Gordon Alexander History 109 Sect 011 April 21, 2011

Who To Blame Hitler believed that every wrong thing that happened was because of the Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, and the mentally retarded such as the loss of World War I and the Great Depression. He was a particularly extreme German nationalist. In addition to his hatred of the Jews, which is very well known, he was a bundle of "anti-" attitudes - anti-democratic and antiRepublican. He was an ardent Social Darwinist, which means that he believed that the process of survival of the fittest by natural selection should be artificially speeded up by the government, for example by killing 'incurables' and various 'undesirables'. Hitler ordered the killing, because he believed that the Jews were his powerful enemies, bent on destroying him. It is apparent that the mass murder of Jews and other groups of people involved in the Holocaust was not all accomplished the powers of Hitler single handily. So the question arises whether all of the blame should be place upon the shoulders of Hitler or whether everyone that partook in the killings are to be blamed? The answer is simple; Hitler could not have accomplished all of the killings on his own so everyone involved is to be blamed. Not only Hitler but everyone in Nazi Germany played a role including ordinary citizens, Eichman, even propaganda. Propaganda within Nazi Germany was taken to a new and frequently perverse level. Hitler was very aware of the value of good propaganda. There were several audiences for Nazi propaganda. Germans were reminded of the struggle against foreign enemies and Jewish

subversion. During periods preceding legislation or executive measures against Jews, propaganda campaigns created an atmosphere tolerant of violence against Jews. Propaganda also encouraged passivity and acceptance of the impending measures against Jews, as these appeared to depict the Nazi government as stepping in and restoring order. Some may argue that a strict and authoritative government influenced the acts of the common people. As most Germans were not directly associated with the Nazi party, it is believed they were coerced into killing, followed orders blindly, succumbed to peer pressure, or simply were unaware of the ongoing genocide. It must further be understood that those who chose to carry out the executions were fully aware of just how horrible their decisions were. Any pressure they may have felt should have washed away with the tears of the helpless victims as they held up their weapons to destroy another persons future. As Hitlers movement swore to exclude all non-Jewish German citizens from persecution, those who carried out the executions had no real reason to fear any type of retaliation by Nazi officers if they chose not to cooperate. No soldier, it seems, anywhere in the Nazi Empire, was ever punished for failing to kill Jews. Nevertheless, almost every soldier who was asked to kill civilians in this way did so. Some of the men who were too old to be in Hitlers armies acted as strategist (Testimony Excerpts:: Christa M). No excuses are to be made and there is no need to ponder the idea of a frightened society who was forced to obey unimaginable orders. They acted as they did because of a widespread, profound, unquestioned, and virulent antisemitism that led them to regard the Jews as a demonic enemy whose extermination was not only necessary but also just (The West). It is also clear that ordinary Germans displayed the ability to conduct the mass murders despite the threat of future oppression. These horrifying accounts suggest that average Germans were

motivated by hatred, rather than a suspected fear of punishment which shows that they are just as much to be blamed as Hitler. Even though Eichman was a power under Hitlers control, he still had much authority in the mass killings. During World War II, he implemented Nazi policies on Jewish emigration and deportation. His office sorted through paperwork and procedures to ensure that the trains filled with Jews remained on a constant schedule and delivered the human cargo to the gas chambers on time (The West). So it is clear, that without Eichmans office, Hitlers plans would never be able to see its full potential, thus giving blame to Eichman, himself. There is no doubt that Hitler had a major responsibility regarding the Holocaust. But it is obvious that he did not act alone in this act. Everyone that played a part in the genocide of Jews and other groups that were murdered have equal responsibility because the whole process would not have occurred without their participation. In addition, it was shown that most of the partakers believed that they were doing what was just and right, thus not finding fault in their actions.