Modern age can be characterized by a great attention which is given to such issues as tolerance and humanism. However, unfortunately, recognition of the necessity of these issues came after a great number of different mournful events which happened in the 20th century. Two world wars, some cases of genocide and holocaust made people rethink their attitude towards human life and understand that it should be respected.
That is why, nowadays great attention is given to issues which led to the death of millions of people (“Introduction to the Holocaust” para. 4). Holocaust is one of these issues. People are still horrified by the aftermath of this horrible phenomenon. That is why, it is vital to understand the reasons of this process and main factors, including antisemitism and propaganda, which influenced its development.
First of all, it should be said that holocaust is a term used to describe the process which main aim was total extermination of Jews all over the world (“The Holocaust” para. 2). This process was started by Hitler and his government. Being a part of the ideology of Nazism, it led to the elimination of a great number of Jews in the countries which were conquered by Germany. Having defeated Hitler, soldiers were horrified by discoveries made in concentration camps. The only purpose of these areas was to kill people and these camps were turned into ideal death machines.
It is obvious, that people, who worked in these camps, knew perfectly what their mission was. That is why, analysis of the dominant ideology in Germany of that period of time is needed to understand the issue better. The thing is that Hitler became the leader when Germany was weak. Defeat in the WWI and reparations which it should pay made German economy and industry almost ruined. People were depressed as they saw the aftermath of their actions which led to war.
Under these conditions, someone, who could be called responsible for the collapse, was needed. Hitler proclaimed Jews as the main enemies and insisted on the creation of final solution to this problem (Young 21). It was political and ideological choice. The thing is, that very often these people were more successful that the rest of population in Germany and their conditions of living were better. That is why, Hitler used envy to make people believe that Jews were the root of their problems. Being a good orator and leader, he managed to persuade people that Jews should be discriminated. Antisemitism obtained great popularity in Germany (The Holocaust: An Introductory History” para. 7).
Additionally, propaganda also influenced mentality of people greatly. German government devoted much attention to this issue being sure that it could help them to save their power and make people believe them. Goebbels tried to create a system which would be able to influence people every day. That is why, population of Germany started to believe that Jews should be at least discriminated.
Having outlined the main points of the proposal connected with the holocaust, it is possible to make a certain conclusion. Being a mournful event in the history of humanity, holocaust should be investigated in order not to make the same mistake again. While analyzing this question, such issues as propaganda and antisemitism should also be taken into account and researched. It has already been stated, that mass extermination of a great number of people is impossible without some ideological basis. That is why, it is possible to suppose that propaganda helps to create the image of the enemy and promote development of antisemitism.
Works Cited
“Introduction to the Holocaust“. Holocaust Encyclopedia. 2014. Web.
“The Holocaust“. History. com. 2009. Web.
“The Holocaust: An Introductory History“. Jewish Virtual Library. n.d.. Web.
Young, James. “Towards a Received History of the Holocaust.” History and Theory. 36.4 (1997): 21-42. Web.