Richard+Griffin

Richard Griffin Period 8 Question:
 * To what extent was Adolf Hitler solely responsible for the Holocaust? **


 * A.) Plan of Investigation **

The Holocaust was a program of systematic murder by Nazi Germany, led by Adolf Hitler, in Nazi-occupied territory that led to the genocide of approximately six million European Jews. The question of this investigation is **to what extent was Adolf Hitler solely responsible for the Holocaust?** This question will be answered by explaining Hitler's involvement in the instigation of the Holocaust and the involvement of other perpetrators such as regular German civilians and architect of genocide Heinrich Himmler. This investigation attempts to analyze whether Hitler is the sole individual behind the genocide or the responsibility can be divided up among the other parties involved. Multiple sources on Hitler, Hitler's involvement in the Holocaust and anti-semitism, as well as the role other perpetrators of the genocide played in the instigation of the Holocaust are used in this investigation. The cumulative combination and synthesis of this information will act to answer the investigation's question in an authentic manner.


 * B.) Summary of Evidence **

Hitler's hatred towards Jews
 * Adolf Hitler **
 * Hitler blamed the Jews for every negative aspect of his life, including his failure to get into art school. He also blamed the Jews for Germany's military defeat in WWI. [1 ]
 * Hitler began to associate Jews with certain forms of Socialism and Bolshevism, mixing his hatred of the Jews with his own anti-Marxism. [2 ]
 * From the beginning of the Third Reich, Hitler and Nazi leaders claimed the existence of Volksgemeinschaft. [3 ]
 * Prior to the execution of the Final Solution, the Hitler passed several laws that were discriminating of Jewish people. [4 ]
 * The Nazi Party openly blamed Jews for all of the nation's problems including, poverty, hyperinflation, and the loss of WWI. [5 ]
 * Hitler talked devoted two chapters of Mein Kampf to study the practice of propaganda and used propaganda to establish internal enemies of the Third Reich such as the Jews. [6 ]

Hitler's direct instigation of the Holocaust Ordinary German Citizens Heinrich Himmler
 * In 1938 Hitler used the Jewish assassination of a Nazi diplomat as a pretext to go beyond legal repression to large scale. (Kristallnacht). [7 ]
 * In 1939 Hitler called for the “annihilation of the Jewish race if there was another world war. [8 ]
 * From a number of letters and speeches of Heinrich Himmler, it is clear that he referred to the Holocaust as a task he had to carry out on behalf of the highest authority in the Third Reich. [9 ]
 * In 1933, Hitler's Nazi Party built ten concentration camps. [10 ]
 * The Nazi party had three organizations of terror in its hierarchy. [11 ]
 * After the Nazis invaded Poland, Hitler subjected Polish Jews to forced work and starvation. [12 ]
 * Many believe that Hitler coerced German citizens from all walks of life into killing. [13 ]
 * 2. Other Perpetrators: **
 * Mass deportation operations required the cooperation of civilians from the Reich Security Main Office and the German State Railways and German Foreign Office. [14 ]
 * The Wehrmacht participated in the mass murder of Jews and other Soviet civilians and especially of Soviet POW's. [15 ]
 * The Reichsbank served as a depository for stolen currency and gold and helped to finance the SS killing operations. [16 ]
 * German healthcare professionals implemented the Nazi-sponsored "Euthanasia Program" murdering tens of thousands of people. Other physicians conducted unethical and cruel medical experiments, and determined which prisoners should live and which should die. [17 ]
 * Much of the killing took place near German towns, and citizens looked the other way, doing nothing to intervene. [18 ]
 * Himmler was the key and senior Nazi official responsible for conceiving and overseeing implementation of the Final Solution. [19 ]
 * Himmler introduced two key functions to the SS: internal security and guardianship over racial purity. [20 ]
 * Himmler fused the Security Police into the agency that would be tasked with implementing the Holocaust in 1941-1942. [21 ]
 * Himmler created a centralized concentration camp system. [22 ]


 * C.) Evaluation of Sources **
 * Bytwerk, Randall. Bending Spines: The Propagandas of Nazi Germany and the Democratic Republic. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2004. **

This book, The Propagandas of Nazi Germany and the Democratic Republic, is written by Randall L. Bytwerk, a professor of communications arts and sciences at Calvin College. He earned a PhD at Northwestern University in 1975. He is most interested in studying Nazi and East German Propaganda, and has written several books on these topics. The purpose of this book is to inform the reader about the propaganda used by the Nazi party and how it influenced the nation. It provides also historical overview and analysis of the Nazi party and how they were able to influence the people. This book will help me answer my question, "To what extent were the citizens of German occupied Europe responsible for the Holocaust?" by showing me how the Nazis used propaganda to influence the people of Germany. This will give me insight into how the German people were mislead and manipulated by the Nazis. This will also be useful in figuring out how the Nazis planned and executed the Final Solution. Since this book's topic is so specific, it will limit my research in two main ways. First, it will not give me enough information on the German governments involvement of the Final Solution. The book is also will limit my research of the German peoples' part in allowing the Final Solution to happen.


 * Mosse, George L. Toward the Final Solution: A History of European Racism. Second Edition. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1985. **

This book, Toward the Final Solution: A History of European Racism, is written by George L. Mosse. George L. Mosse was a German-born American social and cultural historian. Mosse authored 25 books on a variety of fields, from English constitutional law, Lutheran theology, to the history of fascism, Jewish history, and the history of masculinity. At the heart of Mosse’s Toward the Final Solution is one of the twentieth century's greatest questions: how was it possible for ordinary German people to allow and even condone the murder of 6 million European Jews in a frighteningly organized manner? Mosse tries to answer this question through his book by focusing on the development of European Racism. This book will help me answer my research question (To what extent were the German citizens and occupied Europeans supporters of the Final Solution?) by giving insight on the developement of European racisim dating back to the eighteenth century up to the Final Solution. After reading this book, I will still have to study topics that are not included in the book. These topics include the involvment of the German government in the planning and execution of the Final Solution and how the support of the German citizens was essential to the Final Solution.

Based on the evidence regarding the cause of the Holocaust, two main arguments can be made. The first argument asserts that Hitler was solely responsible for the Holocaust, while the other asserts that the responsibility of the Holocaust can be divided up among several different parties. Those who believe Hitler was solely responsible for the Holocaust will argue that Hitler had always intended on exterminating the Jews in Germany. In his book Mien Kampf, Hitler makes it clear that he wanted the German Reich to be rid of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and the physically and mentally impaired. [23 ] In 1939, prior to the war, Hitler had said that if "Jews and Bolsheviks" started a war with Germany, this would lead to the "extermination of the Jewish race". [24 ] The fact that Hitler had ten concentration camps built in 1933 also indicates that he had been planning to exterminate the Jews very early into his term as chancellor of Germany. Those who call Hitler solely responsible for the Holocaust will also assert that Hitler was able to execute the Final Solution by publicly placing blame on Jews through speeches, laws, and propaganda. Supporters of this argument will point out that Hitler blamed the Jews for many negative aspects of his own life, including his failure to get into art school. [25 ] Hitler also publicly blamed the Jews for many of Germany's social and economic problems, as well as Germany's defeat in WW1. [26 ] In the 1930's, prior to the execution of the Final Solution, Hitler passed several laws that essentially made Jews sub-human in Germany. These laws included the Reich Citizenship Law (1935) ,the Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honor(1935), the Nuremberg Laws (1935) and Regulations Against Jews' Possession of Weapons (1938). [27 ] So much can be said about how Hitler orchestrated the killing of millions of people there is no time to cover it all. To simplify it, Hitler made Germany into a dictatorship. He took control and then convinced the German people that only true loyalty to him was their salvation from their bad times. He hated the Jews and drew up many restrictions on their lives. He convinced the Germans to fight other nations and he led the charge of the takeover for entire countries. He allowed people like Heinrich Himmler to come to power and not only did he allow it, he promoted it. He essentially created the atmosphere in Germany that gave way to the holocaust. On the other hand, those who believe the responsibility for the Holocaust can be divided up among several parties bring up some convincing points as well. One of these points is that ordinary German citizens played an extremely important role in the Holocaust and deserve a good amount of responsibility for it. [28 ] Mass deportation operations required the cooperation of civilians from the Reich Security Main Office and the German State Railways and German Foreign Office. [29 ] Many of the civilians working for these organizations must have known in detail what was happening to the Jews living in Germany, but none of them did anything to stop it. Some ordinary citizens would not only look the other way, but would help finance the killing operation. The Reichsbank, the German central bank headed by civilian Walther Funk, served as a depository for stolen currency and gold and helped to finance the SS killing operations. [30 ] Some German banks would accept gold teeth and Jewish jewelry as currency, indicating that they were fully aware of what was happening to the Jews. Civilian doctors are also known to have played a significant role in the extermination. German physicians and other healthcare professionals implemented the Nazi-sponsored "Euthanasia Program" murdering tens of thousands of people with mental and physical disabilities living in institutional settings. Other physicians conducted unethical and cruel medical experiments, and determined in “selections” at killing centers which prisoners should live and which should die [31 ]. Another person who holds responsibility for the Holocaust is Heinrich Himmler. Himmler was g iven overall responsibility for the security of the Nazi empire and control of the S.S., and was the key and senior Nazi official responsible for conceiving and overseeing implementation of the Final Solution, the Nazi plan to murder the Jews of Europe [32 ]. Himmler was also behind the two key functions of the SS that related to the Nazi party's long-term core goals for Germany that served as justification for the Holocaust: internal security and guardianship over racial purity. In addition to that, Himmler contributed a centralized concentration camp system to the killing operation. The system grew in wartime to include 30-40 main camps and hundreds of sub-camps. SS camp authorities would kill around two million prisoners.
 * D.) Analysis **

To place all of the responsibility for the Holocaust solely on Hitler would be an over simplification, one man did not kill so many millions, there are many more people who either killed, encouraged others to kill, ordered others to kill or enabled others to kill. One man cannot be held solely responsible. On the other hand, it is true that the entire concept of the "Final Solution" would never have been a "go" if Hitler had not approved it. Hitler was the single individual most responsible of all, though certainly not the only one responsible.
 * E.) Conclusion **

F.) List of Sources Bytwerk, Randall. Bending Spines: //The Propaganda of Nazi Germany and theDeomocratic Repbulic.// East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2004.

Fishel, Jack. //The Holocaust//. London: Greenwood Press, 1998. Print, 36.

Hitler, Adolf, and Michael Ford(Translator). //Mein Kampf//. Camarillo: Elite Minds Inc., 2009. Print, 110.

Mosse, George. //Toward the Final Solution: A History of European Racsim.// Second

[1 ] Fishel, Jack. //The Holocaust//. London: Greenwood Press, 1998. Print, 36. [2 ] Ibid 39. [3 ] Ibid 43. [4 ] Ibid 61. [5 ] Mosse, George. //Toward the Final Solution: A History of European Racsim.// Second Edition. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1985. Print, 204. [6 ] Ibid 216. [7 ] Fishel 54. [8 ] Ibid 55. [9 ] Bytwerk, Randall. Bending Spines: //The Propaganda of Nazi Germany and theDeomocratic Repbulic.// East Lansing: Michigan State University Press, 2004. Print, 117. [10 ] Mosse 193. [11 ] Bytwerk 54. [12 ] Fishel 139. [13 ] Bytwerk 34. [14 ] Mosse 201. [15 ] Ibid 207 [16 ] Ibid 207 [17 ] Ibid 209 [18 ] Ibid 206. [19 ] Bytwerk 93. [20 ] Bytwerk 93. [21 ] Bytwerk 95. [22 ] Bytwerk 158. [23 ] Hitler, Adolf, and Michael Ford(Translator). //Mein Kampf//. Camarillo: Elite Minds Inc., 2009. Print, 110. [24 ] Fishel 44. [25 ] Hitler 94. [26 ] Mosse 84. [27 ] Fishel 53. [28 ] Mosse 80. [29 ] Fishel 66. [30 ] Mosse 105. [31 ] Mosse 107. [32 ] Bytwerk 177.
 * Endnotes **