People asked themselves, how humans were treated in Germany during World War II, that happened between 1939-1945. They want to know if people, during the horrible situation they were facing in those times, support each other, had empathy between them, or was sadly the opposite of that. They want to know, who were the most affected people during that period and why them. They want to learn from the past, so they do not make the same mistakes they did before. Just imagine living during a war, and knowing that your husband, your father, or an acquaintance is fighting and can die overnight. Being separated from you family, living homeless, had food limitations, no school, no playing, being unable to say something or stop it, being unhappy and worried. Life during the war, especially in Germany during the rule of Adolf Hitler, was appalling for everyone, in particular the Jewish people.
World War II was the largest and deadliest war in history, it was the bloodiest conflict. Involving many of the world´s countries. The war began in 1939 and ended up until 1945, where there were two groups, the Axis powers; Germany, Italy, and Japan. The other power were the Allies, which were France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and, to a lesser extent, China. The war started by Germany attacking Poland, and then war was declared by the Allies, because Hitler refuse to abort his invasion of Poland.
Germany was under the rule of Adolf Hitler; he was the leader of the Germany Nazi Party. His fascist agenda led to the death of about 75 million people, and led to the genocide known as the holocaust, including the deaths of more than 6 million Jews, and 5 million noncombatants. Hitler was born in Austria in 1889, he had a dream of being an artist, and applied twice to Vienna Academy Fine Arts, where he was rejected both times by a Jewish director. He had nowhere to go, he was homeless, until he applied to serve in the German army during World War I, where he served throughout the war. By the experience he lived during the war, he reinforced his passionate German patriotism, so when German surrender, he was very disappointed.
In 1919 Hitler joined the German´s Worker Party, which was characterized by extreme nationalism and racism. Afterwards, he organized a coup d´etat and fails, he was arrested and sentenced nine months in prison. During prison, he wrote a book called “Mein Kampf”, where he wrote about his ideologies for a Nazi Party and his thoughts as anti-Semitic. With millions unemployed people after the Great Depression, was the perfect political opportunity for Hitler, and became Germany´s head of state, with people´s support. He thought that the Jewish people were the reason of the war´s defeat, and that the Jews betrayed the country. He finally came out with the final solution of the holocaust.
Hitler did so much harm to everyone. During the night of November 9 to 10, 1938, there was a series of combine attacks, called “Kristallnacht 1938”, were 7,000 business were destroyed, synagogues were burned, Jews were banned from public transport, schools, public buildings and hospital. The Nazi Party began to take their money, property and encourage them to leave the country. Then, Hitler started looking and persecuting Jewish people and Jewish descendants. They took them to the holocaust and concentration camps that were all over Germany, were many people were slaves, tortured and horribly killed. The “Reichstag Fire”, was an arson attack, Hitler took advantage, declared that the government was under attack and had to suspend most civil liberties, like freedom of speech, freedom of the press, etc. But Hitler never reinstalled them again. People had no rights.
It all started with discrimination; this caused many human right violations. The Nazi´s anti-Semitic Nuremberg laws, limited types of jobs the Jews could do, their rights of citizenship, as well as prohibition of Jews to present the colors of Reich. Jewish people´s movement was restricted, and they were forced to wear a yellow star on their clothes. “Kill, Destroy, Sack, Tell lie; how much you want after victory nobody asks why?” (Hitler, n.d.). People, especially Jews were facing a horrible time, they did not have liberty neither freedom. There were many people who wrote diaries and letter, and now the future generations can learn from them.
The most famous is Anne Frank, she was a Jew that lived in Netherlands, and wrote a diary while hiding during World War II. She was hiding in the annex, she had to be very quiet and afraid. “I feel bad for lying in a warm bed, while my dearest friends are out there somewhere, thrown or fallen to the ground.” (Frank, 1942). In 1944, she and the rest of the people that were hiding with her, were discovered, arrested. They took Anne´s Family to Auschwitz, where they died in the gas chambers (except for her father, he survived). Her diary and many others are how today people know how bad Hitler was, and that he did not care about people´s right and feelings. “Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.” (Frank, n.d.).
There were always people who wanted to help the Jews, but in some way or another they were punished. Hitler being Nazism, limited human and civil rights by suspending the constitution, becoming both president and chancellor. So, from loving Hitler turned into hate, that cause Hitler to committee suicide.
It has been shown that, the Nazi Party did not respect the human and civil rights during this time, especially of the Jews. People suffered, people were scared, but even tough, they learn how to live without all these rights and some of them could survive. People tried to stay positive and see it in a different form. All you have to do today, is never forget what happened and learned from that, so people do not to make the same mistakes again.
2020-4-29-1588122205