The Holocaust: The Salem Witch Trials And The Holocaust

People are often afraid of what they do not know. The Salem Witch Trials and the Holocaust were both times when fear overwhelmed the world; hysteria played a major role because it caused most of the horrific events to occur. During the times of the Salem Witch Trials and the Holocaust, fear drove people to act rashly based on fear of the unknown.

The Salem Witch Trials took place in February of 1692 to May of 1693 (Brock). These trials were a series of several hearings and prosecutions between the people in Salem Massachusetts (Brock). Within this time, 24 people were executed because they were believed to have been involved in witchcraft in some way (Brock). This is when hysteria began to flood Salem when the thought of witches prowling through the town arose (Brooks). Because of the increase of hysteria, many people began to blame others and point fingers at anyone who could have been considered remotely out of the ordinary (Brooks). Another reason that many people were accused was due to the fact that the person who was originally accused wanted to get the spotlight off of themselves (Brooks).

Additionally the Holocaust, also known as Shoah, took place during World War II (“Mass Hysteria Holocaust”).

Germany’s dictator at the time, Adolf Hitler, thought that the Jews were the cause of the defeat of Germany in 1918 (“Mass Hysteria Holocaust”). Hitler was able to convince a large amount of people that all of the Jews needed to be oppressed and killed by anyone who knew of them (“Mass Hysteria Holocaust”). He believed that the only worthy humans were those with blue eyes and blonde hair, eliminating most Jews (“The Voices of Victims”). Nazis began to collect many Jewish people in concentration camps, killing them off as if they were cattle (“Mass Hysteria

Holocaust”).

The Salem Witch Trials and the Holocaust are examples of the fear that is born when something cannot be completely explained (Brock). Oppression played a major role in both of these events; the Jews and the accused “witches” were tortured, discriminated against, and even killed (Brock). Thomas Brock stated, “The people who were involved in the Holocaust and [the] Salem Witch Trials were tormented, and were alienated.” (Brock). Within these times, people were afraid of the Jews and those accused of witchcraft because they were different than all of the others, and because of the influence others had on their opinions (Brooks).

In conclusion, the Salem Witch Trials and the Holocaust drove people to act rashly based on fear of the unknown. This fear turned into hysteria and released violence throughout Salem and the World. Both of these events were tragedies in human history, but also created the realization of people fearing what they do not know. The Salem Witch Trials and the Holocaust created ways to prevent such events.