When one examines the world today, they are able to observe that humanity has made remarkable progress in promoting tolerance and inclusiveness. Communities are being urged to embrace those who are different. The current state of affairs stands in sharp contrast to the situation in Germany during World War 2. Led by Adolf Hitler, the Nazi government conducted a campaign of oppression and evil. The Jewish community bore the brunt of this campaign. It is believed that as many as 6 million Jews were murdered. 1 The Jewish community is not the only group that suffered. The Nazi anti-Semitism in World War II caused a lot of suffering for many groups of people, with Adolf Hitler’s propaganda of racial purity, enacting the Nuremberg laws, and genocide.
Anti-Semitism has a very long and complex history. The Jewish community has traditionally faced persecution and prejudice. However, the policies implemented by the Nazi government undoubtedly caused the most suffering for this community. In the discussion above, it has been stated that as many as 6 million Jews died in the hands of the Nazi government. The government operated a range of torture and death machinery. These included concentration camps and death chambers. 2 The government employed brutal measures that usually led to death. These measures included gassing Jews and forcing them to work to the point of death. It is quite clear that the Jews endured immense suffering before they died. The fear and the agony that they must have felt is unimaginable. The members of the Jewish community faced certain death and the anticipation must have been daunting. The death of the millions of Jews provides lessons for the world today. The globe must come together to protect vulnerable communities. It must rise up and speak out against brutal regimes that are bent on committing injustices against the defenseless.
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Death is the greatest suffering that members of the Jewish community suffered. While this remains true, it is important to explore other forms of suffering that members of this community endured. The Nazi government carried out a propaganda campaign through which the Jewish community received blame for some of the challenges that the German nation faced. For instance, the government sought to convince the German people that the defeat that the country had suffered was the result of Jewish betrayal. 3 The propaganda caused the Jewish people to suffer hate and isolation. They were essentially labeled enemies of the nation. All individuals desire to be accepted and admitted into communities. It can be argued that the isolation that the Jewish community suffered caused them to suffer pain. As is the case with the murder of the Jews, the isolation that this community suffered offers the globe the opportunity to learn. World leaders should rally their nations to promote integration and adopt inclusive policies. All effort should be dedicated to ensuring that no community feels isolated or unwanted.
In the discussion above, it has been mentioned that the Nazi government carried out propaganda. The government sought to turn the German people against the Jewish community. One of the issues that the government urged the German people to do was boycott Jewish businesses. 4 The growth and very existence of these businesses relied heavily on the support of the German people. With this support withdrawn, most of the businesses collapsed. In addition to the collapse of the businesses, the Jewish community also lost personal property. Some members of this community feared that the hate and suffering that they were suffering would only escalate. They decided to flee to safer areas and were forced to leave their possessions behind.
The Nazi anti-Semitism extended beyond the murder of Jews and the anti-Jewish propaganda. The Nazi government also enacted laws that limited the freedoms of the Jewish people. For instance, the Nuremberg laws were enacted for the primary purpose of taking away the rights of the Jewish community. One of the provisions of these laws regarded citizenship. The laws stripped all Jews of their German citizenship. 5 Essentially, the denial of citizenship rendered the Jews stateless. In addition to taking away the citizenship rights of the Jews, the Nuremberg laws also imposed restrictions on the social lives of the Jewish people. The laws forbade them from having sexual relations with members of the Aryan race. 6 This restriction was imposed with the aim of insulating the Aryan race from contamination. There was also a provision in the Nuremberg laws that forbade Jews from hiring German househelps who were not older than 45 years. 7 The restrictions on the personal freedoms of the Jewish people must have caused great suffering.
Today, most governments are committed to promoting equality. One of the measures that the governments are implementing is ensuring that all individuals are provided with equal employment opportunities. Meritocracy is the system that is relied on for job appointments. It appears that the Nazi government did not recognize the need for equality. Evidence for this lies in the policies that the government adopted regarding employment. The Nazi authorities fired many Jewish people who served in the civil service. 8 The authorities also enacted laws that made it extremely difficult for Jews in private practice to perform their jobs. For example, the government made it impossible for tax consultants from the Jewish community to perform their duties by revoking their licenses. 9 The government also introduced restrictions that made it impossible for those who did not belong to the Aryan race to gain admission into public schools. The restrictions made it impossible for Jewish professionals to feed their families and meet their financial obligations. This must have caused Jewish families to endure unimaginable suffering.
It is true that the Jewish community was the primary target of the policies adopted by the Nazi government. However, it is important to recognize that there are other groups of people that shared in the suffering. For example, the Nazi government targeted homosexuals and Gypsies. 10 Individuals with mental disabilities were also targeted. They were bundled together with members of the Jewish community and faced certain death in concentration camps. These groups were targeted mostly because the German government feared that they posed a threat to the purity of the Aryan race. In addition to these groups of people, there are other communities that suffered because of their political, religious and ideological affiliations. These groups included Jehovah’s Witnesses, communists and socialists. 11 The wide range of groups of people that were persecuted highlights the hysteria and unreasonable fear that gripped the entire German nation. The German people failed to rise up and defend the very people that had been their neighbors and friends for years. This failure underscores the need for regular citizens to defend those who are being targeted for persecution. Today, religious minorities are facing persecution in the hands of extremist groups. For instance, the members of the Yazidi community have been uprooted from their homes and hundreds have been murdered by the Islamic State. The world needs to speak with one voice in calling for an end to the persecution faced by vulnerable communities.
From the discussion this far, it is clear that there are a number of different communities that suffered as a result of the anti-Semitic policies implemented by the Nazi government. The government extended its campaign of oppression to its enemies. Soviet soldiers are among those who suffered. Many were murdered and there were others who were starved. The Nazi government also subjected the Soviet soldiers to maltreatment. 12 The soldiers were also exposed to diseases and were neglected. That the soldiers suffered great pain and agony is not in question. The world appears to have learned from the failures of the Nazi government. Today, resolutions that stipulate how countries at war should treat each other’s citizens have been developed. For instance, it is required that prisoners of war should be treated with respect and dignity. The world needs to stay on this path to ensure that the evil carried out by the Nazi government is not repeated.
In conclusion, the Nazi government remains one of the most evil regimes in the entire human history. This government murdered millions and caused immense devastation. The Nazi government also robbed Jewish professionals of their means of feeding their families and paying their bills. It also set up concentration camps where members of the Jewish community were held under terrible conditions. Many died as a result of the unbearable conditions at the camps. Homosexuals, socialists, communists, Gypsies and individuals with disabilities are the other groups that were targeted by the Nazi government. The government oppressed these groups in an effort to shield the Aryan race from contamination. The world must ensure that the atrocities committed by the Nazi authorities are not repeated. No effort should be spared in ensuring that minorities and vulnerable communities are subjected to injustice. There is also need for individuals to rise up against oppressive regimes. This will go a long way in ensuring that all forces that pose a threat to human freedoms and rights are eliminated.
Bibliography
Allan Hall, “Adolf Hitler’s Hatred of Jews ‘Stemmed from First World War’”, The Telegraph.
Accessed 15th March 2017 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/germany/6852245/Adolf-Hitlers-hatred-of-Jews-stemmed-from-First-World-War.html
“Anti-Jewish Legislation in Prewar Germany”, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Accessed 15th
March 201 https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005681
“Boycott of Jewish Businesses”, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Accessed 15th March 2017
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005678
Bergen, Doris L. The Holocaust: A Concise History. Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.
“Introduction to the Holocaust”, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Accessed 15th March 2017
https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143
“The Nuremberg Race Laws”, US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Accessed 15th March 2017 https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007695
