One of the most heart-crushing chapters in all of human history is the Holocaust. For me, the most disturbing part of this piece of history is the fact that the perpetrators spoke of their actions in the most nonchalant of manners, as if what was taking place was truly normal and desired by the people (unfortunately the latter could be argued as true in the case of so many at this time). Such temperament is clearly exemplified by Heinrich Himmler’s words in a statement given on October 4, 1943. As the head of the SS (Germany’s police force), Himmler took a lead role in Jewish removal and eventual attempted extermination during World War II. You can read his words by clicking here.After reading Himmler’s words, I would like you to reflect on and discuss the following: How has Germany’s position on dealing with the Jewish population of Germany obviously shifted since the passing of the Nuremberg laws? What can be implied from Himmler’s words as to why this is so? Is the Nazi government any longer trying to force the Jews to leave Germany? Why do you so answer? In what ways does Himmler unapologetically describe Jews in Germany? Do the Nazis have a plan to make their dealings with their Jewish population public? Himmler states that the German government “had the moral right” to carry out their policies against the “Jewish problem.” In what sense does he mean this, and how does he attempt to justify his words? Your thoughts…
12 comments:
Mr.Prill, I think this document is in the textbook
Since the nuremberg laws, now Jews aren't just below other ppl, but apparently they're plotting to take over Germany. This is probably a much better excuse to give the public. The Nazi government isn't trying to get the Jews to leave anymore, they are just taking everything they have and by now probably putting them in concentration camps. He didn't talk ab out the camps, perhaps they still didn't want to get that out to the public. Himmler makes it seem like he's doing Germany a big favor by exterminating the Jews. He says that the police have unintentionally been made hard and unfeeling and now can carry out their duty to Germany.
Mr. Prill
A short while ago I read a novel placed in WW2 and it talked about how Jewish prisoners used to be paraded through the streets of German cities. Did anything like that ever take place? We haven't talked about it and it still seems like concentration camps are being kept from public knowledge.
yet again i'm amazed at society. jews plotting to take over germany? that made me laugh. the fact that the germans are basically paranoid and are scraping up any excuse they can to legitimize their extermination of the jews. i think himmler is crazy. i'd like to know what a jewish person ever did to him personally. at least he's not advertising his killing right? he's a twisted man. he's in the murder business. quiet and low key, they go in, do their job, and leave like they were never there. he's pretty much saying that this is for the good of the german people. at one point. there was no distinction between the jews and the german people; they were all simiply german. good thing for himmler those nuremburg laws were passed that mades german jews no longer citizens. at least now he can differentiate between who he needs to kill and who may be allowed to live. his mindset of getting rid of the jews is to make lives better for all germans is horrible, and what are the ravages of war supposed to do to the people... help them like the extermination of the jews? i hardly think so.
himmler justifies it and seems so nonchalant about it by claiming that the jewish people were bringing down society, almost like he was trying to justify it in logical terms. psh of course he was unappolagetic, most racists are. it was almost like he tried to make it relate to the economy, like the jews were pulling down the country and by getting rid of them they could also take their property. what he was doing was pure selfishness, which is really very obvious in the document.
Jewish people went from being tolerated to exterminated. It is amazing how a group of people can hate another and not know exactly why, kill another group of people and have no guilty conscience. These people are not being asked to leave, they are being robbed of everything, and killed. It seems like he is telling everyone that they are doing the German people a favor. It's just not right.
Dante' Johnson
This was a really strange doc. Why would the Jews want to take over Germany? It seems to be that the only reason the public was told that is because the gov. wanted an excuse for doing what they did. I thought it was a better plan to just let them leave the country but now they're lying to the public and doing terrible things to them. I don't seem to see the big threat they pose on Germany, except for maybe a few other lies the German people were told after WW1.
what world does this guy live in?!
he thinks its glory to see 500 bodies everyday stacked up on each other!! psycho!
sorry..
they dont want to kick the jews out anymore, they want to exterminate them. He calls them worst than swines..to describe them.
He says germany has the moral right to do this because they are fulfilling their duty toward the german people by exterminating those who want to kill them...Jews kill them?!
apparantly now the jews are the murderers and killing them is morally correct...
They no longer want Jews to leave Germany, they want to kill them all. I think his eventual goal, since Hitler wants to take over the world, is to exterminate all the Jews in the world. He says that if Jews were still in their society they probably would have almost lost the war by now, which is a little funny because if they hadn't tried to fight two wars at the same time, and hadn't devoted as much man power and energy to the extermination of Jews they might have been able to win the war.
And yes, this was in our reading in the book.
how and where did they get the idea in theyre head that jews were bad? i dont understand that! they say they are secret saboteurs, agitators, and inciters but how did they become those things! i mean many were war veterans who love germany! and then at the end they say that it did no harm to their soul...thats just sick and disturbing and does a lot of harm to my soul
At first the Germans just wanted to push the Jews pout of Germany but now Himmler is saying it is necessary to kill them all. Himmler says they had the right to carry this out because the Jews were going to sabotage and corrupt the country if they didn't. Its really disturbing that their are people who think like this and that their are other people stupid enough to follow them.
These latest posts have been disturbing to read....like Nidhi said ...WHAT WORLD DOES THIS GUY LIVE IN!!! He should just stop talking and be killed already..he's said far enough.
This quote really disturbed me," We have carried out this most difficult of tasks in a spirit of LOVE for our people. And we have suffered no harm to our inner being, our soul, our character...."
wow
wow... this turns my stomach... and its the third time i've read it... this guy is messed up. Does it slightly remind you the the US keeping everything hush-hush like you talked about today Mr. Prill? This is not normal tho... The nuremburg laws put jews on an equal playing field as everyone else, but now they are being accused of trying to overthrow the government... this is a really bad excuse to try and eliminate the jewish race (are they a race or what would you classify them?) And Himmler thinks he is helping the world by eliminating them... thats just wrong... plus the face that he states the face that the men shouldn't be surprised to see staggering numbers (like 500) of bodies piled up dead.... Again THIS IS NOT NORMAL HUMAN BEHAVIOR. Seriously where are the Germans from this era from?
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