Holocaust

Combine your understanding of at least two and perhaps more of our resources this week. Look for ways to make connections between our resources. Tell us what resources you are using in your essay.

Choose  ONE of the following topics for your main discussion posting for the week. Remember to provide a reference if you used a source other than your textbook for information. Also, remember not to copy and paste from any sources – summarize and analyze in your own words.

Which factors were most important in the Nazi rise to power? Defend your position with specific examples.

How did the Nazi party make the implementation of its anti-Semitic values palatable and even popular with German society? What strategies did they use, and which do you think were most effective? Support your stance with specific examples.

Do you ever feel in America the sense of betrayal (page 76) common among German Jews in the 1930s? What rhetoric, events, legislation make you feel that way, and how is your feeling similar to and different from what German Jews would have experienced?

Which other, non-Jewish groups also faced persecution in 1930s Germany? Compare and contrast the rhetoric about and treatment of those groups with the rhetoric about and treatment of Jews.

What made Nazi propaganda successful? Consider the Dwork reading and the images of Nazi propaganda in your response, and give specific examples.

How much of Nazi success should be attributed to Hitler? How much blame lies with government officials, and with German citizens? Put another way, would the Holocaust have been possible without Hitler? Give specific examples to support your position.