Kelly 1 Brennan Kelly HIST 104 Fahey Holocaust Essay 4/6/2014 After readin !

ictor Fran"l#s Man's Search for Meaning1$ I found that it %as insi htful &y the %ay that he descri&ed the e'otional states and (hases of &oth the (risoners and the uards) For' 'y (re*ious "no%led e of the horrors of the Holocaust$ Fran"l#s story de'onstrates the enocide of an entire race fro' a first+hand e,(erience) I ha*e read 'any of these ty(es of e,(eriences$ all %ith si'ilar stories$ &ut Fran"l oes into 'ore de(th of ho% the ca'(s affected the in'ates) -ou can see the (sycholo ical state of the (risoners chan e throu hout his %ritin s$ &eco'in 'ore acce(tin of death) Fran"l#s story also ans%ers so'e of the i'(ortant .uestions that arise fro' the Holocaust$ such as the e,tent of (sycholo ical da'a e done to the (risoners and also the uards) The other authors/ %ritin s that I read throu h on Blac"&oard (ro*ide ood e,(osition to Fran"l#s story) Ho%e*er they do not a ree %ith each other and their findin s directly conflict %ith each other) Throu hout Man's Search for Meaning, Fran"l tal"s a&out chan in your attitude if you cannot chan e the en*iron'ent) He .uotes this %ell %ith 01hen %e are no lon er a&le to chan e a situation$ %e are challen ed to chan e oursel*es)23Fran"l$ 1124 Bein an in'ate in a

concentration ca'( %as a (erfect e,a'(le of ha*in to chan e the %ay you loo" at thin s %hen you are forced to acce(t your en*iron'ent) Fran"l &rin s u( his %ife 'any ti'es in the &oo"$ (ortrayin her as a reason to stay ali*e and sur*i*e his ti'e in the ca'() He also states that 'any
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Fran"l$ !i"tor) Mans Search for Meaning. 1546

Kelly 2 ti'es (risoners didn#t die fro' a lac" of food or 'edicine$ &ut fro' a lac" of ho(e) Fran"l uses his %ife throu hout his ti'e at the ca'( as a si n of ho(e) 6ost of Fran"l#s e,(eriences only co*er that of the (risoners$ &ut the uards at the (risons and the ones (erfor'in 'ass e,ecutions also ha*e 'a7or (sycholo ical issues) 1hile readin 8hristo(her Bro%nin #s Ordinary Men2$ I found the (ersonal testi'onies fro' 9olice Battalion 101 to &e .uite 'o*in and distur&in ) Bein a unit that has ne*er seen co'&at$ ha*in to e,ecute an entire to%n of (eo(le all day had serious 'ental effects on those 'en) E*en thou h so'e of the' o(ted out &eforehand$ the fact that 'any still chose to (artici(ate in this action &efuddles 'e) :ne %ay this 'ass enocide %as 'ade (ossi&le %as the dehu'ani;ation of the 'any *icti's) <a;i (ro(a anda s%ayed the *ie%s of the =er'an (o(ulation to &la'e the >e%s for the econo'ic and social (ro&le's in their country) This led the =er'an (eo(le to loo" do%n u(on and consider >e%s and other deno'inations as su&hu'an or an inferior race) ?oin this 'ade it easier to relocate a 'assi*e nu'&ers of >e%s to (rison or death ca'(s %ithout the rest of the (o(ulation raisin .uestions) At the death ca'(s the

(risoners/ identity %as re'o*ed and i*en a nu'&er and &ar code and all (ersonal (ossessions %ere stri((ed fro' the') This 'ade the' lose any re'ainin hu'an traits or uni.ueness and 'ade it easier for uards to (erfor' their heinous acts u(on the') In the case of 9olice Battalion 101$ the soldiers %ere tau ht ho% to e,ecute the *icti'$ and shot the' in the &ac" of the head) Because of this$ 'any soldiers as"ed to &e relie*ed throu hout the e,ecutions) If the >e%s %ere not stri((ed of their identity and hu'an traits$ this %ould ha*e 'ade it 'uch 'ore difficult for the uards to e,ecute the') The holocaust %ould not ha*e &een (ossi&le if it %ere not for the total dehu'ani;ation of its *icti's)
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Bro%nin $ 8hristo(her) Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Sol tion in Poland) 1552

Kelly @ Bro%nin e,(lains the fact that 'any of the 9olice Battalion still chose to follo% orders and not re.uest to &e relie*ed %as due to the fact that they %anted to o&ey the co''and and follo% throu h %ith the act) These 0ordinary 'en2 %ere in e*ery %ay 7ust re ular =er'ans of all a es and %al"s of life) So'eho% they %ere ca(a&le of (artici(atin in the 'ost infa'ous enocide in %orld history) In his &oo"$ Bro%nin states a =er'an 6a7or sayin 06an))) such 7o&s don#t suit 'e) But orders are orders)23Bro%nin $ AB4 The 'en in the &attalion &eca'e nu'& to the e,ecutions and did not thin" that %hat they %ere doin %as %ron or i''oral$ &ecause they %ere follo%in orders) This co'(letely contradicts ho% ?aniel =oldha en thin"s the

(er(etrators of the Holocaust %ere 'ade ca(a&le of co''ittin such atrocities) In =oldha en#s !itler's "illing #$ec tioners%, he tal"s a&out ho% this enocide could not ta"e (lace solely &ased on follo%in orders &ecause they %ere i*en fro' a le iti'ate authority) =oldha en#s theory is &ased on the (sycholo ical chan e that too" (lace to turn ordinary =er'ans into enocidal "illers) 1ith the anti+Se'itic culture s%ee(in throu h =er'any and the notion that the =er'an (eo(le %ere a 0su(erior race2$ this a*e the need to e,ter'inate any lesser races fro' the Earth) 1ith the ideas that the >e%s %ere a (la ue in =er'any$ =oldha en theori;es that e*ery =er'an su((orted the 0Final Solution2) =oldha en e*en %rote 0The =er'an (er(etrators %ere assentin 'ass e,ecutioners$ 'en and %o'en %ho$ true to their o%n eli'inationist anti+Se'itic &eliefs$ faithful to their cultural anti+Se'itic credo$ considered the slau hter to &e 7ust2) 3=oldha en$ C@4 I find this hard to &elie*e$ %hile the =er'an (eo(le did not .uestion the 'ass enocide of the >e%s$ they %ere s%ayed hea*ily &y (ro(a anda and censored fro' the horrors of the concentration ca'(s) I find =oldha en#s thou hts a&out the causes of the Holocaust to &e the 'ost radical of the authors)
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=oldha en$ ?aniel) !itlers "illing #$ec tioners) 1556

Kelly 4 After readin =oldha en and Bro%nin #s articles$ &oth of %hich co'(letely disa ree %ith one another$ I find Ti'othy Snyder#s su''ary of his &oo" Bloodlands& to ha*e interestin theories on the causes of the Holocaust) In this article Snyder tal"s a&out %hy <a;i =er'any 'ade the decision to 'urder an entire race of hu'ans) Snyder states that Hitler %anted to control the %estern So*iet Dnion and 9oland$ %hich 'eant controllin 'ost of Euro(e#s >e%s) This lead =Erin and Hi''ler to co'&ine (olice forces and (re(are for a race %ar) Hitler#s (lan %as to de(ort and then e,ecute all the >e%s in the Eastern Euro(e$ and coloni;e that territory) Ho%e*er %hen the So*iets halted the =er'an ad*ances$ the <a;i#s found it 'uch easier to "ill the >e%s rather than de(ort the') Another reason for the Holocaust$ stated in Snyder#s %ritin is that Hitler and the <a;i (arty &elie*ed that >e%s ran the So*iet e'(ire) This led the' to thin" that if the >e%s %ere e,ter'inated$ this %ould colla(se the So*iet Dnion) 1hile Snyder outlines the root causes of %hy the Holocaust ca'e to &e the %orst enocide in %orld history$ he does not e,(lain ho% the (er(etrators %ere ca(a&le of co''ittin these terri&le acts) After readin and understandin each author#s thou hts and e,(lanations of ho% the <a;i#s %ere a&le to atte'(t to e,ter'inate an entire race$ I find 'yself una&le to a ree %ith any one author) Each (ro*ides *alid (oints and e,a'(les to su((ort their findin s$ &ut I feel the theories are not stron enou h to su((ort the'sel*es alone) I &elie*e Bro%nin #s %or" on 9olice Battalion 101 to &e the 'ost (ersuasi*e of the authors) The (ersonal testi'onies of the 'en in the Battalion tal"in a&out the e,ecutions and ho% they reacted to the' %as *ery distur&in ) It also hel(ed 'e reali;e that the enocidal e,ecutioners %ere actually 7ust ordinary 'en i*en orders to "ill) This still does not ta"e a%ay fro' the fact that they are res(onsi&le for their actions$ and 'ust ha*e (sycholo ical da'a e fro' this circu'stance) E*en thou h I find
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Snyder$ Ti'othy) 'he (a ses of the !oloca st) 2012

Kelly A Bro%nin #s %or" to &e the 'ost (ersuasi*e$ I don#t a ree %ith his theory of ho% these 'en %ere ca(a&le of such atrocities) Sayin that 9olice Battalion %as a&le to carry out these co''ands to e,ecute thousands of >e%s 7ust &ecause they %ere o&eyin orders is not enou h to su((ort his clai's) Ho%e*er if Bro%nin too" so'e (arts of =oldha en#s theory of ho% the Holocaust %as 'ade (ossi&le$ it %ould &e stron er) =oldha en#s %or" %as 'ore on the (sycholo ical effects of anti+Se'itis' on the =er'an (eo(le and the 'en that carried out the e,ecutions) Ho%e*er so'e (arts of =oldha en#s %or" I cannot a ree %ith$ such as that all the =er'an (eo(le are res(onsi&le for the Holocaust) The stron (ro(a anda in =er'any that (ainted the >e%s as the (eo(le res(onsi&le for all the of =er'an (eo(le/s (ro&le's hel(ed 'a"e it (ossi&le to trans(ort an entire race %ithout anyone s(ea"in u() 6ost of the horri&le stories fro' the death ca'(s %ere "e(t a%ay fro' the =er'an (u&lic) If =Erin did not create the iant (ro(a anda ca'(ai n to dehu'ani;e the >e%s and con*ince the =er'an (eo(le to consider the' su& hu'ans$ 0Hitler#s %illin e,ecutioners2 %ould ha*e stru led to e,ter'inate these innocent (eo(le)

1hile I thin" that &oth Bro%nin and =oldha en ha*e *alid (oints on ho% ordinary 'en %ere ca(a&le of such terri&le acts a ainst the *icti's of the Holocaust$ if you co'&ine (arts fro' &oth authors$ it %ill 'a"e their ar u'ents stron er) :ther factors such as the dehu'ani;ation of the *icti's let the (er(etrators "ill %ithout feelin any "ind of re'orse or re ret) The story of the 'en of 9olice Battalion 101 still distur&s 'e in the %ay that only a fe% of the Battalion#s 'en decided to o(t out &efore the e,ecutions) 1ith Bro%nin #s theory of follo%in orders fro' hi her authority and =oldha en#s research on the effects of the anti+Se'itic (ro(a anda$ this hel(ed these ordinary 'en co''it such %ic"ed acts)