Holocaust Mueseum Paper

Oscar Palomares

            The Holocaust was the time when Hitler rose up the political ladder and decided to make a Master Empire. He was obsessed about crafting the perfect race that he referred to “the Aryan race.” Adolf Hitler, born in Austria, was very charismatic when he was gaining support from Germany. But soon after trying to persuade people to join a Nazi socialist group that hated imperfections in humans and taking land while attacking other territories, he was arrested for treason and put in jail. From there, Hitler composed a book called “My Struggle” that spilled his ideas about how the First World War and the Treaty of Versailles stabbed Germany in the back. This started what we know as the Holocaust.

            The fact that when Hitler rose to power and gained support from everyone even the Jews (this was before the Nuremburg Laws came), this made some sort of secure attachment between Germany and Hitler. The country depended on him to rebuild itself from the massive damage it had from the war, but Hitler thought of something “better.” He blamed everyone who was imperfect to him for the damage done to Germany. So in order to construct the country into an empire, he had to get rid of the imperfect people. He started with subtle moves like propaganda, persuading people not to buy from Jewish or foreign stores. He also had radios to spread his words of wisdom all throughout Germany. The citizens went for it, thinking it was for the best and for their country, and it kind of was.  More ways were used to influence the need for change within the masses. Book burning, persuading posters and segregation was enforced among Germany.

            Now why did many groups of people believe Hitler? Why didn’t anyone try to rebel against him? Well first off, he did hire a secret security, the SS, to do away with any opposition. Second, Germany’s people needed him to rebuild the country, and it deceived people that it was effective in the process. The citizens relied on him to make decisions for the country and segregated Jews from society, calling them a race rather than a culture. The Jews along with gypsies, Slavs and homosexuals were forced into concentration camps where they either worked to death or died immediately by gunfire. Even after the war, when the Jews came back to their homes it was already occupied by people. One of the survivors came to her home and was kicked out by her neighbors, for they were brainwashed by propaganda and conformity to believe that Jews were lowlifes who deserved nothing. Peer pressure and conformity happens today to. Things like when a group speaks an obvious incorrect answer on a test, one is likely to answer the same way due to peer pressure and conformity. Another example could be today’s fashion trends.

            So to go against Hitler, you would basically be facing Germany and his secret police crew. I know some people smuggled Jews during the Final Solution (actual murdering of Jews). These people thought through their morals to help and consequences of getting caught. A perfect empire to them wouldn’t be so perfect if genocide had to happen in order to make it. Some people had friends who were Jewish and made rebel groups to fight for equal rights or die trying, which was similar to the American Revolution. Anyways, the Nazis were trained to kill anyone who would oppose Hitler. How this happened was simply through experience. In other words, they had to kill multiple amounts of people to adapt to the feeling. Once a Nazi killed a person, and then another, then more, it becomes like an adaptation. The sense organs decrease their responses, even the amygdala responsible for emotions, and will soon turn the Nazi into a cold hearted, impassive person. So it would be a great challenge to rise up against a whole political party, but the fact is that the Jews weren’t alone. America along with allies eventually won the Second World War and came in to liberate hundreds of workers. I met with one of them and he told me to never hate someone, regardless of their race. Then he said some other things like grow up to be strong or something like that, but overall the exhibition was interesting.