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HOLOCAUST
RESOURCE
PACKET
PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY
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Causes of the Holocaust
January 08, 2009 by
Daniel Lieberman Web Page Name- Associated Content
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1353270/causes_of_the_holocaust_pg3.html?cat=37
Hitler's Methods for Perpetrating Genocide
The Holocaust was a very horrific time for the Jewish people of Europe and the world. Adolf Hitler,
dictator of Germany at the time of the Holocaust and World War II, started the Holocaust which
killed over 10 million people, including almost 6 million Jews. Adolf
Hitler was very anti-Semitic, but Hitler alone could not have caused the Holocaust. The causes of
the Holocaust are so numerous that they can not all be explained in depth in a limited amount of
space, though the surface can be scratched.
The rise of the Nazis is the main cause of the Holocaust. The Nazis took advantage of the bad
state of Germany, at the time in order to take control of the country. After World War I, German
pride was hurt by the Versailles Treaty which, among other things, forced Germany to accept the
blame for starting the First World War. The Versailles Treaty also forced Germany to pay huge
amounts of money to the Allies. Germany was forced to take loans from the United States in
order to pay this money. Once the Great Depression started in the United States, the banks
started demanding that Germany repay their loans, causing the German economy to suffer even
more during this difficult period. The Nazis promised to make Germany a great country. This
helped the Nazis take control of the government of Germany, as everybody wanted change in the
government that would help rebuild their country.
Hitler's Methods for Perpetrating Genocide
The Holocaust obviously could not be carried out without at least some public support, so
propaganda became an important part of Nazi politics. Josef Goebbels, Hitler's minister of
propaganda, became a well known figure in Germany. Goebbels worked hard to convince the
German public of the superiority of the Aryan race. He told people that the Jews were the reason
the economy was in shambles. He scapegoated everybody who was not of the Aryan race,
especially the Jews. Goebbels and Hitler thought that it was very important that the public hear
the propaganda because, according to them, lies heard repeatedly gradually gain acceptance.
Because they wanted the public to hear their propaganda, they sold radios extremely cheaply. Of
course, they controlled all of the radio stations and forbade any treason against the government
in the media.
Once propaganda was widespread in Germany, anti-Semitism became common. Hitler believed
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in racial anti-Semitism rather than religious anti-Semitism. Religious anti-Semitism was the hatred
of Jews who would not convert to Christianity. Racial anti-Semitism was the hatred of anybody
who could be traced back to a Jewish grandparent, even if he practiced Christianity. Hitler
created Jewish ghettos, burned Jewish businesses, and even distributed The Protocols of the
Elders of Zion, a book which had not been widely used since the Spanish Inquisition. This book
claims that Jews were attempting to take over the world. Hitler's belief in anti-Semitism was one
of his most powerful motivations.
Another problem that led to the execution of so many Jews in the Holocaust was that the other
countries of the world were not trying to stop what was happening. The world powers simply
stood by and watched. Some of the most powerful countries even signed contracts with Hitler
saying that they would never go to war against Germany. At the Evian Conference, which took
place before the war, many of the countries of the world, including the United States and Great
Britain, met to discuss what was happening in Germany. Germany at that time was still allowing
Jews to leave the country if they wanted to. The countries discussed raising the quota of Jews
who would be admitted into their countries. At the end of the Evian Conference, only the tiny
Dominican Republic opened up its doors for more Jews. Perhaps, if some of the other countries
had decided to allow more Jews to come in, Hitler would not have been able to kill the 6 million
Jews who died in the Holocaust.
Adolf Hitler wanted everything that he did to the Jews in Germany to be permanent. He wanted
the world to continue to hate Jews after he was gone. Hitler thought that the only way to do this
was to convince everybody that he was right. Hitler started the process of brainwashing by telling
everybody how the destruction of the Jews would help them to live better. He said that the Jews
caused all of the economic problems because they were taking all of the money for themselves.
To ensure that his beliefs would be passed on to the next generation of Germans, Hitler decided
to target children. Children were inclined to believe what they were told, so Hitler told them about
the "evils" of the Jews. He told them about the superiority of the Aryan race. He told them
everything that he wanted them to believe through textbooks and teachers, all teachers in
Germany had to be members of the Nazi party. This way, when the children of Germany became
adults, they would all preach hatred of Jews to their own children.
Hitler, of course, did not talk to each child individually. He set up a youth group called "The Hitler
Youth." The leaders of the Hitler Youth told the children what Hitler wanted them to hear. They
had rallies, and did fun things to convince the children that what they were doing was right and
appropriate. Hitler became like a god to these youth; many would do anything for him. Some
might even die for him. Most of the Hitler Youth did not even know about the evils of the Nazi
régime until after the war. Some of them still chose not to believe it after the war. This was the
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extent of the Nazi control over these young people's minds.
Obviously, there are quite a few causes of the Holocaust. Some of them were outside of the
control of many people, while some of them could have been stopped. All of these causes could
be repeated if we do not study the Holocaust. Anything that could happen fifty years ago could
happen again now, today. In our time, anti-Semitism is on the rise once again, especially in
Europe. Propaganda is at an extremely high point currently, and this propaganda could easily
turn into brainwashing. At any time, a political party could take over and set up a dictatorship. If all
of these discussed causes are repeated, there is a good chance that something resembling the
Holocaust will occur once again. This could end up being fatal to the world. Adolf Hitler would
consider what he did unsuccessful, even though he killed 1/3 of all the Jews in the world. Hitler
would have considered anything that did not kill all of the Jews unsuccessful. So what would
happen if this was to happen again, but this time end up being successful? The entire world's
Jewish population could be annihilated. In this modern world, it is our job to prevent the Holocaust
from happening again. Studying the Holocaust and learning about what happened is one way to
prevent it from happening again, and that is very important!
Web Page Name- Associated Content
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1353270/causes_of_the_holocaust_pg3.html?cat=37
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The Treaty of Versailles http://web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob18.html
The armistice of November 1918 that brought an end to four years of war between the European powers
was followed some six months later (May 7, 1919) by the presentation of the formal peace treaty to the
German government (The other defeated powers--Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria--were dealt with in
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separate treaties). After the terrible experience of a war in which millions of soldiers had died, it was
expected that the general cry in the victorious nations would be a call, especially from the French, for harsh
retribution against Germany in particular. For quite apart from the normal destruction wrought by the
weapons of war, the German army had engaged in massive destruction of the infrastructure of those areas
of France which it had overrun: stripping factories of machinery for transfer to Germany, sending hundreds
of thousands of cattle and other livestock across the border and flooding or blowing-up coal mines and,
during their retreat at the end, engaging in looting and pillaging on a massive scale by destroying railways,
bridges and ransacking thousands of private homes. The drawing up of the treaty, therefore, was an attempt
to reconcile the conflicting notions among the Big Four (Britain, France, U.S.A., Italy) on how severely the
Germans were to be treated. While the British representative, Lloyd George, for both political and
economic reasons, favored moderation, the French prime minister Clemenceau firmly advocated a "peace
of revenge" so that Germany would never again be in a position to threaten his country. The compromise
fell between these two stools; not lenient enough to elicit a grudging acceptance by the Germans nor severe
enough to permanently weaken their country (through dismemberment, for instance) beyond hope of
emergence to her former strength.
The issue of reparations proved to be exceedingly troublesome as payments were exacted from Germany
for years before any fixed sums were specified. The irony lay in the fact that all reparations were ended in
1932 in the wake of the world economic depression while a country like Britain was still paying her
financial debts to the U.S. as late as the 1960s. The treaty was forced upon the reluctant German
government under threat of continuing the war against an exhausted Germany and signed into law on June
28, 1919, five years to the day after the event that triggered the war in the first place--the assassination at
Sarajevo. The treaty is a long document of over 200 pages, incorporating 440 separate articles in addition to
annexed provisions. A selection of the more significant items from the text follows (Ref: Toynbee, Major
Peace Treaties of Modern History, Vol. II, 1967)
General Headings
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Pt. I Arts. 1-26, 387-427 articles d/w the setting up of the League of Nations
Pt. II Arts. 27-30 setting the territorial boundaries of Germany
Pt. III Arts. 31-117 territorial clauses relating to non-German states and areas
Pt. IV Arts. 118-158 colonial matters
Pt. V Arts. 159-202 military matters
Pt. VI Arts. 203-30, 428-40 Misc. (POWs, Guarantees, etc.)
Pt. VII Arts. 231-47 Reparations
Pt. VIII Arts. 248-312 Financial and Commercial clauses
Arts. 313-86 Navigation, Waterways, etc.
Specific Articles
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Arts. 42-43 "Germany is forbidden to maintain or construct any fortifications
either on the left bank of the Rhine [River] or on the right bank to the west of a
line drawn [30 miles] to the East of the Rhine"--armed forces of all kinds
permanently forbidden in the zone
Art. 45 "As compensation for the destruction of the coal-mines in the north of
France and as part payment towards the total reparations due from Germany . . .
Germany cedes to France in full and absolute possession . . .the coal mines
situated in the Saar basin"
Art. 49 " . . .At the end of 15 years from the coming into force of the present
Treaty the inhabitants of the said territory [i.e., the Saar] shall be called upon to
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indicate the sovereignty under which they desire to be placed [i.e., maintenance of
the regime established by Art. 45; or union with France; or union with Germany]"
Art. 51 "The territories which were ceded to Germany [in 1871] are restored to
French sovereignty . ." Germany, also, to restore all property, etc. to institutions
and individuals; France to have the right to retain and liquidate all property, etc.
possessed by German nationals or societies
Art. 80 "Germany acknowledges and will respect strictly the independence of
Austria . . . agrees that this independence shall be inalienable, except with the
consent of the Council of the League of Nations"
Arts. 87/89 "Germany . . . recognises the complete independence of Poland, and
renounces in her favor [all former Polish territory in possession of Germany,
excepting east Prussia]." [Poland to give freedom of transit to persons and goods
and communications between east Prussia and the rest of Germany over Polish
territory --goods to be exempt from duties]
Art. 99 "Germany renounces . . all rights and title over [the Baltic city of] Memel"
Art. 100 "Germany renounces . . all rights and title over [the Free City of Danzig,
which] shall be placed under the guarantee of the League of Nations" [Danzig to
be within Polish customs frontiers and to concede facilities for Polish imports and
exports]
Art. 116 "Germany acknowledges and agrees to respect as permanent and
inalienable the independence of all the territories which were part of the former
Russian Empire on August 1, 1914"
Art. 119 "Germany renounces . . all her rights and title over her overseas
possessions [namely, German East Africa, German South-West Africa,
Cameroons, Togoland]"
Art. 128 "Germany renounces in favor of China all benefits and privileges
resulting from the provisions of the final Protocol signed at Peking" in 1901
Arts. 159, 160, 162 "The German military forces shall be demobilised and
reduced . . . The Great General Staff shall be dissolved . . .the total number of
[troops] not to exceed the maximum of 100,000 [4,000 officers and 96,000 other
ranks] by March 31, 1920"
Art. 168 (sets strict controls on the manufacture of arms and munitions in
designated plants]
Art. 173 "Universal compulsory military service shall be abolished . . . the
German Army may only be constituted and recruited by means of voluntary
enlistment"
Art. 174 "The period of enlistment for [nco's] and privates must be 12 consecutive
years . . The number discharged for any reason before [12 year term] must not
exceed in any year 5% [i.e., 5,000 men]"
Art. 175 "[Existing] officers . . must undertake the obligation to serve . . up to the
age of 45 years at least . . .newly appointed [officers] . .to serve . .for 25
consecutive years at least [those discharged not to exceed 200 in any year]"
Art. 180 "All fortified works, fortresses . . situated in German territory to the west
of a line drawn [30 miles] to the east of the Rhine shall be disarmed and
dismantled" (the article also sets limits on army staffing, including the number of
rifles and machine guns allowed)
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Arts. 181-197 (sets limits on naval forces and forbids the construction and use of
submarines)
Arts. 198, 1999, 201 The armed forces of Germany must not include and military
or naval air forces" (also forbids manufacture or importation of aircraft
Art. 227 "The [powers] publicly arraign William II . . for a supreme offence
against international morality and the sanctity of treaties" [Note: his extradition
from Holland for trial as a war criminal was refused by that country]
Art. 231 " . . Germany accepts the responsibility of Germany and her allies for
causing all the loss and damage to which the Allied and Associated governments
and their nationals have been subjected as a consequence of the war imposed
upon them by the aggression of Germany and her allies"
Arts. 232, 233, 235 " . .Germany undertakes that she will make compensation for
all damage done to the civilian population of the Allied and Associated Powers
and to their property by . . . aggression by land, by sea and from the air . ."
[including complete restoration of Belgium]. The amount of damage and the
schedule of payments to be notified to the German government on or before May
1, 1921; 20 billion gold marks to be paid on account up to May 1921
Art. 244 "Compensation may be claimed from Germany . . in respect of . .
damage to injured persons and to surviving dependents by personal injury to or
death of civilians caused by acts of war . . ; (in respect of) all pensions . .to naval
and military victims of war; (in respect of) allowances by (Allied governments) to
the families and dependants of mobilized persons or persons serving with the
armed forces; damage in respect of all property wherever situated belonging to
(nationals of the Allied states)"
Art. 428 "As a guarantee for the execution of the present Treaty by Germany, the
German territory situated to the west of the Rhine, together with the bridgeheads,
will be occupied by Allied and Associated troops for a period of 15 years"
Arts. 429/30 provides for progressive withdrawal of occupation forces if Germany
faithfully carries out treaty terms at expiration of each 5 year period (refusal of
Germany to observe the treaty after the expiration of the 15 year period will result
in immediate reoccupation by Allied and associated forces)
The following miscellaneous clauses are indicative of the opportunity taken by the victors to leave no stone
unturned in bringing home to Germany the extent of her defeat :
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Art. 131 Germany to restore to China (and bear all costs of reinstallation) all the
astronomical instruments which her troops in 1900-01 [i.e., during the Boxer
rebellion] carried away from China"
Art. 245 Germany to restore to France "the trophies, archives, historic souvenirs
or works of art carried away from France by the German authorities in the course
of the war of 1870-71 and during this last war . . . particularly the French flags
taken in the course of the war of 1870-71 . ."
Art. 246 Germany to restore to (Saudi Arabia) "the original Koran of the Caliph
Othman, which was removed from Medina by the Turkish authorities and is stated
to have been presented to the ex-Emperor William II." Also, Germany to hand
over to Great Britain "the skull of the Sultan Mkawa which was removed from the
Protectorate of German East Africa and taken to Germany"
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Art. 247 Germany to furnish to the (Belgian) Univ. of Louvain manuscripts, early
printed books (Incunabula), maps and objects "corresponding in number and
value to those destroyed in the burning by Germany of the Library of Louvain."
________________________________________________________________
Caricatures from Der Stürmer- German Political
Cartoons against Jews
Title: The Economy and Jewry
This issue accuses Jews of every manner of economic misdeed. The cartoon is titled
"Demon Money." A Jewish monster, engraved with the Star of David and the symbols for
the American dollar and British pound has its claws on the planet.
November 1937 (Issue #47) http://www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/sturmer.htm
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Title: Away with Him
The long arm of the
Ministry of Education
pulls a Jewish teacher
from his classroom.
March 1933 (Issue
#12)
http://www.calvin.edu/
academic/cas/gpa/stur
mer.htm
Title: "The day of
revenge is coming"
Explanation: A
father holds his
bleeding son, run
over by a car full of
careless Jews. This
plays on both the
charge that Jews
were rich and
Germans poor, and
that Jews cared not
at all for the harm
they were doing to
Germany.
(#29/1929)
http://www.calvin.ed
u/academic/cas/gpa/
sturm28.htm
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Title: "Resurrection"
Explanation: A worried Jew
watches a column of Storm
Troopers giving the Nazi
salute to a roadside crucifix.
This is an interesting attempt
to appeal to a Christian
audience, and also of using
Christian language in a new
context. The suggestion is
that, somehow, Christ has
been resurrected in the Nazi
movement. (#13/1929)
http://www.calvin.edu/acade
mic/cas/gpa/sturm28.htm
________________________________________________________________________
The Nuremberg Race Laws http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/nlaw.htm
At the annual party rally held in Nuremberg in 1935, the Nazis announced new laws
which institutionalized many of the racial theories prevalent in Nazi ideology. The laws
excluded German Jews from Reich citizenship and prohibited them from marrying or
having sexual relations with persons of "German or related blood." Ancillary ordinances
to the laws disenfranchised Jews and deprived them of most political rights.
The Nuremberg Laws, as they became known, did not define a "Jew" as someone with
particular religious beliefs. Instead, anyone who had three or four Jewish grandparents
was defined as a Jew, regardless of whether that individual identified himself or herself
as a Jew or belonged to the Jewish religious community. Many Germans who had not
practiced Judaism for years found themselves caught in the grip of Nazi terror. Even
people with Jewish grandparents who had converted to Christianity were defined as Jews.
For a brief period after Nuremberg, in the weeks before and during the 1936 Olympic
Games held in Berlin, the Nazi regime actually moderated its anti-Jewish attacks and
even removed some of the signs saying "Jews Unwelcome" from public places. Hitler did
not want international criticism of his government to result in the transfer of the Games to
another country. Such a loss would have been a serious blow to German prestige.
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After the Olympic Games (in which the Nazis did not allow German Jewish athletes to
participate), the Nazis again stepped up the persecution of German Jews. In 1937 and
1938, the government set out to impoverish Jews by requiring them to register their
property and then by "Aryanizing" Jewish businesses. This meant that Jewish workers
and managers were dismissed, and the ownership of most Jewish businesses was taken
over by non-Jewish Germans who bought them at bargain prices fixed by Nazis. Jewish
doctors were forbidden to treat non-Jews, and Jewish lawyers were not permitted to
practice law.
Like everyone in Germany, Jews were required to carry identity cards, but the
government added special identifying marks to theirs: a red "J" stamped on them and new
middle names for all those Jews who did not possess recognizably "Jewish" first names -"Israel" for males, "Sara" for females. Such cards allowed the police to identify Jews
easily.
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Law for the Protection of
German Blood and German Honor
(September 15, 1935)
Entirely convinced that the purity of German blood is essential to the further existence of
the German people, and inspired by the uncompromising determination to safeguard the
future of the German nation, the Reichstag has unanimously resolved upon the following
law, which is promulgated herewith:
Section 1
1. Marriages between Jews and citizens of German or kindred blood are forbidden.
Marriages concluded in defiance of this law are void, even if, for the purpose of evading
this law, they were concluded abroad. 2. Proceedings for annulment may be initiated
only by the Public Prosecutor.
Section 2
Sexual relations outside marriage between Jews and nationals of German or kindred
blood are forbidden.
Section 3
Jews will not be permitted to employ female citizens of German or kindred blood as
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domestic servants.
Section 4
1. Jews are forbidden to display the Reich and national flag or the national colors.
2. On the other hand they are permitted to display the Jewish colors. The exercise of this
right is protected by the State.
Section 5
1. A person who acts contrary to the prohibition of Section 1 will be punished with hard
labour.
2. A person who acts contrary to the prohibition of Section 2 will be punished with
imprisonment or with hard labour.
3. A person who acts contrary to the provisions of Sections 3 or
4 will be punished with imprisonment up to a year and with a fine, or with one of these
penalties.
Section 6
The Reich Minister of the Interior in agreement with the Deputy Fuhrer and the Reich
Minister of Justice will issue the legal and administrative regulations required for the
enforcement and supplementing of this law.
Section 7
The law will become effective on the day after its promulgation; Section 3, however, not
until 1 January 1936.
Sources: Noakes, Jeremy, and Geoffrey Pridham. Documents on Nazism 1919-1945.
NY: Viking Press, 1974, pp. 463-467, and The Nizkor Project.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/nurmlaw2.html
_____________________________________________________________________
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Primary Sources
Entry from Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long's diary in which
he notes that President Roosevelt supports his policy of encouraging
consulates to "postpone and postpone and postpone" the granting of visas.
October 3, 1940
So when I saw him [FDR] this morning the whole subject of immigration, visas, safety of
the United States, procedures to be followed; and all that sort of thing was on the table. I
found that he was 100% in accord with my ideas. He said that when Myron Taylor, [the
President's personal representative to the Vatican], had returned from Europe recently the
only thing which they discussed outside of Vatican matters was the visa and refugee
situation and the manner in which our Consulates were being deprived of a certain
amount of discretion by the rulings of the Department...The President expressed himself
as in entire accord with the policy which would exclude persons about whom there was
any suspicion that they would be inimical too the welfare of the United States no matter
who had vouchsafed for them and irrespective of their financial or other standing. I left
him with the satisfactory thought that he was wholeheartedly in support of the policy
which would resolve in favor of the United States any doubts about admissibility of any
individual.
From: "The War Diary of Breckinridge Long"; ed. Fred L. Israel; University of Nebraska
Press, 1966. Primary Sources
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/holocaust/filmmore/reference/primary/barmemo.html
________________________________________________________________________
Memo from Assistant Secretary of State Breckinridge Long, to State
Department Officials dated June 26, 1940, outlining effective ways to
obstruct the granting of U.S. visas.
June 26, 1940.
A-B - Mr. Berle
PA/D Mr. Dunn
Attached is a memorandum from Mr. Warren. I discussed the matter with him on the
basis of this memorandum. There are two possibilities and I will discuss each category
briefly.
Non-immigrants
Their entry into the United States can be made to depend upon prior authorization by the
Department. This would mean that the consuls would be divested of discretion and that
all requests for nonimmigrant visas (temporary visitor and transit visas) be passed upon
here. It is quite feasible and can be done instantly. It will permit the Department to
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effectively control the immigration of persons in this category and private instructions
can be given the Visa Division as to nationalities which should not be admitted as well as
to individuals who are to be excluded.
This must be done for universal application and could not be done as regards Germany,
for instance, or Russia, for instance, or any other one government because it would first,
invite retaliation and second, would probably be a violation of some of our treaty
arrangements. The retaliation clause is in connection with Germany because it could
mean the closing of our offices in almost all of Europe.
Immigrants
We can delay and effectively stop for a temporary period of indefinite length the number
of immigrants into the United States. We could do this by simply advising our consuls, to
put every obstacle in the way and to require additional evidence and to resort to various
administrative devices which would postpone and postpone and postpone the granting of
the visas. However, this could only be temporary. In order to make it more definite it
would have to be done by suspension of the rules under the law by the issuance of a
proclamation of emergency--which I take it we are not yet ready to proclaim.
Summing Up
We can effectively control non-immigrants by prohibiting the issuance of visas
unless the consent of the Department to obtained in advance for universal application.
We can temporarily prevent the number of immigrants from certain localities such as
Cuba, Mexico and other places of origin of German intending immigrants by simply
raising administrative obstacles.
The Department will be prepared to take these two steps immediately upon the decision
but emphasis must be placed on the fact that discrimination must not be
practiced and with the additional thought that in case a suspension of the regulations
should be proclaimed under the need of an emergency, it would be
universally applicable and would affect refugees from England.
The Canadian situation and travel across that border we can handle through
an exception to the general rule and so advise our consuls In Canada.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/holocaust/filmmore/reference/primary/barmemo.html