The Holocaust had a significant effect worldwide, and especially in Britain. Many people are still touched by the events which happened during the second world war and in the concentration camps. Each year there is the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust, this is an event in history which we can never forget. It is extremely important for people to be made aware of how the Holocaust had an impact because throughout the horrific events people were subjected to many inhumane torture, and inhumane things. By educating people on the Holocaust we are showing how dangerous it is to segregate members of society and how awful genocide is and can be extremely dangerous. Teaching about the things that happened in the Holocaust and other events in the second world war also helps prevent the horrific events happening again- arguably teachings may not always be successful as some people still support the Nazi’s.
One way in which the holocaust has shaped Britain because it changed attitudes in fascism. Fascism is a form of government which is a one-party dictatorship. This was clearly shown throughout the Second War with Hitler clearly being a dictator. During the war Britain became a lot wiser on how quickly fascism can spread and how easily one dictator can take advantage of their power- using scapegoating methods and present groups as “enemies”. Hitler scapegoated the Jews and was able to show the world that they were the “enemy”, Britain saw that this is what Hitler was trying to achieve but failed to listen. The British population attempted to help the Jews escape, and helped them migrate to British areas. Daily Mail was supportive of the fascist supremacy, and celebrated Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists (BUF). By the daily mail having headlines based on fascism shows a way of how journalists are easily influenced to turn members of the public against those who are being scapegoated and marginalised within society. We see this today throughout many cases and many newspapers still continue to use propaganda methods, albeit less extreme. For example, newspapers such as The Sun have shown attempts to marginalise Muslims due to the rise in terror attacks. We have seen numerous headlines, television interviews which attempt to claim that all Muslims are “terrorists”. Similarly to the way the Jews were presented as those who ruined Germany.
Great Britain played a huge role with the Nuremburg Trials, trials which would see senior politicians and high members of the army on trial for the crimes they committed during the war. It was these trials which we saw the punishment for actions which were not previously defined as “criminal acts”. The trials saw the introduction of “crimes against humanity” recognised as serious criminal offences which should not go without punishment. The Nuremburg Trials are also very significant because it shows that no matter if you are in authority and in charge of a whole society they cannot go unpunished. They must not abuse their power. Politicians are not allowed to abuse their power in modern day Britain, as if they did they would also be punished. Since the second world war and the holocaust we have seen a huge increase in offenders being punished for crimes against humanity, and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) being brought into practice. It was this which was a huge significant change and has arguably changed how Britain and Europe deal with all human rights. It is also arguably one of the most important changes and has still seen developments since it was very first introduced. The ECHR saw the protection of all human rights, no matter what. All humans have the right to be treated with the upmost respect, no matter what age, class, background or ethnicity. It also saw the advancement in the freedom of speech regarding any political issues. This is very significant for Britain today because the rise in freedom, and now living in a democracy it is essential for individuals to have their own opinions and views on political concerns. If we did not have a system where we were allowed to express our own views then society would not be able to run as functional as it does. The rise in Human Rights is arguably the best thing which could have happened for Britain. The allowance of treating every individual with a degree of fairness, dignity is clearly a positive and is used throughout every aspect of everyday life. Without human rights we could potentially be treated in similar ways to those who were the victims of the Holocaust, but this is simply unacceptable. Even if people commit crimes, no matter what crime their basic human right is still treated with the upmost respect (the only right they could potentially loose is freedom if they are put in prison)
Whilst the holocaust was happening, many women were called to work, and consequently becoming the primary work force within the UK. This was hugely significant as this was the beginning of women becoming equal, and even though women are not completely equal in society today (Gender Pay Gap) this still played a huge part. By the state becoming more reliant on women and their work shows how the stereotypes were meant to be broken. It could be argued that this allowed for women to gain more respect from members of society because if it was not for them in the war then they would not have coped with the work. This has been a huge impact on society, as in modern day women are still continuing to break the gender stereotypes. Woman are now putting careers first rather than being married and having a family, and it could be argued that the war started this “fight” for equal rights.
Bureaucracy focuses on the idea that officials/office are able to rule society and therefore those in charge tell ordinary people how to live their lives. This was seen throughout the war, and the holocaust. However, the holocaust did this in a much more extreme way. Propaganda was used throughout the war, and this is how Hitler and other official were able to turn individuals against the Jewish people and the other victims of the holocaust. The system of propaganda is still used in modern day Britain by many political parties. However, propaganda is a lot more easily spread in modern day as we now have technology to help spread the word. It is arguable that in modern day due to the rise of freedom of speech and equality individuals are less likely to be brainwashed by certain propaganda methods. Whereas when Hitler was using propaganda methods individuals were easily persuaded and a lot more scared of the consequences if they did not follow Hitler’s ideology.
A bureaucratic society consists of running in efficient way and it must be predictable. In order for society to run this way qualifications are required, and you undertake tasks which you are an expert in. In the Holocaust Mengele was qualified in medicine and this was why he was appointed the task of conducting experiments on the children within the Auschwitz camp. In modern day society, you would not be able to become a professional without the qualification and you would have to be efficient within that profession.
Bureaucracy carries with it a number of criticisms, one of which is that it dehumanizes individuals. Rather than being treated as a human, humans are known as cases. The idea of treating a human as a case was clearly shown throughout the war, as well as in modern day. In modern day many people will face being a case, for example when dealing with student finance students will be told that “their case” will be dealt with as soon as it is possible. Students are placed on a list and are coded as a number. In order to get welfare help, such as benefits you have to be eligible. You must fit a certain-criteria. If you don’t fit that criteria, then you will not get any help from the welfare state. The criteria is based on the income earnt and the standard of living. If you do not earn enough money then the welfare system are willing to help you out financially, whereas if you do earn enough then they will not be willing to help you out.
Overall, the Holocaust has been a significant event in the history of Britain and will always have an impact on everyone who was involved within the events which went on at that time. I personally believe without the Holocaust Britain would fail to be a democracy today and people would have no freedom of speech in regard to politics. As the Holocaust has taught many leaders that everyone should have a right to speak freely without the fear of imprisonment, or death (this clearly is not the case in all countries.) If the Holocaust is not taught in schools then generations would never be made aware of the impact the Holocaust had not only on Jewish citizens but citizens worldwide years later.