The Causes of the Holocaust - Coursework Example

The Holocaust The Holocaust is definitely one of the most horrifying and tragic incidences in history. The holocaust resulted in the annihilation of a majority of Europe’s Jewish Population. A total of 6 million people, mostly Jews, and 11 million slaves, gypsies and other victims succumbed to the events that occurred primarily due to political mismanagement and sources that promoted the war institution. People have witnessed the formation of mass pits in to which large numbers of burnt bodies were buried. It was highly impossible to realize the depth of such as event at the onset. It was only after the liberation of the various camps that were set up for the extermination people came to understand the real situation in these camps. Several causes have been attributed to this extermination program of the Jewish population. However it is difficult to attach any moral reasoning for the occurrence of such an event. Getting a comprehensive overview of the entire holocaust tragedy would be quite impossible owing to the enormous and unprecedented nature of the catastrophe. However the causes that led to the massacre have been clearly identified. Persecution of the Jews, much before the occurrence of the Holocaust, was pronounced in Europe. The Jews lived an insecure life due to several economic and political factors. They were subject to “localized violence”, which was termed as pogroms. Beginning from 1096 till 1945 when World War II was witnessed, there were several causes such as religious, health based, economic and organized warfare that led to these pogroms. Till about 1850 Jews suffered only to a lesser extent due to these pogroms. However, after 1850 the rising anti-Semitism and other political factors contributed to the probability of the occurrence of a Holocaust. Following World War I, the probability of a Holocaust rose to about 5%. The Armenian massacres showed to the world and to Hitler in particular that killing innocent people would not elicit much of a protest from the civilized world. The major causative factors for the holocaust include: anti-Semitism voiced by churches and other German institutions, the gullibility of the Jew society, political mismanagement both within Nazi Germany as well as other nations, the modern warfare developed for the purpose of World War I coupled with military training made human life appear invaluable and vulnerable, as Germany succumbed to the victorious allies during World War I and the fourteen points of Wilson which gave Germany the ability to resist the allied armies resulted in militarism having an upper within Germany and the break-up of the Austria and Hungary that made Hitler victorious leading directly to World War II. The Peace treaty of Versailles made Germany gullible to various reactionary forces and coupled with the ideologies adopted by Hitler that prompted him to carry out a massacre of such a large magnitude. Though the Holocaust was executed principally by Germany along with their army and allies, the participation of the German military, bureaucracies and other pro-Nazi governments and industries facilitated the events. The state churches and allies of World War I further hastened the occurrence of the holocaust by functioning as enablers for the event. The early catholic churches insisted on the conversion of Jews, which was met with stiff resistance from the Jews and their unwillingness to accept Jesus Christ as their lord. When it became the state religion of Rome it had a huge impact on the citizenship of the Jews and later in the expulsion of the Jews. It must however be emphasized that the church did consider the Jews as their sworn enemies, however they did not harbor tendencies to dispose of the Jews at will. It was leaders such as Martin Luther, Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes and other reformists from Germany who played a vital role in propagating anti-Jewish and atheist tendencies, which had a major influence on Hitler, Lenin and Mussolini. A particular mention need to be made about Friedrich Nietzsche whose atheistic views had a great influence on Hitler. He had propagated that weak and invaluable people could be killed at will as he held the view that if the poor were helped then they would take control at a later stage and such beliefs provided the impetus for framing the massacre of millions during the Holocaust. And it was this atheistic influence that made Hitler hate Christians as much as he disliked the Jews. Thus both atheism and anti-Semitism tendency propagated by the Church combined are the major forces behind the massacre of millions. Analyzing the actual events that led to the Holocaust in greater detail, despite the huge prosperity offered by trade and investments during the latter half of the 19th century until the middle of the 20th century, the follies committed by political powerhouses during that period sowed the initial seeds for the Holocaust. All the politicians of the major countries, driven by a need to assert themselves committed huge blunders. The huge support they gained from the military supplemented their efforts for the same. This led to the World Wars I and II, and the end of World War II resulted in the establishment of communism and fascism in countries like Russia and Germany respectively. Corruption and ideologies that best suited their class of people were the key features of the political mismanagement. Such favoritisms which primarily concentrated on immediate political gains rather than on the long term impact on the nation’s development and other techniques adopted by the parties paved the way for the Holocaust. Factors such as violence, mismanaged economy due to lack of leadership qualities, military rule, low standards of living among the people have all paved way for dictatorship. Dictators take the law in their own hands and by the deployment of modern military and technology they tend to suppress the weaker population which further leads to tyranny. Such were the conditions that prevailed during the days ahead of the Holocaust. Thus militarism and institutions that favored war provided the much needed support for dictators to carry out their actions. A large number of lethal weapons of mass destruction were developed by powerful countries. Funds which could have spent for the vital needs of the people were diverted on the proliferation of war institutions. Thus the Holocaust was the result of a combination of a variety of social, cultural and political factors, which drove the Nazi Germany headed by Hitler to commit the most horrific crimes the world has ever witnessed. It is however heartening that such a crime has been committed by educated and cultured individuals. The infusion of atheistic tendencies played a very key role than anti-Semitism, which has been largely attributed to the occurrence of the Holocaust. Anti-Semitism camouflaged the real reason behind the Holocaust as it was a more convenient excuse for the occurrence of the genocide. Thus there have been several triggering factors that have been associated with the Holocaust. The saddest part is the fact that this had been implemented by individuals who were educated and who could have used their knowledge towards building a more constructive world. However, it was not the case to be and the world was destined to witness the massacre of millions of innocent beings. While the event will forever remain an unforgettable occurrence in the history of mankind, it can also be taken as a lesson by the future generations that life after a war would never be a fulfilling one. War cannot be the means for peace. It is extremely vital to propagate harmony and brotherhood as that alone will see a peaceful end for the many objectives of mankind. That alone will promote development and prosperity in our lives which would lead to a peaceful existence of mankind on earth. In my personal opinion, if the right education could have really helped people like Hitler to think, differentiate between right and wrong and act wisely such horrendous crimes could have been avoided and the lives of millions of people saved. However, destiny wanted the event to happen and serve as a lesson to the world so that an event of such horrific magnitude would never happen again. Thus world leaders should take the Holocaust as a true experience and work towards upholding good politics and relations with their people. A realization that war is not the means to end anything should dawn upon among people in power. Only love, humanity and brotherhood could be a means for peace world over. Such notions should also be spread amongst the general public to avoid any unwanted happenings from springing forth. Thus with the hope that peace and harmony alone will win among everything else throughout the world, let us look towards a great future. Reference: 1. Causes of the Holocaust. 18 Oct. 2007. 15 May 2009. http://www.articlesbase.com/religion-articles/causes-of-the-holocaust-240217.html 2. Zuckerman, Peter A. Beyond the Holocaust: Survival or Extinction? A survival Manual for Humanity. The Causes of the Holocaust. Human Progress Network. 1996. 15 May 2009. < http://www.hpn.org/beyond/index.htm> 3. Cotton, Ray. The Holocaust: Ideas and their Consequences. 14 Dec. 2004. 15 May 2009. http://www.origins.org/articles/cotton_holocaustideas.html#text1 Read More