Holocaust Documentaries Analysis - Essay Example

With respect to the documentary in question, as well as the chapter by Peter Suedfeld, it must be understood that the time period in question wasconcentric around the period between the Nazi takeover of Germany and the end of World War II. Such a time period was necessary as it helped to capture many of the nuances for why such hatred, animosity, and deep seated racial policies were able to come to fruition. However, it must also be understood that in order to understand why the holocaust took place, focusing solely upon the Nazi period of German or European history is not sufficient. As such, deep undercurrents of anti-Semitism and racial hatred for the Jewish population of Europe had existed since the Middle Ages. Much of this was caused by the fact that stakeholders within early European society believed that people of Jewish decent still bore a direct level of responsibility for the crucifixion and death of Christ. Such a level of innate and cultural distrust and even hatred ultimately coalesced with the economic and political pressures that Germany faced after the First World War and gave rise to the Nazi Party; a harbinger to the holocaust. 2. For the most part the film appeared to be rather unbiased. However, it must be stated that no attempt was made to understand the situation from the perspective of the German citizen or the German soldier. Naturally, the film-maker probably glossed over this due to the fact that seeking to understand the issue from such a perspective was deemed as merely trying to understand evil; something that they did not want to waste valuable time on. Yet, even though this may be true, it would have provided a further level of credibility to the film if the film-maker(s) had allowed for an alternative approach and a view of the situation through the eyes of those who were responsible for carrying it out. Even if such a view might have been unpleasant, it was necessary in order to understand the dynamics for why such inhumanity can persist and why a broad based public outcry for it to stop was never realized or witnessed. Moreover, even though the film is useful in understanding the plight of the individual caught up in the horrors of the holocaust, too much of an emotional appeal also detracts from the merit of objectivity that could otherwise be represented. Naturally, it is not fair to disregard the horrors that the individual faced during the ethnic cleansing of Jews within Europe; however, too much of a focus upon the individual loses sight of the mechanisms, causation, and realities for why this was being carried out and what forces encouraged it. 3. How does this film contribute to our knowledge of the Nazi Holocaust? Ultimately, the film contributes to an understanding of the Holocaust in the sense that it allows the viewer to come to a more informed understanding of the way in which the Holocaust not only Germany’s Jews but Jewish populations throughout the remainder of occupied Europe. This is an important understanding to gain due to the fact that a misconception with regards to the overall scope of the Holocaust is one of the most common misconceptions that exists. Whereas it is true that the Germans were responsible for murdering unknown tens of thousands of Jews within Germany itself, the bulk of the Holocaust victims were derived not within Germany’s borders; rather, these were derived from areas of heavy Jewish concentration within Eastern Europe – specifically Poland and Ukraine (Cowen 167). In helping the viewer to come to a further understanding of the scope of the Holocaust and the personal ramifications that it had upon the lives, experience, and future of the individuals that were fortunate enough to survive it, the viewer is led to a more informed understanding with respect to the many different ways in which this particular occurrence impacted upon the future of not only Europe but the rest of the world. 4. Ultimately, Suedfeld posits a litany of different reasons for why the Holocaust actually took place. The first of these theories he terms as “demonic theories”. Even though this encourages something of a religious understanding, what this ultimately means is that an individual human being, of a particularly twisted psyche, would most be responsible in engaging something like the Holocaust. Naturally, for such an understanding, the reader can come to the realization of the fact that Hitler would necessarily represent this “demonic” human being. However, this particular theory falls short due to the fact that it over emphasizes the role that adult Hitler himself had and minimizes the impact of the roles that tens of thousands of German soldiers and civilians had in perpetrating allowing the Holocaust to continue. A secondary theory that the author puts forward is what is referred to as the sociopolitical and economic chaos theory. It cannot be denied the Germany faced a period of intense social and political unrest and upheaval following the catastrophic defeat in World War I. As a direct result of this catastrophe, many theorists put forward the understanding that the core of society was shaken to such a degree that radical and rabid anti-Semitism was able to rise and ultimately gave birth to the Nazi party and its atrocities. Of all of the theories that were presented, it is this reader’s understanding that this particular theory is the most effective in explaining the underlying reasons and rationale for why the Holocaust took place when and where it did. A third theory that was presented is with regards to pragmatism. This theory basically claims that the pragmatism of the German people specified that it was culturally understood that Jews were necessarily wealthy people and had approved a great deal of wealth over the centuries within the German society. As such, taking this wealth by force and persecuting the Jews would allow for a pragmatic level of perceived benefit within the entire society. A fourth theory that is put forward is with regards to what is termed as a social psychological theory. This theory is perhaps the second most relevant in terms of the way in which this particular reader integrates with it. As such, the social psychological theory puts forward the impact that peer pressure and group dynamics can have upon the decisions, morality, and exhibition of ethics within the group as a whole (Dietsch 67). Further, the author puts forward a rather wild theory with respect to the fact that Germans were somehow free determined to exhibit racial hatred. This particular theory is known as the Goldschlagen thesis. Although it has almost resoundingly been disproven by litany of different scholars of the past several years, there is an element of truth to the way in which German culture, history, and specific interpretations of religion all coalesced in order to make the German people a more likely victim of racial hatred and ideology than any other group; at least at the given time. The final theory that is put forward is with regards to what is known as the will to power and/or the postmodern approach. Within this particular approach, the author denotes the fact that Germany was far and away the most developed society within all of Europe prior to and during the Nazi takeover. This encouraged a degree of belief and trust within numbers, science, and an overall level of distrust with regards to the importance of humanity, compassion, and caring. From all of these factors, theories, and considerations, it can clearly be determined that the Holocaust and the racial cruelty that he was exhibited within Germany during the years in question is not entirely dissimilar to the racial cruelty, ethnic cleansing, mass murder, and societal upheaval that have occurred in places such as Armenia, Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and a litany of different states around the globe. In short, the running list of theories that is been provided should not be understood as somehow uniquely German. Rather, these forces can have a powerful impact throughout the globe and to determine the way in which conflict is exhibited and different groups are persecuted for no reason other than their ethnic composition. Works Cited Cowan, Paula. "Reconceptualising The Holocaust And Holocaust Education In Countries That Escaped Nazi Occupation" Intercultural Education 24.1/2 (2013): 167-179. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. Dietsch, Johan. "Textbooks And The Holocaust" European Education 44.3 (2012): 67-94. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2013. Read More