President Roosevelt had good intentions, he failed to help the Jews in Europe. The State Department of the U.S. took many actions to actually hinder the efforts of the people and government officials. The civilians of the United States were very passive towards relief of the victims of the Holocaust. However, there were some individuals, Jewish and non-Jewish alike, that made incredible efforts to do anything that they could. But over all, not enough was done to help the victims of the Holocaust."
Abstract This paper examines how the Holocaust has been a central event in shaping identity for survivors and their children, as well as in some ways the identities of other 20th century and 21st century Jews, creating for some at least a sense of identity that is almost ethnocentric. It compares the identity of those Jews living in the "Diaspora" with those living in the State of Israel.
From the Paper "Much about Jewish identity has been changed forever as a result of the Holocaust. One of these fundamental changes has been the fact that Judaism has become a non-European religion; its three major centers (which together include more than three-fourths of world Jewry) are Israel, the Slavic region of the former Soviet Union, and the United States. (Although Jews constitute only a small fraction of the population of the United States, Judaism occupies a role far surpassing its numerical importance and is regarded with Roman Catholicism and Protestantism as one of the major American faiths.) To be Jew in the post-Holocaust world is thus to have to incorporate into one's sense of identity the sense of being part of a people scattered irrevocably far from one's homeland (Hartmen, 2000, p. 38). Thus, even for those who are secular in their beliefs and who have (for example) no idea of ever living anywhere but in California, there is the abiding sense of being part of a Diaspora, of being part of a people defined by the broken apart and sent in to exile."
Abstract This paper offers a review and summary of this book which is an analysis of the complex personality of Adolph Hitler. It looks at the way in which Hitler managed to use the perfect opportunities available to him to rise to power within a few years in Germany. It questions why and how he was able to gain so much support and glory from the people, and how, through Hitler's personality and charisma, he rose to heights he never expected.
From the Paper "Was Hitler an evil genius? Was he truly the one and only person whose quest for power brought on World War II, and the slaughter of millions on the battlefields and in concentration camps and in bombed-out cities? The answer has to be No! Despite the fact that he lusted for power, that he even described in "Mein Kampf" what he had hoped to accomplish, he was merely the right person at the right time, in the right place. It might well have been some other charismatic leader who was determine to avenge what he conceived to be the "wrongs" done Germany at the end of World War I. What Hitler was able to accomplish in his early years -- meaning the Nineteen Twenties, was to take advantage of the German mood, and the unhappiness of the German army, now in disarray. He was also able to take full advantage of internal strife among the various German states, Bavaria, especially. This seems somehow strange, since Bavaria was a Catholic state. Yet, Hitler and some of his comrades craftily brought out the Communist threat (something that he continued until the very end). There had been a number of attempted Communist uprisings that had been suppressed. But, while politics were only one of his causes, he made the most of Germany's economic plight- high unemployment, inflation, and a general unhappiness and malaise that spread through the entire country. In one of his early speeches he said: "Until the present day, the half-hearted and lukewarm have remained the curse of Germany"For liberation, something more is needed than an economic policy? (p.95)."
