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1 HOLOCAUST RESOURCE PACKET PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES 2 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 3 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 4 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 ________________________________________________ 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 5 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 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 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 6 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) 7 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 : 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" 8 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 9 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 10 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. 11 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. ________________________________________________________________________ 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 12 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 _____________________________________________________________________ 13 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 14 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