More 20th Century History Answers
Question Library
Ask a question about 20th Century History
Volunteer
Experts of the Month
Expert Login
Awards
About Us
Tell friends
Link to Us
Disclaimer
|
| |
|
|
| |
| | | |
About Dylan Pemberton
Expertise
My area of interest is the holocaust with particular reference to the Auschwitz Birkenau extermination camp. I can answer most questions regarding the lead up to and the ultimate deployment of 'The Final Solution' including the Wannsee Conference, ghetto liquidations, the Nuremberg Trials, post-war 'Nazi Hunting' by the likes of Simon Weisenthal etc. My knowledge / experience is perhaps best suited to someone who - for example - had a homework / coursework assignment in this area as opposed to a professional interest in which case there are, naturally, recognised experts and historians available.
Experience
Lifelong interest in ensuring the events of the holocaust are never forgotten, visits to Auschwitz Birkenau and extensive literature on the subject.
Education/Credentials
10 GCSE's, several A-Levels, BTEC National Diploma Graphic Design, 15 years senior level business experience.
| | |
| |
You are here: Experts > Homework Help > 20th Century History > 20th Century History > Evolution of Genocide
Expert: Dylan Pemberton
Date: 12/11/2007
Subject: Evolution of Genocide
Question
Do you believe Hitler intended to murder the Jews all along? Or was it an evolution that led into genocide?
Answer
This is a really tough and involved question and one of which there are many schools of thought on because there are different ways of interpretting the facts to reach either conclusion. Therefore, the only answer I can give is my opinion.
I think that it was indeed an evolutionary process. Not that Hitler didn't think of eliminating the jews all along - he surely did - more that as events unfolded, the mecahnisms to do so in such a final way presented themselves.
The Nazis as a whole tended to reel from situation to situation. They would place people in a ghetto and starve them. Then they would say "oh look at how they are living, it would be better to just kill them". They forgot or rather ignored the fact that they put them in that position.
The 'jewish question' itself was not really a question at all - certainly not one on the agenda until it was put there - It was the positioning of a question, the perpetration of a lie, a piece of proganda. A lie told enough times becomes fact. And it is this type of behaviour that evolved a nations thought process towards genocide - either as perpetrators and aggrevators of it or as tacit supporters and facilitators
Hitler intended to remove the jews from Europe from a very early stage and it was stated policy. How that evolved from resettlement to murder is both a matter of fact and a matter of debate. Even if he had that idea from the start - to murder them all - he had to evolve the thought process of those around him to this point of view. That ranged from the man on the street - getting him to persecute his Jewish neighbour - to the soldier sent to the Eastern front line and asked to murder Jewish civilians - right through to the commandants in the extermination camps.
I think if you asked Hitler the question in his early years in Vienna "if given the opportunity to do so would you like to see all Jews dead" he would certainly have been positive towards the concept. That is however different to him formulating a plan to murder the jews and even when he did, it was not his plan alone.
Perhaps the fact it was an evolved process makes it even worse because it was not a snap decision made in a period of high pressure, it was instead the end result of years of discussion, planning and implementation. It was a highly calculated and well thought out genocide.
A side issues is that evolution is perhaps the wrong word, especially since it infers progress. The word regression would be more appropriate - regression to the most base nature of 'humans'. He regressed thought to the point genocide became possible and desirable. It was regressive because previous to that, Germany was actually a very cultured country with a rich history and heritage.
There is an excellent, authoritive and largely definitive book on the whole subject by Martin G|ilbert called "The Holocaust - The Jewish Tragedy'. It takes you through the whole process from the very first steps years before the war (and references back even by hundreds of years) right through to the aftermath. Also, anything by Laurence Rees on the subject - especially his book on Aushcwitz - makes for more good background.
May I ask what made you think to ask your question?
Add to this Answer
Ask a Question
|
|
