Abstract This paper examines how Victor Frankl, in his book "Man's Search for Meaning", adds significantly to the literature written by survivors of the Holocaust. Before being sent to a concentration camp, Frankl was an internationally renowned psychiatrist, and he returned to this role once released. It looks at how his discussion of meaning in life carries particular power because of his experience and his demonstrated understanding of human psychology. It also discusses how he explains his own particular view of healing psychological problems, a method he calls logotherapy.
From the Paper "In the camps, Frankl demonstrated how man can live with almost no food, no water, and facing inhumane conditions, yet still survive. He developed the ability to nurture the mind and the soul when he could not nourish the body, learning to appreciate the beauties of art and nature as much as he could in the circumstances. He emphasizes at the outset that this book is a personal recollection and not a psychiatric treatise because "To attempt a methodical presentation of the subject is very difficult, as psychology requires a certain scientific detachment" (24). "
A review of the motivation behind Art Spiegelman's books "Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History" and "Maus: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began".
Abstract This paper analyzes the purpose and intent of Art Spiegelman's books "Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History" and "Maus: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began". The paper discusses the intensely personal side of the story and suggests that it tells a great deal about Spiegelman's motivations for creating these books. It discusses the themes and emotions that he reveals in the books.
From the Paper "When considering Art Spiegelman's books Maus: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History and Maus: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began, the reader twice asks, "Why did Art Spiegelman write these?" That is, the reader wonders what purpose Spiegelman hoped his books would serve, and what personally drove Spiegelman to write the books in the first place. Though related, these are two different questions. These books are very personal works that not only chronicle his father's experiences as a Jew in Poland during WWII, but also reveal "Artie's" struggles to relate to his father. The intensely personal side of the story tells a great deal about Spiegelman's motivations for creating these books; this aspect is about Artie. Yet clearly purpose of the books is not to tell Artie's story, but to tell Vladek's."
Abstract This paper examines Raul Hilberg and Christopher Browning's understanding of how the Holocaust happened. The paper discusses their claim that the Holocaust was not an exclusive event chosen by the German people due to their hatred for Jews, but was due to a combination of factors including the administrative smoothness of the operation, the impersonal quality of the killing and the belief that it had to do with the frailty of human beings in general. The paper concludes by refuting the argument presented by Daniel Goldhagen that the Holocaust was an exclusively German event. The paper uses MLA style footnotes but does not append a bibliography.
From the Paper "The pivotal question to the debate on the Holocaust is whether it could have happened only in Germany by ethnically German people, or whether it was a set of various factors that would produce the same results regardless of the ethnicity of the people. Hilberg argues that being German was irrelevant, and that such a thing could happen in any society even today. The Holocaust was not executed by the German people because of some deep-seeded German hatred for Jews, but instead was able to occur due to the vast German bureaucratic system. The "final solution" did not consist of a single department staffed with specialists in destruction, but instead it was a multi-pronged operation of a highly decentralized apparatus, which included all parts of German society, its ministries, armed forces, party formations, and industry."
Abstract The writer of this article points out that the anti-Semitic Nazi party, attempted to limit apparent Jewish dominance in German society and the economy through the implementation of specific polices. In this essay the writer tries to explain these policies and the reasons for their implementation, as well as the extent to which these policies were motivated by economic considerations. To achieve this aim the writer looks at the role of Hermann Goering in influencing Nazi Semitic policies and his development of the German economy from 1938 including the removal of Jewish business in an effort to create a 'Nazified' economy. The writer concludes that it can be said that anti-Semitic policies in the period 1933-39 were motivated more by the individual ideologies and subsequent political policies imposed by the founders of the Nazi party such as Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering and the high ranking political figures within the party establishment than economic influences. This paper uses MLA style footnotes but does not include a works cited page.
From the Paper "The removal of Jewish civil servants was personally ordered by Hitler in April 1933 and was accomplished relatively easily. Jewish persecution was increased in September 1933 with the passing of a Law banning Jews from Agriculture. However the impact of this law upon Jewish society within Germany was negligible because there were few Jews in the agricultural industry. Hitler's view was that Germany should be made by 'sweat and blood' pure and clean of Jewish influence. The events of 1933 and the increased anti-Semitic policies of the Nazi government were not motivated by economic issues despite some policies affecting economic areas. They were instead general policies with little impact, offered as token gestures by Hitler to satisfy not only his own beliefs, but also the demands of the right-wing fanatics within his own party who were calling for radical anti-Semitic action."
Abstract This paper studies the historical background leading to Adolf Hitler's rise to power and the tactics he used to maintain his power. The paper asserts that Hitler created a false sense of security in Germany, which allowed him to quickly rise to power and gain support of the people. It maintains that, through the rejection of the ideas of modernism and glorification of World War I, Hitler easily persuaded Germany to support him and everything that he stood for. The paper adds that the rise of Nazism in Germany allowed Hitler to become dictator. It concludes that Hitler's use of propaganda in particular allowed him to transform Germany from a country in ruin to a seemingly strong and thriving nation.
From the Paper "Another tool Hitler used to popularize himself was through the rejection of the ideas of modernism. Hitler rejected the new in hopes of reverting Germany back to its traditional ways. Modernism art before Hitler came to power represented Germany in a gruesome light. Hitler's goal was to symbolize the beauty of Germany in terms of racial purity, militarism, and heroism. Core values ruled over the thoughtful and philosophical. Many paintings images were very direct in their meanings of masculinity and power. Former modernist works were referred to as degenerate and either banned or put upon display for ridicule. For example, "Storm troops Advancing under Gas" by Otto Dix was a modernist painting that portrays the horrors of War."
Abstract This essay compares the Cambodian and Rwandan genocides to the Holocaust in Europe in the 1930s and 40s. The paper examines who the victims were in each instance as well as whom the perpetrators were that committed these heinous acts. The paper then looks look at the methods and mechanisms used to kill the victims and their degree of efficiency and how they differed in each instance compared to the Holocaust. The paper discusses the time frame and geographic locations, in order to understand the killings better. The paper also tries to explain why these genocides occurred. In conclusion, this paper shows that through methods such as fear and death, all three genocides accomplished the murder of the innocent for the ultimate goal of power none more then the Nazi Holocaust in Europe.
From the Paper "Throughout the twentieth century, many atrocities have been committed against various ethnic groups throughout the world. Some have been on a large mass scale, with extreme precision and efficiency, others were more primitive. These various scales can be looked at by means of the total number of people killed, the time span it took to kill and dispose of the bodies and the number of people removed forcibly from their homes and taken to other counties to be exterminated. The Holocaust in Europe was the most unique genocide in history. There have not been any other genocides that have been the same since the 1930/40s' massacres on the level of scale or precedence. The killing efficiency that was experienced in the Nazi death camps throughout Europe that claimed the lives of countless victims has not been seen since."
Abstract This paper analyzes and compares two examples of Holocaust literature: Anne Frank's famous book, "The Diary Of A Young Girl" and Elie Wiesel's Nobel Peace Prize winning book, "Night." The paper describes and compares the texts and styles of the books and further discusses the importance of the two texts in teaching the world about the events of the Holocaust.
From the Paper "The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank and Night by Elie Wiesel are two documents that allow humanity to enter into the world of the Holocaust and learn about the tragic events that took place. A common agreement among survivors and victims of the Holocaust is that there could never possibly be the exact language to describe the horrors that took place during this dark period in history. The two texts written by Frank and Wiesel, however, are literary texts that are able to give profound insight and information into what really did occur throughout the Nazi regime. Both authors give extraordinary accounts of their lives, which are unforgettable reminders of what humanity should never let happen again."
Abstract The paper shows how the Gestapo, the secret police of Germany during Hitler's reign, was one of the strongest tools used to control the German people. The paper explains that the Gestapo controlled the media, used a network of spies in order to repress subversives, forced family members to spy on each other and threatened those who would not cooperate, often using physical violence and blackmail. The paper relates further that because the Gestapo was not subject to judicial review and they had the liberty of incarcerating citizens without trial, their powers were limitless.
From the Paper "The Gestapo, or the Geheime Staatspolizei, first appeared in Berlin during the Weimar Republic. These political police originally served the Prussian government. When the Gestapo was taken over by the Germans, it was already a well-established organizational and bureaucratic mechanism, but from 1934 to 1939 the Gestapo expanded exponentially. When Hitler became the German chancellor in 1933, he named Hermann Goring the interior minister of Prussia, making Goring the head of the Prussian Political police. In the early days, Goring was in control of the Gestapo."
Abstract The paper discusses Elie Wiesel's "Night" and Art Spiegelman's "Maus", which are two highly acclaimed pieces of literature on the Holocaust. The paper compares both authors' goals and their styles of impacting their audience and points out the differences. The paper notes that despite the differences in goals and style, both works convey the hopelessness, compromised human civility and utter anguish of the Holocaust.
From the Paper "Libraries and bookstores are inundated with numerous accounts of the Holocaust. So many survivors have a story to tell, so many people have a point to make, and so many people simply want to try to understand the horror, or possibly help others understand it better. Elie Wiesel's Night and Art Spiegelman's Maus are two highly acclaimed pieces of literature which are saturated with the shocking richness and impossible to escape intensity of Holocaust works. Though each writer succeeds in accomplishing his goal, their goals do not correspond; their styles of impacting their audience are drastically different, as well. Importantly, both Wiesel and Spiegelman manage to thoroughly convey, in their literature, the hopelessness, compromised human civility, and utter anguish, of the Holocaust. Other than this important connection, the two authors are strikingly opposite."
Abstract This paper compares the ways that Malcolm X and the character, Eliezer from Elie Wiesel's book, "Night" deal with their oppression. It specifically discusses their faith and spirituality and how they use these in dealing with the oppression they experience. The paper suggests that in the face of unparalleled human suffering Eliezer was not able to use his faith to actively overcome his oppression, but rather, ultimately succumbed to it.
From the Paper "When Eliezer first came to the concentration camp and saw all the walking skeletons or the resigned and injured Jews, he could not believe that this was real. Like the persecution of the blacks in the case of Malcolm X, Eliezer faced persecution due to his religious beliefs. He was a teenager who got hurt. He felt that he might have been dreaming. Contrary to Malcolm X's proactive personality that gained wisdom from suffering in prison and from discrimination against his race, Eliezer submitted to his sensitive nature and to pain. He gave up with the other Jews, on life. Malcolm X and Eliezer were both intelligent and wanted to learn. Eliezer wanted to study Jewish mysticism before going off to the concentration camp. But as opposed to Malcolm X's innocent makeover, and incorporation of what he learned through his struggle for truth, Eliezer degenerated and turned from awareness to lack of knowledge and hopelessness (Wiesel)."
Abstract This paper compares two books written about the extermination of Jewish people: ?Ordinary Men,? (Christopher Browning) and "Resisting the Holocaust" (ed. Ruby Rohrlich) and tries to show how every human has the ability to become a murderer if he/she were placed under the correct circumstances.
From the Paper "The men who carried out the anti-Semitic operations were "too old to be of use to the German army" (Browning 1). Instead they were drafted into the Order Police where they would carry out behind-the-scenes procedures not important enough to require trained officers of the military. Instead of selecting the men most suited for the task of executing the Jews, it is most likely that they were not fit enough to make any other contribution to the war effort. Most of them had no previous military training and many of them went back to their previous occupations after the war had ended, having completed their required service (Browning 144). "
Tags: browning, cohen, extermination, final, gas, genocide, german, holocaust, ii, jewish, jews, mass, murder, reich, resistance, rohrlich, solution, third, war, world
From the Paper "The harrowing experience of Primo Levi, detailed in his book Survival in Auschwitz, was the experience of millions of people in World War II. The book is powerful and affecting, and it also serves as a very strong portrayal of the entire era of which the Holocaust is a part. This book presents the real effects of history, not the changes in leadership and the movements of armies but the changes in the lives of real individuals who become the victims of other people's hatreds an ambitions. No single book can be considered a complete history of the "final solution" or its aftermath, but a book such as this one provides strong insights into the effect such horrors had on the people against whom the Final Solution was directed. As we consider what Levi has to say about that era and his description of what was done to himself and others, we will.."
From the Paper " This research paper discusses the role of German industry, its involvement, culpability and accountability, in and for the Holocaust, the systematic extermination or mass genocide of about six of the eleven million Jews in Europe by the government of National Socialist (Nazi) Germany between 1940 and 1945.
With very few exceptions, German industry gave its wholehearted support to the Nazi war machine and knowingly and actively participated in the implementation of the Final Solution (Endlosung) of the 'Jewish Question.' It did so for a number of reasons related to the furtherance of corporate interests; and it acted with at best a crippling moral indifference to the suffering and fate of the Jews. Those industries most directly involved were the major manufacturers.."
Analysis of systematic murder of European Jews. "Intentionist" and "functionalist" explanations. Role of Nazi Party propaganda, European anti-Semitism.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 7 sources, 2001, $ 55.95
From the Paper "The "Final Solution," or systematic murder of the European Jews, fit Adolf Hitler's ideology from the very beginning of his career, but it was not part of his plan for the Third Reich until circumstances made it possible. For more than two decades historians have debated the "intentionalist" and "functionalist" explanations of the Final Solution. Intentionalists hold that the direction of the Reich was primarily guided by Hitler's decisions which were "calculated or 'intended' to realize the goals of an ideologically derived 'program'" that he had followed since the 1920s. In this view, the death camps were the long-awaited culmination of Hitler's program. Functionalists, on the other hand, argue that the Final Solution was not part of a comprehensive plan, "rather, the Holocaust resulted from the failure or unfeasibility of increasingly radical plans to [expel]..."
Examines the participation by the average German and the government, Nazi propaganda, antisemitism, non-Jewish deaths, the role of Police, peer pressure, psychology of and religious issues.
3,600 words (approx. 14.4 pages), 4 sources, 1999, $ 127.95
Abstract The purpose of this research is to examine theories of how and why the Holocaust, or the mass murder of the civilian population of Jews (about six million) and non-Jewish civilians targeted for extinction by the Nazi regime (perhaps another six million) could have been perpetrated and supported by ordinary human beings as much as by the official state apparatus of programmatic evil.
From the Paper "The purpose of this research is to examine theories of how and why the Holocaust, or the mass murder of the civilian population of Jews (about six million) and non-Jewish civilians targeted for extinction by the Nazi regime (perhaps another six million) could have been perpetrated and supported by ordinary human beings as much as by the official state apparatus of programmatic evil. The plan of the research will be to set forth the explanations offered by Christopher R. Browning in Ordinary Men and Daniel Jonah Goldhagen in Ordinary Men and Hitler's Willing Executioners, respectively, and then to discuss which of the arguments make the most compelling case and whether and to what extent each argument suggests ways of interpreting the human condition and the prospect of future genocides.
As both Browning and Goldhagen argue, and as the evidence of the ..."
