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Overview
The Holocaust is considered the worst genocide that human civilization has ever experienced. It occurred during the reign of Adolf Hitler over Germany and saw the death of approximately six million Jews among other individuals who were targeted by the Nazi regime due the difference in ideology and perspective towards life and other issues (Gross 5). Examples of these individuals and groups include homosexuals, followers of the Jehovah Witness religious domination, and individuals with physical disability and mental impairments. More specifically, this paper will critically analyze the Jew community as the victims of the Holocaust. To achieve its objective, the paper will expound on why the Nazi government targeted the Jews, why did these attacks come during this specific period, the role that average German citizens played and the overall experiences of Jews as victims of the Holocaust.
Jews as the Victims of the Holocaust
Jews had always been victims of violent crime and persecution in Europe for several decades prior to their victimization during the Holocaust. Anti-Semitism thoughts resulted to the stereotyping of Jews as individuals and as a community as large all over Europe. For instance, during the 1800s, Jews were persecuted in Europe as a result of their religious beliefs. In Nazi Germany however, Jews were persecuted for anything else rather than their religious beliefs (Gross 6). The Nazi government believed that the Aryan race was the most supreme race all around the world. As such, it needed to be maintained pure and flourish at the expense of other races and social groups. With this in mind, the Nazi government viewed the Jew community in Europe as a competing race. It is as a result of this fact that the Nazi government, first indirectly and later on directly, commences targeting Jews in Nazi Germany as well as other territories that Germany occupied in Europe during the Nazi era.
Prior to the reign of the Nazi government in Germany, the Jew population was estimated to be around nine million. At the end of the reign of this government, the Jew population was estimated to be approximately three million. Over two-thirds of this population had died in one way or the other as a result of the brutal treatment of the Nazi government. As asserted earlier, the Nazi government had developed the propaganda that the Aryan race is the strongest in the world. Using Social Darwinism as the basis of their argument, they believed that they will flourish by taking advantage of vulnerable populations and outcompeting rival ones. The Jews happened to be their rival race and as such, it was the role of the Nazi government to ensure their total elimination. A strategic elimination process was thus developed by the Nazi government to ensure the total elimination of the Jew population not only in German occupied Europe but all around the world since the Nazi government had the hopes of ruling the world at some point. The elimination process that was put in place saw the death of approximately six million of Jews by the end of the Second World War.
The Holocaust Era
Several scholars have tried to expound on the question of why the holocaust occurred during this particular time. A number of theories have been advanced to try to explain and answer this question. It is however believed that power was valued by most developed nations during the late 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. As a result of the advancements that the world had been experiences from the scientific and industrial revolutions, nations were in a quest of seeking more raw materials, labor, and market for finished products. After gaining power, the Nazi government embarked on a process of increasing its superiority in Europe. After ensuring that its armed forces were well trained and equipped, Germany started expanding its borders by attacking nations such as Poland, Denmark, France and so forth resulting in the commencement of the Second World War.
In the course of their conquest, German forces singled out Jew populations in the newly captured territories and transported them to concentration camps where they were stripped off their belongings and divided into different groups based on their age, sex, and abilities. There are those who were immediately killed after arriving at the concentration camps while others were made to work under extreme condition until they died. The expected lifespan of Jews in the concentration camps was approximately nine months. By eliminating the Jews, the Nazi government believed that the Aryan race would flourish and achieve total dominance of Europe and the world at large.
The German Population During the Holocaust
Hitler rose to power duty to the political influence he had in Germany after the First World War shaping up Europe during this era (Gross 3). He clearly preached out his ideology to the general German population. His book, Mein Kamf (translated as My Struggle), clearly stated his ideology to the masses in Germany. Average Germans who were supporters of Hitler and his Nazi government used this book as a blueprint of their approaches towards life. Therefore, average German citizens played a critical role in victimizing Jews during the Holocaust. The belief that they were a better race as compared to other races all around the world was deeply engraved in most German citizens. Additionally, most of them had developed resentment and hatred towards Jews.
The Nazi government formulated policies and laws that has negative impacts on Jews either directly or indirectly. On the onset, these laws indirectly targeted Jews establishment all over Germany and included boycotts as well as making it difficult for them to practice their professions or seek employment. These laws were implemented by the average Germans who boycotted business premise of Jews, refused to employ them or to defend Jews in the fight for their rights of practicing their profession in Germany. Additionally, the tension between the Germans and their Jew counterparts grew stronger with time especially in social contexts. Finally, the Hitler Youth and other Nazi groups directly expressed their resentment towards Jews through their parades and activities all around Germany. These acts further segregated Jews and increased their instances of victimization.
Experience of Jews during the Holocaust
Despite the fact that the Nazi government targeted various populations and groups during its reign over Germany, the Jew population experienced the most suffering. The Jews suffered social, political, and economic humiliation and frustration during this Era. The establishments of Jews were destroyed, their careers ended, and the entire community segregated from the rest of Germany and other territories that Nazi Germany occupied during this Era. In Poland, for instance, Jews were concentrated in Ghettos where the standards of living were very low. Starvation, poor sanitation, and death were very common. Additionally, the Jews were denied the chance to vacate Germany despite the fact that they had passports that could enable them move out of German occupied territories. Instead, they were arrested and falsely persecuted (Gross 26). In the end, they were all directed to concentration camps where they were executed in a precise and orderly manner (Gross 96). From a critical point of view, one can easily conclude that Jews did not have any rights nor enjoy the rule of law in Nazi Germany.
Works Cited
Gross, Tan. Neighbors: The Destruction of the Jewish Community in Jedwabne, Poland , New York: Princeton University Press, 2001. Print.
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