Holocaust Remembrance

It is said that “history repeats itself”. It is our job as the people of the modern era to pass down our knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust to those of the next generation. By reviewing the major factors which caused the Holocaust, we will have a much brighter chance of preventing future holocausts and/or genocides. The factors which caused the Holocaust can be “broken-down” into 3 major factors, anti-Semitism, dictatorship, and lack of opposition. Understanding of these factors is crucial when our future is at stake.

In this topic Anti-Semitism can be used as another term for prejudice. A majority of the German population in the 1930’s were anti-Semitic or prejudice towards other races, specifically Jews. They believed that their race, known as the Aryans were superior, while the Jews were a race that “lived off’ the other races and weakened them” (Tell Them We Remember: The Story of the Holocaust. pg.12). This was based off the theory of social Darwinism (The Holocaust Library: The Nazis. pg.14). Prejudice is found all over the world. There is only one resolution. Education. The belief that all men and women were created equal should be taught to today’s children to positively impact their thinking towards other races.

The second factor contradicts the first one. With the majority of the German population anti-Semitic or prejudice, a person could easily “step up” as a dictator. Adolf Hitler was such a person. He used anti-Semitism as a weapon against the Jewish people. He accuses the Jews of Germany’s problems stating that it was part of “a worldwide Jewish conspiracy” (The Holocaust Library: The Nazis. pg.53). The people of Germany agreed with Hitler because they had the same thoughts. They were “hearing what they wanted to hear”. Hitler was elected chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933 (The Holocaust Library: The Nazis. pg.51). Now that Hitler was dictator and possessed political power, he was rarely opposed. Anyone who opposed Hitler or the Nazi regime was killed (Tell Them We Remember: The Story of the Holocaust. pg.10). A dictatorship can be prevented. A strong and firm democratic government using a system of checks and balances can overrule the rise of a dictator.

A widely debated topic around the world is whether or not the Holocaust could have been prevented. The third factor is that of resistance. There was very little resistance during the transportation of the Jews to the camps. Although there was little resistance it was unsuccessful. With the rule of Hitler, most German’s became his executioners and outnumbered the Jews. If the Germans did not take part in the killings, the Holocaust may have been prevented (Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust. pg.416). The soldiers in the German military were presented with the option of not taking part in the killing of the Jews, although most of them refused and took advantage of the opportunity. They