How is it possible that a man with such hateful, devastating intentions could gain as much power as Adolf Hitler did before and during World War II? It is a common belief that in order for people to follow a hateful leader, they must themselves be hateful people. However, it has been shown that this is not necessarily true. This is how Hitler was able to gain his power. In further research, it is understood that people did not necessarily agree with his anti-Semitism beliefs, but rather agreed with his other beliefs and ignored his extreme anti-Semitism. [1] Barbed wire fences used to try and keep the inmates from escapingIn 1933, when Hitler was elected, there were only half a million Jews in all of Germany. This means that they accounted for less than one percent of the German population. Despite such a low population, the Jews heightened their visibility due to high concentrations in certain cities and over-representation in certain businesses. "German Jews enjoyed freedom of religion and legal equality, including the right to vote. In contrast, Jews in Russia and Eastern Europe were still fleeing pogroms. That, in fact, is why there were so many foreign Jews in Germany." We can see that through their high visibility in certain areas despite their little population and their fair treatment compared to other countries, the general public was more accepting of Jews and had lower levels of anti-Semitism than assumed. [1]
harsh movement and regulation in the jewish ghettosAfter the first set of prisoners, in a span of five years, approximately an additional 405,000 prisoners from different countries in Europe, including men, women and children, arrived at the camp. Auschwitz obtained a 49% mortality rate for inmates which was undoubtedly higher than other populated concentration camps.[3] In 1943, Josef Mengele came to Auschwitz. Mengele was a German physician who, throughout the course of his time at Auschwitz, conducted several different scientific experiments. His most notable interests were on twins, fertility and reproduction. Because of his need for specific subjects for his experiments, he played a large role in determining who was able-bodied enough to work, who would be used for his experiments, and who would be sent directly to gas chambers. [4]
GERMAN CIVILIANS BEING FORCED BY US TROOPS TO WALK BY THE STARVED BODIES OF 30 JEWISH WOMeN |
Adolf Hitler in his rise to power Despite losing a Presidential election in 1932, through this process, Hitler began to make a name for himself and gained political attention. It wasn't until he was appointed chancellor months later that he was able to start his rise to power. Even though Hitler freely expressed his strong distaste toward the Jews, it was his "powerful leadership, the promise of a reborn Germany, the interests of the common people, and above all, strong anti-Marxism" that made his leadership attractive to the German population. [1] MAIN GATE LEADING TO AUSCHWITZAfter Hitler gained full dictatorship in 1934, Nazi movements became more threatening. This eventually led to the start of the social isolation of the Jews. In April of 1939, a law was passed making it illegal for Jews and non-Jews to live in the same blocks. The ghettos where the Jews lived were a result the living arrangements the Jews had to abide to. Eventually, they were taken from their homes and local cities and deported to concentration camps.[2] The approval and initial construction of Auschwitz began in April of 1940. 300 local Polish Jews, the first prisoners, arrived soon and began working to finish the rest of the camps construction. "On June 14, 1940, Auschwitz received the first transport of 728 Polish political prisoners. More than 7,800 prisoners were registered in Auschwitz by the end of the year." [3]
JOSEF MENGELE'S SIGNATURE Those who were moved to Auschwitz and other concentration camps were stripped of their freedom and basic human rights. The inmates were used as slaves, given very limited to access to basic human necessities such as food and clothing, and were dehumanized and tortured. Those who escaped the immediate death of gas chambers and had hope for eventual liberation often didn't live long enough to be freed in 1945. The deprivation of nutrition and protection resulted in many deaths from causes such as hunger, dehydration, disease, exhaustion, abuse from guards, from Mengele's experiments and many other extreme experiences. [3] The following pages demonstrate how Josef Mengele affected certain individual's freedoms as well as the movement patters of those individuals in their journeys to and from Auschwitz. |
Literature Cited:
[1]
Porpora, Douglas V. “Moral Indifference, the Rise of Hitler, and the Extermination of the Jews.” How Holocausts Happen: The United States in Central America, Temple University Press, 1990, pp. 39–70. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt14btc42.6.
[2]
KERSHAW, IAN. “Popular Opinion and the Extermination of the Jews.” Hitler, the Germans, and the Final Solution, Yale University Press, New Haven; London, 2008, pp. 197–209. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1nph0g.11.
[3]
Wiesel, Elie, et al. “AUSCHWITZ I MAIN CAMP.” The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933-1945: Ghettos in German-Occupied Eastern Europe, edited by Geoffrey P. Megargee, Indiana University Press, 2009, pp. 203–208. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt16gzb17.12.
[4]
Fleming, K. E. “AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU.” Greece--a Jewish History, Princeton University Press, 2008, pp. 147–165. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt4cg985.12.
Porpora, Douglas V. “Moral Indifference, the Rise of Hitler, and the Extermination of the Jews.” How Holocausts Happen: The United States in Central America, Temple University Press, 1990, pp. 39–70. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt14btc42.6.
[2]
KERSHAW, IAN. “Popular Opinion and the Extermination of the Jews.” Hitler, the Germans, and the Final Solution, Yale University Press, New Haven; London, 2008, pp. 197–209. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1nph0g.11.
[3]
Wiesel, Elie, et al. “AUSCHWITZ I MAIN CAMP.” The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, 1933-1945: Ghettos in German-Occupied Eastern Europe, edited by Geoffrey P. Megargee, Indiana University Press, 2009, pp. 203–208. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt16gzb17.12.
[4]
Fleming, K. E. “AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU.” Greece--a Jewish History, Princeton University Press, 2008, pp. 147–165. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt4cg985.12.
Picture Citations
Header Photo: Auschwitz I concentration camp in 2004. Author Unknown. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Photos in Order of Appearance: Adolf Hitler. Heinrich Hoffman. CC BY-SA 3.0 DE.
Barbed Wire Near by the Entrance of Auschwitz I. Pimke. CC BY 2.5 PL.
Close-Up of the Main Gate with the Inscription Arbeit macht Frei. Darwinek. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Forcibly Pulled out of Dug-Outs. Author Unknown. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Josef Mengele Signature. Josef Mengele. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Volary Dead Jews. US Army Signal Corps. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Photos in Order of Appearance: Adolf Hitler. Heinrich Hoffman. CC BY-SA 3.0 DE.
Barbed Wire Near by the Entrance of Auschwitz I. Pimke. CC BY 2.5 PL.
Close-Up of the Main Gate with the Inscription Arbeit macht Frei. Darwinek. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Forcibly Pulled out of Dug-Outs. Author Unknown. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Josef Mengele Signature. Josef Mengele. CC BY-SA 3.0.
Volary Dead Jews. US Army Signal Corps. CC BY-SA 3.0.