War Effects On Bystanders

War can have appalling effects on the people involved. War doesn’t only modify and shape the victims self-image but it also effects the bystanders, soldiers and even a person involved in the political system of that country. People can be absolutely altered by the harshness of War. The Holocaust is one of the most known genocide, it was traumatic for everyone associated with it. The Holocaust was a mass genocide of Jewish people who lived in Europe by the German Government. This religious cleansing had major effects on the survivors and even the countries effected directly. Thousands died and the ones who survived were left scarred and completely changed. War has a considerably large effect on the shaping of one’s self-image.

Bystanders can be someone who is surrounded by a situation they do not necessarily approve of but they are fearful of the consequences that come with them opposing. During the Holocaust the citizens of Nazi Germany and other European countries knew about the cruel and irrational treatment of the Jews by the Nazi Regime. During the Holocaust many people had to grow accustom to the new Anti-Semitic government. They could not voice

their opinion because of the extreme punishments. This strict government did not have the patience for people who disapproved with their rules, if someone opposed they would face severe punishments most of the time it was death.
Bystander see themselves as unassertive or passive people, who cannot take control or oppose the current situation they are in. The pressure and guilt put on the bystander is enough to shape them into a new person. During the Holocaust those who knew of the extermination of the Jews were left torn. They could either stay silent only to watch the horror unfold or they could speak up to try and stop the situation from progressing. Most wanted to ignore the Regime and try to return to their normal routines. There were not any benefits to opposing the Nazi Regime and there would be no happy ending for the bystander. The bystanders continued to comply with the laws and avoided the terrorizing of the Nazi regime. Some may have been unaware of the current genocide occurring. The bystanders during this time had much to think about and they didn’t know that their decision would permanently shape their self-image into something completely different.
Martin Niemöller is an excellent example of a bystander who eventually decided to say something. He was also a reverend in a German Church. He had spent seven years in a concentration camp for believing that Anti-Semitism was wrong. This quote was said by Martin, “First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out because I was not a communist. Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the labor leaders, and I did not speak out because I was not a labor leader. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me.” The amount of pressure and guilt they might have possibly carried could possibly lower their self-esteem and they would be disappointed with themselves. Even their morals were tested they had to find out whether they would risk their life opposing the Regime. Overall the self-image of a bystander can be shaped by war, and in this case it was the Holocaust.
A victim is a person who has been harmed, injured, or killed as a result of a crime or accident.

Each victim may see themselves differently some might feel defeated and vulnerable while others will feel strong and proud to have survived through something so traumatic. Not only the strong prevailed and survived through the Holocaust but the traumatic experience all survivors scarred. The Holocaust resulted the death of nearly six million Jews from several different countries in Europe. The number of survivors is not nearly as large as the number of people killed but almost all the victims can recall the devastating experience of the Holocaust. There weren’t many survivors but those who did remember everything about it. The holocaust changed the victims tremendously because of the irrational hatred from the Nazi

Regime.
Despite the harsh and cruel conditions of the Holocaust some have regained happiness and can now feel safe. In certain cases the Holocaust changed the survivors into kind and sensitive. Others become paranoid and frightened at all times. Yet both types of the survivors are more understanding and can relate to other victims of wars. They could never move pass this experience. It had turned them into a shell surrounded by fear and anxiety. Even after the Holocaust many survivors were frightened to return back to their countries. They were afraid of returning only to relive this entire experience. The Anti-Semitism didn’t go away immediately after the Holocaust, it lingered continuing to make the lives of the survivors hard. The ones who returned home continued to fear for their lives. The survivors had a difficult time to rehabilitate themselves into society due to their emotional distress and newly formed trust issues. The Holocaust survivors went through so much that it completely changed who they were. There a few survivors that were fearful of that something like this would occur again some even took it to the extreme and either changed their religion or practiced in secrecy.
A soldier is someone who fights for their country. In some cases they believe they are doing the right thing and other times they are forced to do these unspeakable things. The soldiers or Nazis in this case may see themselves as the protectors of their country, war can change a person who was once nice and warm into a cold killer blinded by the fact that what they are doing is wrong. Their personality changes and they may become more defensive. While the ones who believe they are doing the right thing will be shaped into an arrogant and prideful person. Some soldiers coped with allowing millions to die and assisting in the killings by treating the Jews or other holocaust victims as inferiors or animals. To the soldiers they couldn’t think of the victims as people or they would be doing wrong by slaughtering innocent people. Soldiers have said that once they had entered the concentration camps everything became surreal. As if they have two different personalities so they don’t have to deal with the guilt of sending thousands, millions to their death. Some have also said that they were just doing their job. Despite their various and plentiful excuses the Holocaust still effected them and changed their self-image. Their rationalizing probably didn’t keep the guilt away for too long. The soldiers who were fully aware of the wrong they were doing were weighed down by the guilt of killing innocent families.