Historical investigation: To what extent did time in concentration camps impact the lives of the survivors after the end of WW II?
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SECTION I: IDENTIFICATION AND EVALUATION OF SOURCES
The second world war disrupted economies and affected the lives of many people involved. After the war, while everyone was adjusting and rebuilding their lives, the same was not the case to concentration camps survivors liberated at the end of the war. Therefore, this paper undertakes a historical investigation to answer the question: To what extent did time in concentration camps impact the lives of the survivors after the end of WW II?
Harel et al., in their article “The Effects of the Holocaust: Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Survivor Perspectives,” presents an analysis of holocaust literature which analyzed the psychological wellbeing of the survivors after the war[1]. The paper mainly focuses on the perspectives and attitudes towards the concentration camp survivors by researchers, psychologists, and the general public. It analyzes how opinions about the survivors have impacted on their life adjustment after the war.
Harel et al. argue that these studies neglected the fact that many other survivors though traumatized by their experiences, positively adjusted and are proud of their ability to survive[2]. They argue that these conclusions were drawn from small sample groups that cannot represent the plight of all survivors. However, this paper fails in its presentation of the opinions of the survivors. The research had interviewed only 25 survivors, and hence conclusions arrived at cannot also be generalized to hundreds of thousands who went through the same experiences. The paper aimed at bringing to the public officials’ attention the plight of many survivors who still need assistance and correct the general view that all survivors are traumatized in some way[3].
SECTION II: ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION
Towards the end of the second world war, the defeat of the Axis forces was imminent. The Allied forces liberated many prisoners held in concentration camps controlled by Germany. These victims had survived the holocaust that was characterized by mass killings, torture, forced labor, and other atrocities[4]. The end of the war, however, did not mean the end of suffering for most of the survivors. Their lives would never be the same again. The experiences at concentration camps during the Second World War had negative impacts on the survivors even after the war affecting their coping and adjustment to the general society.
Maltreatment of the Prisoners in Concentration Camps
The Hitler government established these camps to detain people they considered enemies of the state. Throughout WWII, millions of prisoners were detained in these camps. Jews, especially those from Poland, were the majority by far. Other prisoners included captured prisoners of war, homosexuals, the disabled, and many other categories[5]. The Nazis determined to wipe Jews from the face of the earth to set many of the concentration camps in Poland where millions of Jews resided. Most people in these camps died because of mistreatment by the Nazis. They were overworked with little food, and many starved to death. Diseases were common in the overpopulated camps, and with no medication provided, many died or were executed when they became too ill to work. Due to the poor living conditions in these camps, many died from dehydration and freezing in the summer and winter respectively[6]. Similarly, the Nazis transported their prisoners without regard for human life. Many died during the process. When the allied forces started closing on the Germans, they transported their prisoners on foot, where thousands died during these death marches. Doctors from the Nazi regime also performed medical experiments on the prisoners in the concentration camps. By the time Germany was defeated, about 17 million people had died, and 6 million of these were Jews.
The Plight of the Survivors After the War
Many survivors from the concentration camps died soon after liberation. Many were too weak due to starvation; others had too serious illnesses to survive. For the Jewish survivors, their fate was much worse. Many were the only survivors in their families; thus, no home or family to go home to[7]. Besides what was formerly Jewish possessions and property had been appropriated by the local people. Therefore, for the fear that the returning Jews would demand their properties back, the locals were not welcoming and were hostile to the Survivors. For instance, in Poland, about 2000 returning Jews were murdered by the locals and many other injured[8]. As a result, most Jews fled Poland. They became stateless, with no passports. For many of them, it took years to recognized as citizens and access work permits in the different they immigrated to. It was not until the creation of the state of Israel did most Jew survivors find a place to call home again.
The holocaust survivors were traumatized by their experiences in concentration camps. Their trauma was both physical and psychological. Most were found to exhibit post-traumatic symptoms. These experiences made it harder for them to adjust to normal lifestyles. For instance, those that were children at the time had to repress the memories and were deprived of a normal innocent childhood. They are now old and dealing with spouse deaths and retirement. These unpleasant emotions may take back to concentration camp days and reactivate the suppressed memories[9]. As such, they may need special care and attention. Most survivors state that holocaust experiences were the most stressful times in their lives. As old age reactivates, these memories, depression cases, and paranoia have been reported among the old holocaust survivors[10].
Early studies on the impact of the holocaust on survivors show that physical damage sustained by the survivors during the time at the concentration camps resulted in health issues such as headaches, panic attacks, and anxiety. As a result, many of the survivors became socially maladjusted and exhibited dependence behavior[11]. Research shows that the survivors that settled in Israel adapted and adjusted faster and better than survivors in other countries. Since Israel was a country for the Jewish survivors, there was empathy for each other, thus easier integration and adjustment. However, if society was indifferent or hostile to the survivors, then acclimatization and adjustment were much harder. For many survivors, the immediate effects of the experiences in concentration camps were resentment towards others, low self-esteem, and bitterness. Similarly, there were long term effects where some survivors became socially isolated and helpless. Others became suspicious of other people and developed trust issues. For them, normal actions such as business transactions were not simple everyday actions. They tended to distrust strangers and overly cautious among them.
Many survivors were also reported to suffer from survival guilt[12]. Having witnessed friends and family die in concentration camps, survivors feel enormous guilt that they survived while others died. Many survivors, therefore, believed that they would never heal from the holocaust trauma and were damaged for life. This attitude prevented smooth adjustment to the larger society.
CONCLUSION
Individuals react differently to stressful situations. As such, although concentration camps’ experiences, in general, adjusting after the was harder for most survivors, the degree of adjustment also depended on the individual. Most survivors, however, repressed these memories and focused on survival and rebuilding new lives and identities for themselves.
SECTION III: REFLECTION
The major challenges facing historians such as choosing the subject matter, sorting out the sources, explaining events during the writing and remaining objective were all encountered during the writing of this paper[13]. The world is very complex, with many issues that require the attention of the historian. Therefore, picking a subject matter from the endless list of issues can present a challenge to a historian. Personal interest helped arrive at this paper’s subject matter and historical investigation. Additionally, credible and reliable sources on this issue were hard to come by. Most sources were individual opinions about the subject matter and had not researched the impact of concentration camp experiences on survivors after WW II.
The general methods used by historians were adopted during the writing of this essay. First, the study question was formulated, and sources picked for evidence[14]. Then the information was organized and presented analytically.
Bibliography
Adeoti, Ezekiel O., and James Adeyeri. “History, the Historian, and His Work: Issues, Challenges, and Prospects.” International Journal of Educational Research and Technology 3, no. 4 (2017), 36-41.
Barak, Yoram, and Henry Szor. “Lifelong post-traumatic stress disorder: evidence from aging Holocaust survivors.” Dialogues in clinical neuroscience 2, no. 1 (2016), 57-62. doi: 10.1002/9781118356142.ch1.
Barel, Efrat, Marinus H. Van IJzendoorn, Abraham Sagi-Schwartz, and Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg. “Surviving the Holocaust: A meta-analysis of the long-term sequelae of a genocide.” Psychological Bulletin 136, no. 5 (2015), 677-698. doi:10.1037/a0020339.
Braga, Luciana L., Marcelo F. Mello, and José P. Fiks. “Transgenerational transmission of trauma and resilience: a qualitative study with Brazilian offspring of Holocaust survivors.” BMC Psychiatry 12, no. 1 (2014). doi:10.1186/1471-244x-12-134.
Hamilton, Audrey. “Psychological Pain of Holocaust Still Haunts Survivors.” American Psychological Association. Last modified September 20, 2015. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/09/holocaust-survivors.
Harel, Zev, Boaz Kahana, and Eva Kahana. “The Effects of the Holocaust: Psychiatric, Behavioral, and Survivor Perspectives.” The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare 11, no. 4 (2017).
Plunka, Gene A. “The Survivor Syndrome and the Effects of the Holocaust on Survivor Families.” Holocaust Drama 3, no. 2 (2015), 275-299. doi:10.1017/cbo9780511576591.012.
“What Problems Did Survivors Face? – The Holocaust Explained: Designed for Schools.” The Wiener Holocaust Library. Last modified 2014. https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/survival-and-legacy/liberation-the-survivors/hat-problems-did-survivors-face/.
[1] Harel, Kahana, and Kahana, “The Effects of the Holocaust.”
[2] Harel
[3] Harel
[4] Hamilton, “Psychological Pain of Holocaust Still Haunts Survivors.”
[5], “What Problems Did Survivors Face?”
[6], “What Problems Did Survivors Face?”
[7] Plunka, “The Survivor Syndrome and the Effects of the Holocaust on Survivor Families.”
[8] Barel, “Surviving the Holocaust.”
[9] Braga, Mello, and Fiks, “Transgenerational transmission of trauma and resilience,” 40.
[10] Barak and Szor. “Lifelong post-traumatic stress disorder,” 59.
[11], Harel
[12] Plunka
[13] Adeoti and Adeyeri, “History, the Historian and His Work,” 38
[14] Adeoti and Adeyeri