The Holocaust: German National Pride

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National pride was a key factor in the German people’s indifference to or participation in state-sponsored genocide and murder. There are five main reasons why. Jews were among those blamed by German military officers looking for excuses as to why Germany was defeated in WWI, and thus were linked to the loss of national pride. Jews were seen as bringing down the economy by taking up space and manipulating other Germans into giving the Jews their money to fuel the Jews’ inherent greed. Hitler had helped to create national and cultural unity in Germany which included strong feelings of anti-Semitism at its base. Jews were generally seen as inferior and impure genetically so improving one’s nation would include removing them. Finally, due to intense national pride, many Germans may have felt simply that anything their country and their leadership does should not be questioned because there must be a good reason behind it, even if the action their country takes is mass-slaughter and genocide.
In the aftermath of WWI, Germany was thoroughly humiliated. The propaganda put out by the German government assured its citizens that Germany was crushing its opposition- the English, French, and Americans. Germany was defeated on the field of battle, however, which caused the German people great shock. As a consequence of this defeat, on July 18, 1919, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, causing further emotional turmoil in Germany due to the terms of the Treaty. The Treaty forced the German army to surrender their armaments and topped it off with massive financial penalties which greatly damaged the German economy. The German commanders quickly claimed it was not their fault, but the Jews, communists, and left-wing politicians ...

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...le in the German people’s participation or indifference in regard to genocide. Due to the paranoia and blame throwing of German leaders, the Jews were linked to many events that hurt the national pride of the Germans. German national pride also led to a view of Jews as inferior, inhuman beings compared to the German “Master Aryan race,” and the national and cultural unity against the Jews that Hitler assisted in creating also strengthened German pride. National pride also blinded Germans to the atrocities committed by the Nazi Party against minorities, mainly the Jews, and even made the Germans feel these acts were necessary to Germany’s survival.

Works Cited

http://www.projetaladin.org/holocaust/en/history-of-the-holocaust-shoah/the-roots-of-the-holocaust.html http://web.mnstate.edu/shoptaug/AntiFrames.htm http://www.fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/timeline/nazifica.htm

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