WHAT WAS THE HOLOCAUST LIKE FROM A NAZI SOLDIERS PERSPECTIVE? IT IS KNOWN THAT THE GERMAN MILITARY, UNDER NAZI RULE COMMITTED AN ABUNDANCE OF CRIMES DURING THE WORLD WAR II. FROM JEWISH FORCED LABOR, TO CRIMES AGAINST PRISONERS OF WAR AND EVEN CIVILIANS. BY LOOKING INTO CASE STUDIES YOU GET TO SEE INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR OF THE WEHRMACHT WHICH HIGHLIGHTED THEIR ROLE DURING THE HOLOCAUST. WITH THESE FACTORS IN MIND, THE GERMAN MILITARY HAD AN INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN THE HOLOCAUST.
Summary
Some few scenarios in life might have been even more shocking and darker than the Holocaust incident. What is observable is that while some section of older people understand the influence of Holocaust on the Jews, some section of people especially the little children do not even know what it was. Therefore, it is very essential to take some time and discuss the Holocaust incident to enable such people understand it. In this regard, this essay provides an insight about how the Holocaust incident happened and the effects it had on the Jews. Holocaust basically means the genocide that happened to the Jews and during which almost 6 million Jewish individuals were massacred by the Nazi soldiers.
Consequently, other people define the Holocaust incident as a mass murder of several groups of people such as the blacks, Soviet POWs, homosexuals and Roman gypsies. On the other hand, others also believe that the POWs and several other people of about 10 to 11 million civilians were killed during the Holocaust incident. The essay attempts to make the readers understand what happened during the Holocaust and why it happened because the incident did not just take place in one fell swoop but it occurred in several stages. Indeed the Holocaust incident took place gradually and in a number of carefully orchestrated phases until it was fully achieved. The Holocaust process began with enacting of some laws compeling the Jewish people to vacate Germany and this later made the Jewish and Romani people to be pushed in filthy slams where they were overcrowded and subjected to harsh conditions. During the same time, both the Jews and the Romani were again pulled from the slams and squeezed in the camps where they worked as slaves and starved leading to death of many of them. So this essay will highlight more of the Holocaoust incident to enable the readers have a clear grip and insight of what Holocaust really was.
Introduction
Holocaust is a Greek word and it contains two words i.e. ‘holos” and “kaustos” meaning whole and burned respectively. Holocaust was used during the historical times to describe burnt sacrifices on an altar. However, starting the year 1945, the world Holocaust took a horrific and new meaning as it was used to describe mass killing of 6 million Jews people in Europe by the Nazi soldiers under the reign of Adolf Hitler. Also, the world Holocaust was used to describe mass killing of the people like the homosexuals and the Gypsies which were also referred to as the persecuted groups. The pick of such killings was during the World War II when the German Nazi regime was on the thrown. The anti-Semitism leader of the German Nazi regarded the Jews as a very weak and inferior race whom he also considered as the alien threat to the community and purity of the Germans. The entire Nazi regime was characterized with a persistent persecution of the Jews race when Adolf Hitler resorted to this evil called Holocaust.
Holocaust then succeeded during the World War II when the Nazi soldiers took advantage and massacred 6 million Jews in the camps like Poland where they highly concentrated. Holocaust as a subject is unpleasant and bitter to discuss or even think. The Holocaust incident occurred several decades ago, but the consequences of this incident are still very apparent in people’s minds. The Holocaust incident caused significant impacts in the entire Germany as it substantially influenced patriotism, immigration, and education policies. Comparing Germany with other countries concerning nationalism, the nation was forced to reduce its nationalism to enable it abandoned false beliefs about racism. Indeed Germany eliminated the idea of being cleaner and better race by allowing people from other countries to acquire German citizenship.
The Holocaust incident had a substantial sub influence on the education system in Germany as well. For example, teaching about the Holocaust incident has not been easy in Germany since it is an emotive and bitter issue. The analysis of the Holocaust incident from a Nazi soldiers perspective reveals that the Nazi soldiers believed they could make Germans a pure and clean race by killing the Jews that infiltrated them and due to that they raped, violated their fundamental human rights and killed the Jews in a cold blood without minding the kind of agony they were going through.
The role of German soldiers during the Holocaust incident
Based on the Nazi soldiers perspectives, Holocaust was the real influence the episode had on the appearance of pure anti-Semitism, racism and discrimination as well as the impact the incident had on the future of terrorism in Germany.[1] Considering the case study of Captain Wolfgang Hoffmann as narrated in the Barth (1944) story, it is plainly true that the terrorists of Holocaust had a significant objective that they had to accomplish through thick and thin and they did not mind the importance of Jewish lives. Some historians might have failed to agree with this thinking, but the magnitude and the extent to which the Jews were killed undoubtedly gives this example. The worst of it is that this inhuman and heartless action committed by the German military, under Nazi rule is still negatively impacting on our lives even today without us seeing.
Don’t we always witness the mass killing of people, genocides taking place in the world? Don’t we see terrorists heartlessly killing innocent people in some regions of the world? Other inhuman activities like the launching of chemical weapons on innocent people by the Assad’s regime. The kind of mass murders witnessed in the world during the past decades have not only given people horrific examples but have also given people the evil mind of committing genocides like the one happened in Rwanda during the year 1994.[2] In this regard, the Holocaust incident indeed led to sowing of this seed of terrorism in the modern societies. In fact, the countries that were suppressed mostly during the postwar era are the similar countries that currently encounter the wrath of terrorism challenges and problems in the world today. These are also the same countries like Syria that produces several numbers of terrorist organizations.
Adolf Hitler was not the first person who started Anti-Semitism in Europe. An evidence of hostility against the Jews dated several years back in the ancient world before Holocaust though the use of th word anti-semitism could traced durimg the year 1870s. Can you remember the year when Jewish temple was demolished by the Roman regime and the Jews forced to vacate Palestine? Indeed during these days was when the term anti-Semitism came into existence. However, religious tolerance was later emphasized by enlightment during 17th,18th and 19th Centrury when European rulers and Napoleon passed a law thus ended severe and hostile laws against the Jews in Europe. The situation later changed when religion tolerance was outrun by racial charater in Europe leading to anti-Semitism feeling. Adolf Hitler’s main worldview was spatial expansion and racial purity from 1933 and he was ready to pay any price to lead this operation. The German soldiers, under the Nazi rule started by persecuting their political rivals like the Social Democrats or Communists but they later exteneded it to the Jews. In fact, majority of the prisoners squeezed in Dachau camp in Munich were the Communism affiliates.
Moreover, extermination of the European Jewry like in the case of Hitler’s willing executioners and Captain Wolfgang Hoffmann is something that was done in broad daylight, and everyone witnessed it. Among the people who were adversely affected include women and children whose personalities were severely deformed.[3] According to the Nazi soldiers, the killing was part of their “cleaning” national project, and they could not hesitate to kill and to propagandize the eliminationist anti-Semitism. Indeed the German’s moral and national spirit suffered so much though the Nazi soldiers who participated in the incident did not mind.
Can the young children who have heard about Holocaust incident think that it is not good to have a friend who is a Jew? This has been the question that is very difficult to answer because stereotype was part of this incident. The central interpretation of the Holocaust to children and other people is that several Jews were murdered during the Holocaust incident for being Jews thus making these people think that being a Jew is not right and should be punished. Moreover, such little brains might also believe that the Jews were that wrongly murdered or persecuted because they were so bad.[4]
What comes to play here is fear, for example, several years after the Holocaust incident, it was challenging to communicate with the Jews, and this went on being a habit for several people. Maybe this has somehow been exaggerated but what is apparent is that people still think in this direction today. Our children will always live to discriminate the Jews meaning the social impacts of the Holocaust incident are still here to live with us, and it might live with us until when we will inform out children that minority does not mean weakness. As argued by Captain Hoffmann, anti-Semitism came into existence because of the brutal killing of the Jews by the Nazi Soldiers during the Holocaust incident.
However, this incident hardened the Jews survivors even more after the event more than the Jews who did not witness the event. The survivors of Holocaust were hardened because no one even bothered to provide them with moral help and support after the incident as the majority of them migrated to different regions in the world where they could live as if nothing happened.[5] Majority of them found the strength that enabled them to begin a new life as they hope for another better life after large numbers of them got killed by the German soldiers. What do you always think when you witness people like these getting killed because of their race? Don’t you feel sorrowful for them for having been devastated because they belong to a minority race? Indeed this makes some people sometimes cry as they think how their lives could be in case they were the ones affected that way. This awful era of such a horrific history began with the seizure of power by Hitler in Europe resulting in the persecution of the Jews.
The first stage of Jewish persecution began by denying them fundamental rights leading to the exile of some. In fact, the Jews were being handled as something not wanted or like animals. Morally, this undoubtedly resulted in the concept of discrimination and anti-Semitism.[6] Moreover, Jews were also not allowed to live. The most unfortunate thing is that some historians argue that Holocaust was not real. Such people think that Holocaust might have happened but not with the Jews meaning they do not feel the weight of the Holocaust incident. The only people who accept that Holocaust was real and it indeed took place are the people who lived in the counties where the influence of Hitler happened.
Studies done on Holocaust incident found out that 62% of Americans, 84% of British and 94% of French men hold a belief that the event took place.[7] Indeed the incident of Holocaust resulted in anti-Semitism and discrimination meaning that it marked the beginning of nationalism destruction during the 20th Century. This marked a significant and malignant humanity disease. The French men who hold a belief that Holocaust occurred have such a feeling because they know the kind of sufferings that was brought by the German soldiers during the Nazi regime. Due to this, 79% of the French mean have agreed that Holocaust incident is still very relevant even today. Regardless of the negative influences that Holocaust incident had on Germany, it also led to positive impacts like emergence to modern technology in the field of medicine.[8]
Such advancement of advanced technology in the field of medicine has led to a significant improvement even in the contemporary societies. In this regard, the incident of Holocaust has one of the most influencing and horrific in the entire history of Germany. In fact, even the related medical findings and technological advancements because of the Holocaust incident has proven that it was plain evil.[9] Due to this reason, every society must view Holocaust with a broader perspective. This essay attempts to explore the Holocaust incident within the perspectives of Nazi soldiers. The Nazi military was started during the 1920s with the aim of abolishing communism in Germany.
To support the Nazi soldiers perspective, the Jewish race has ever been believed to be a minority race with Anti-Semitism.[10] However, what the Nazi soldiers ought to have known is that being a minority race does not mean being unable to enjoy the fundamental human rights. In this regards, the idea of anti-Semitism goes together with the concept of racism. This matter has indeed attracted several perspectives as others believe that an anti-Semitism is a direct form of racism while others hold a contrary opinion. The multiculturalists who think an anti-Semitism is a direct form of racism also refer to the minority race as “people of color” thus making them believe that people of color cannot not to be racists. Nonetheless, this myth that the history of Germany that the Wehrmacht and Nazi soldiers did not participate in rape, murder, and genocide during the World War II has been buried after a research conducted by two German researchers revealed terrible cases of genocide, rape, violence, and murder against the civilians. In fact, the conversation recorded between prisoners of war and the Allies revealed the kind of plight these prisoners went through from the Nazi soldiers.
Case study: A Wehrmacht Battalion 1941
The three commanders of Wehrmacht’s 1st Battalion outlined in the case also gives the real picture of the horrific roles played by the German soldiers, under the Nazi regime during the Holocaust incident. In this case study, the actual empirical examples show how commands given to soldiers like Captain Wolfgang Hoffmann were illegal orders. Some of these decisions made by the Wehrmacht Battalion reflect factors like their leadership styles, ethics, cultural and social values. Therefore, this case was an important platform for ethical and leadership skills as it reveals the dynamic correlation between obedience to military orders, protection of civilians and command climate during an armed conflict.[11]Nonetheless, this case study has given me an insight of the Holocaust incident. I have therefore managed to place the Wehrmacht Battalion case study in the larger context of World War II and the Nazi genocide.
Indeed the Nazi and their sympathizers led the country into an unnecessary war that resulted in mass killing of the innocent Jews. The case study gives an insight into how nations, ordinary individuals, and institutions played horrific roles in the Holocaust incident during the 1918 and 1945 periods.[12]Anti-Semitism on a minority race like the Jews has resulted into the stereotype of the Jews with those people who are not the Jews. The fact that the Jews significantly suffered the Holocaust is itself sufficient to prove anti-Semitism.
Moreover, both the authors Goldhagen and Browning argue that those who actively participated in the mass killing of the Jews during the Holocaust were people like the ordinary men, the bureaucrats, and the killing squads.[13]This can indeed give the real picture of the actual situation of the Holocaust. These people were drawn from all parts of the German society. Nonetheless, Goldhagen and Browning only disagree on the cause of Holocaust as Goldhagen answers Browning by arguing that the Nazi soldiers willing participated in Holocaust because they wanted to castigate eliminationist anti-Semitism. Echoing Sonderweg thesis that Hilter represented German’s historical climax and helped fulfill dreams of the Germans of exterminating the Jews also further explains the reason why the Germans hurriedly trampled to take part in Holocaust when they got that opportunity.
On the other hand, Browning held a different opinion by highlighting several factors that led to Holocaust incident. For example, consider the case of Reserve Police Battalion 101, it was found out that the men who took part in the Holocaust were middle and average aged Germans who were significantly from Hamburg.[14]These people were neither horrifiedly receptive nor mostly indoctrinated with regards to what they got. In fact, some Germans were observed as being uneasy and anxious about what they were doing, but they just participated in this evil.
Conclusion
The Holocaust conflict in the Nazi soldiers perspective shows ways through which these soldiers believed that by killing all the Jews race they could clean up Germans as a pure race in Europe. In this regard, the modern society has tried to avoid any possible cultural, social and political rejection that might get directed again on the Jews race as well as try to mitigate any injusdtice that this race can be subjected to yet. Indeed this essay has shown that the Holocaust incident was a horrific and real fact and it was also true that the German soldiers, under the Nazi rule committed genocide by attempting to exterminate the Jews community. In fact, some of the consequences of this mass killing of the Jews are still being felt until today.
The little children who grow up observing such trending terrorism practices consider things like this anti-Semitism. Things like this will not bring to the world any good and instead the world will get destroyed out of it. Even though Holocaust incident passed and people can now do little about it but moving forward the whole world must reunite to prevent an incident like this from occurring again in the world. People must also despise prejudice and racism because it if were not for these two the Nazi soldiers might not have thought of themselves as pure race and attempt to exterminate the Jews since they consider them very inferior race. Finally, people must be on the lookout and always be aware that incidences of Holocaust are real and they can happen again if appropriate measures are not taken.
