Holocaust

Holocaust

Holocaust is the mass killing of European Jews by the German Regime during the Second World War. It is estimated that six million Jews and Gypsies were exterminated during this period. Holocaust is a topic of interest in research since it gives a deepened understanding of whether the event was planned or a consequence of war, and gives an understanding of issues like abuse of power, dehumanization, and violence.

The Holocaust can be viewed as a planned action long before it took place since Adolf Hitler; the Nazi leader viewed Jews as an inferior race and a threat to the German community. During the Nazi rule in Germany, the Jews were persecuted, and Hitler used the Second World War to commit mass killings to the Jews, which he termed as the ‘final solution.’

Even before the Holocaust, Hitler wrote a memoir, ‘Mein Kampf,’ where he forecasted a European war that could cause the extermination of the Jews from Germany. In 1941, Jews from all over Europe were moved to concentration camps where they could later be murdered.

In his book, Night, Eliezer narrates that in 1944 him and other Jews they were forced to move to Birkenau, his family was taken away. They were also forced to witness the burning of babies in open-pit furnaces. They were subjected to slavery, and others were killed with Eliezer and other prisoners being forced to watch the killings. Eliezer’s narrative reinforces the idea that the Holocaust was a planned action.

Primo Levi, the author of ‘Survival in Auschwitz’ (If This Is a Man), gives an account almost similar to Eliezer’s. Primo and other Jews were captured and transported to Auschwitz where they were beaten, starved, and overworked to the point of death. Ten thousands of other Jews E ware taken to gas chambers in Burkineu where they re exterminated. The selective killings and mistreatment  HThemakes Holocaust a planned act since the primary victims were people of Jewish origin.

The Holocaust is a topic of interest for research because it shows the weaknesses of all societies and institutions which are mandated to safeguard the rights and security of people.  Studying the Holocaust also helps understand some aspects of human behaviors such as abuse of power, use of extreme violence, greed and resentment, discrimination, and dehumanization. The knowledge of these aspects can play a role in social and political relation.

Research on the Holocaust increases an understanding of emerging issues like the power of extremist ideologies, group-targeted violence, abuse of political power, and propaganda. Such knowledge helps reflect on the reactions of people to these issues.

In conclusion, the Holocaust can be described as one of the most horrible events to ever occur in history. However, the research on the Holocaust can help understand issues like group-targeted violence, power of extremist ideologies, and human response towards them.

References

Books, W. (2017). Summary and Analysis of Night: Based on the Book by Elie Wiesel. Open Road Media.