StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...

They Thought They Were Free - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
They thought they were free is an eye opening book that explains how some Germans were seduced by the Nazis and how they rationalized their support for the Nazis. Many people from the West believe that the German people are or were inherently evil. However Milton Mayor, an American Jew with German heritage, discovered after World War II that the German people were only citizens that had been fooled by the Nazi Party…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.1% of users find it useful
They Thought They Were Free
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "They Thought They Were Free"

Download file to see previous pages

The Versailles Treaty punished the losing Germans severely. Weapons production of any kind was banned. A heavy monetary cost of the war was also levied against Germany. Many Germans were over taxed, unemployed, and morally defeated. Adolf Hitler was one of these Germans. He wanted to change Germany. Hitler did not get up and make a speech about killing six million Jews, or starting a war that killed twelve million more. He did not get up and promise a war that would devastate Germany forever.

Hitler promised a prosperous Germany. The promise of a good economy was the first bit that seduced the German people. The second seduction was national German pride. After the German loss during World War I, the German morale was at an all time low. Germans wanted a reason to believe in Germany. Hitler gave them those reasons. The pride, economic boost, and strong government helped the Germans regain a proud nation. The concentration camps, war, and death all came gradually. Heinrich Hildebrandt, interviewed by Mayor, explained: "What happened here was the gradual habituation of the people, little by little, to being governed by surprise; to receiving decisions deliberated in secret; to believing that the situation was so complicated that the government had to act on information which the people could not understand, or so dangerous that, even if the people could not understand it, it could not be released because of national security.

And their sense of identification with Hitler, their trust in him, made it easier to widen this gap and reassured those who would otherwise have worried about it.” (1971:166). The evilness of the Third Reich came about gradually. The Nazis groomed the regular German citizens. As Major pointed out anti-Semitism was a way of life in Kronenberg since the Middle Ages. As the Race Laws started to take effect, many Germans including those in Kronenberg were not too upset. The isolation of the Jews had been a way of life for centuries.

Thus when Kristallnacht occurred on November 9, 1938 the people of Kronenberg probably did not realize what was really going on. Kristallnacht was also justified by the killing of a German diplomat in Paris, France by a Jew. The Germans really thought that the Jews were trying to attack them. They wanted a little retribution by burning the Synagogues and smashing Jewish business’ windows. The German people at this time did not think six million Jews would die as the result of this action. When SA Kuhling ordered the Synagogue to be burned, Sturmfurher Schwenke, an unemployed tailor, followed orders.

Not all of the Nazis, especially the leaders or SS were mentally stable. For example, Sturmfurher Schwenke had wet the bet until he was twenty-two years old (Major 1971:22). The Nazis put the brutal mentally off men in charge of other innocent civilians. People like Gustav Schwenke would not have balked at an order that made them feel important. The momentum then swept the other German citizens away. If World War II had not broke out, maybe the German citizens might have spoken out more. However Hitler and the Nazi government would use the war to justify everything.

Jews were resettled to prevent them from working with the enemy. The Americans did the same with Japanese Americans. It seemed logical. Even if Germans became uneasy they did

...Download file to see next pages Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“They Thought They Were Free Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1412898-they-thought-they-were-free
(They Thought They Were Free Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words)
https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1412898-they-thought-they-were-free.
“They Thought They Were Free Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/environmental-studies/1412898-they-thought-they-were-free.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF They Thought They Were Free

French Immigration Law in a European Context

This dissertation shall endeavor to resolve whether the EU laws and directives on the free movement and residence are mandatory in character and in cases of transgressions, the EU has the power and authority to mete penalties or sanctions against the erring Member States.... And worse, the expulsions were implemented without compliance to substantive and procedural due process....
35 Pages (8750 words) Dissertation

They Thought They Were Free the Germans and the Nazi Seduction

A paper " They Thought They Were Free the Germans and the Nazi Seduction" claims that Milton Mayer, a progressive American journalist, and writer, became one of the first among people who tried to solve the enigma of Germans' conformity with Nazism in his book.... In fact, Mayer goes on, all his respondents did not perceive Nazism as brutal tyranny at all; living in parochial Hessian town, they were mostly oblivious of larger social processes and did not have any substantial knowledge about the larger world (48)....
5 Pages (1250 words) Book Report/Review

They Thought They Were Free Analysis

His account of the sociological influences and impacts of Nazism in pre-World War II Germany in They Thought They Were Free is divided into three parts: “Ten Men”, “The Germans”, and “Their Cause and Cure”.... The anti-Semitic stance of the government was an acceptable compromise for many who had no personal or emotional connection to their Jewish neighbors, who were being run out of the country and financially ruined by governmental seizures.... The Nazis that Mayer interviews were not hypnotized or irrationally appealed to in order to surrender their liberties to a totalitarian government....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

History of Western Civilization

In the book, They Thought They Were Free, there is an explanation of how the Nazis justified the political stance which was taken as well as how this began to change and affect those that were interested in change in Germany.... From this treaty, most in Germany believed that they were losing a sense of Germany and the political rights that were needed for the country.... The description of the building of Nazi power is one of the main contributions of the book, specifically by showing how the Germans were interested in the desire for change....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Thought, Force and Selfishness in Ajax and Prometheus Bound

The messenger rightly concludes that Ajax's "thoughts were too great for man" (788).... Greek mythology is famous for its tyrannical gods who care little about benevolence and goodness.... In addition, the literary tradition and culture that spawned it has always placed an emphasis on knowledge and heroic power, ranking both attributes as among the most important for a god or man to possess....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Pain from Free Trade Spurs Second Thoughts by David Wessel and Bob Davis

This paper offers a brief discussion of the article "Pain From free Trade Spurs Second Thoughts" by David Wessel and Bob Davis.... Blinder a former Federal Reserve Board vice chairman along was a protagonist of free trade along with many other economists.... Pain from free Trade Spurs Second Thoughts by David Wessel and Bob Davis The article “Pain from free Trade Spurs Second Thoughts”, 2007, by David Wessel and Bob Davis, is thought provoking on the issue of outsourcing that is of so much concern in the country....
1 Pages (250 words) Assignment

International development is/is not best helped through free trade

According to findings of a research sponsored by the US Department of Commerce, free trade has opened up most countries around the world by providing them with virtually unlimited access to markets in other regions.... The… Research shows that free trade zones have ripple effects on other vital sectors of the global economy.... For instance, the North American free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has promoted greater understanding Module International Development is best helped through free Trade Introduction free trade plays a vital role in international development....
2 Pages (500 words) Research Proposal

International Development Is Best Helped Through Free Trade

This essay talks that free trade is an important aspect of business and international business in particular.... Over the years, studies have shown that free trade can have serious positive or negative impacts on different aspects depending on how it is treated.... … The purpose of the discussion is to investigate the impact of free trade on international development.... Over the years, free trade has emerged as a key catalyst of growth in various sectors....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us