Precursers to WWII and Non-Germany Contributors to the Prosecution of Jews - Essay Example

In the aftermath of the First World War serious unrest in Europe grew, especially revanchist and irredentist nationalism. Under the Treaty of Versailles German Empire lost over 10 per cent of its pre-war territory as well as all of its overseas possessions. Furthermore limits were imposed upon the size of German army. During the period of Weimar republic domestic civil conflict took place in Germany involving both nationalists and reactionaries against moderate democrats and communists. In the aftermath of World War I concerns about anti-Semitism rose throughout Europe.

By late 1928 European states were legislating immigration that sometimes prevented Jews from entering their territories. Moreover some of the newly established European states viewed ethnic Jewish immigrants as a menace to their stability. Due to the large number of Jews among bolshevist leadership some European politicians feared that Jews arriving to their countries from the east would smuggle revolutionary spirits with them. The rise to power of National Socialists in Germany in 1933 gave another powerful impetus for growing Zionist support as well as immigration to British-controlled Palestine.

The long held non-Zionist and assimilationist view that Jews might live safely as minorities within European societies was seriously undermined, since Germany had been regarded before as the state in which Jews had been successfully integrated. With almost all other states closed to immigration a new wave of Jewish immigrants rushed for Palestine. Those who could not pay the due fees for immediate entry joined British waiting lists. It is worth to mention that the British did really contributed much into committing genocide against European Jewry during World War II.

In 1939 they issued the o-called White Paper. That document declared that the Jewish National Home had already been established so all of their obligations under the mandate had already been fulfilled. Further migration was viewed as harmful to Palestinian Arabs. Only 10,000 Jewish migrants were allowed to arrive to Palestine each year from 1939 to 1944. Moreover Jewish migration was supposed to require consent of the Arab majority in Palestine. Palestinians were promised independence by 1949.

Furthermore the British restricted Jews’ land purchases. Being preoccupied with securing Arabian support for British war efforts against the counties of the Axis while the latter’s propaganda was targeting Muslim world. As a result Palestinian Zionists increasingly viewed Great Britain as their enemy. Having contributed much into the catastrophe of European Jewry they by no means may be blamed for killing Jews. This notwithstanding Nazi Germany was not the only power responsible for killing 6 million of them.

Germany’s allies are also responsible for crimes against humanity perpetrated during World War II. As a result of 1938 Munich treaty prewar Czechoslovakian Republic was dissolved and the puppet Slovak Republic was proclaimed in March 1939. Two years later Slovakian parliament passed the so-called Jewish Code which followed notorious Nuremberg Law of Nazi Germany. Slovakian Code required that Jews were to