Difference in Nazi Policies in the Period between 1933 and 1940 and between 1940 and 1945 - Term Paper Example

In the book “War and Genocide: A concise history of the holocaust”, Bergen brings out the difference between policies during the period between 1933 and 1940 and those of the period between 1940 and 1945. She argues that, during the former period, the Nazi policies against their enemies underwent significant changes. These included those towards the Jews, those suffering from hereditary diseases, Gypsies and political opponents. It took place in particular designated areas known as Einsatzgruppen that were conquered from Eastern European territories. It was part of their territorial expansion in Europe (154). She mentions the other targeted groups as the disabled and homosexuals “and others and attacked communists, homosexual men...(viii).
A considerable difference is also highlighted with regard to the nature of actions during these periods. In the first years, actions were lighter than during the later years. Bergen shows that the Nazi policy was moderate between 1933 and 1934. It was also contributed by the lack of agreement on what qualified an individual to be regarded as a Jew. They were afraid to scare voters and average-minded politicians. It is at this time that the Haavara Agreement was signed between Nazis and Zionists to ensure that Jews in Germany migrated to Palestine before 1939 and Israel by 1949 (239). The genocide of Jews took part during this time leading to the persecution, enslavement and killing of millions of Jews (169). Immediately after, thousands of Jews were terminated from employment to avoid infiltration of destructive traits (55). These superior or privileged positions were reserved for the Aryan Germans (36). Nonetheless, it is at this time that most Germans were recruited to support the military service.

According to Bergen, the members of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi) formed their hatred from the familiar prejudices they had experienced during the pre-Nazi regime in Germany (1). In this respect, she exposes the attempts made by Hitler to eliminate laws that would stop the Nazis in their quest (48). She contends that the Nazis believed in the scientific legitimacy of this racial doctrine in “the pseudo-science that grew up around it” (12). The eugenics or racial hygiene program was also included to sterilize and exterminate the victims compulsorily where she indicates “Hitler introduced a law to legalize eugenic sterilization.... to prevent reproduction by people deemed unworthy” (66).
During the later years, different policies including the education system where populist anti-Semitic education was introduced in schools.
These blamed the economic problems experienced after the war, unemployment and loss of World War I on Jews. However, during World War II, Nazis accepted Slavs to serve in the occupied territories of their army despite their consideration as sub-humans. It was a measure to deal with the manpower shortages in the military (168). Upon prompted by their leader, the Nazis changed their policies regarding the Croats and Slavs. The Nazi policies became worse hence culminating in the holocaust that was alternatively known as “The final solution” by Friedlander (246).
Additionally, different measures were taken against the persecuted groups. In this sense, she explains how the persecution process took place in different stages. For instance, the National Committee against Nazi persecution and Execution of Jews was developed. Other legal steps that included the formulation of Nuremberg laws were taken to eliminate the Jews from civil society. Experiments were performed on the handicapped to establish their causes and search for cures. Concentration camps where inmates were placed and subjected to slave labor until they died of diseases or exhaustion also culminated (17, 24).

During these periods, the target groups experienced varied methods of persecution. Before the Nazi revolution, the Nazis were aggressive, which led to the killings of Jews and the implementation of euthanasia programs. These were used as “….developed techniques to implement the teachings of race…(102). Bergen also reveals this through the “expansion of the concentration camp system” in 1938 and 1939 (89). The tactics employed changed as a result of an intensified state of vengeance after the Nazis realized that they had lost the war. This is despite the fact that they knew that they had nothing to gain.

From this, the policies of the two periods can be shown to be interconnected. This is from the reasons given for their initiation as well as the responses they elicit from the entire world. They are mainly initiated from superiority issues and a feeling of hatred whereby the effort to purify the race that was commonly known as the Aryan race was made (135). They were also formulated to expand the space within which this race would live. It is for this reason that most of these genocides were considered a product of bureaucracy in Germany. As a result, the world thinks that these actions were disastrous and devastating. It is because of the associated repercussions, which were felt worldwide.  Read More