The Holocaust: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation Report (Assessment)

Introduction

One can wonder why such inhumanity could ever happen on the face of the earth, more especially in the circumstances when a man rises against fellow man in the name of racial discrimination and boundaries1. Hatred can indeed lead to the death of millions within a very short time, one group of people feeling superior to another thus thinking of exterminating the less superior group, but first, what is this that makes people associated with some ideologies and backgrounds feel “more human” than others? What is this that makes one feel more important than another? Which criterion is used to gauge superiority? Who chooses where he or she is to be born? These and many more questions seek answers that no one will adequately and convincingly.

Thesis “The holocaust to this day is considered one of the twentieth century worst atrocities to have ever occurred in human history, propagated by anti-Semitism ideologies, fear and also racism, hatred towards a minority group, the Jewish”.

The targeted group

Adolf Hitler, the mastermind behind the holocaust with his anti-Semitism ideologies, together with his cronies, found themselves blaming the Jews for all the problems that Germany was going through at the time, ‘defeat, inflation, communism, and depression’, found a reason to organize the extinction of the Jews and the Gypsies as well as the physically challenged Germans2. Even though the holocaust also affected the Germans themselves, the gypsies and the Jews were the most affected of the three, but this came up as a result of wanting to eliminate those seen as not fit to live the same life as the others lived, but why was this so? This can be best described by one word, racism. No human under the sun chooses his historical background, but Hitler together with his cronies thought they were better placed so they thought it best to eliminate those they thought were not fit enough to live, those they saw as a threat to their rule.3

When laws are set up, they should take into consideration all the people in the context in which they are set, for instance when the Nuremberg laws were set up, they portrayed the Jews and Gypsies as second class citizens, this meant that they were not equal to their German counterparts and therefore this meant that they had no equal rights to facilities in Germany4. This form of segregation is the worst that can ever happen to a people who are then subject to extinction in the most brutal forms, being gassed in poisonous gas chambers and even slaughtering. Those laws sidelined them, and this made them feel dejected and that they never belonged anywhere on the face of the earth. Those who were lucky enough5 fled the country to other parts of the world thus leading them to be found scattered all over the world, but those who were not lucky enough were murdered brutally.

The strategies used for their extinction

Each person’s lifestyle should be respected no matter where they are in the world; the circumstances that people are in regardless of how inferior or superior they are should be respected. The Bible was used against the Jews, some of the Bible verses were misquoted and misinterpreted to fit the circumstances of the times6, the major quotations by apostle Paul concerning the Jews and Gentiles relationship were misquoted to mean that the Jews saw themselves as superior and therefore could rule other citizens, thus the reason that caused fear in Hitler and his followers, they saw that the best way of not allowing that to happen was to eradicate the Jews from the face of the earth.

The sanctity of life

All humans are equal irrespective of our color, nationality, religious beliefs, and physical disabilities because the life we have is the same. The sanctity of life should therefore be respected at all costs and so humanity should strive to coexist in peace and harmony in a manner that is sustainable to prevent the reoccurrence of such atrocities as well as people like Hitler. It’s just that the opportunities that all of us are subjected to, are different, and instead of looking at the problems and wanting to eliminate them, we should think of resolving them. The historical events of the holocaust and the aftermath should therefore forever remain as a reminder to humanity of the dangers associated with racism7. It is not enough to talk about universal peace that cuts across all nationalities; it should be seen and practiced in our lives day in day out whenever interacting with people from different racial backgrounds.

Bibliography

Niewyk, Donald. The Holocaust: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation. New York. Wadsworth Publishing Company. 2010. 4th Ed.

Footnotes

1. Niewyk, Donald. The Holocaust: Problems and Perspectives of Interpretation. New York. Wadsworth Publishing Company. 2010. 4th Ed, p.26.
2. Niewyk, p.35.
3. Niewyk, p.54.
4. Niewyk, p.34.
5. Niewyk, p.45.
6. Niewyk, p.30.
7. Niewyk, p.34.