Adolf Hitler's Impact On Society

Motivated by racial ideology, Adolf Hitler, otherwise known as the Führer of Nazi Germany, sought to purify Germany via invasion and the conquering of Lebensraum for the German people, ultimately leading to the encampment, abuse, and genocide of millions of people who were deemed by the Führer as ‘undesirable.’ These outcasts did not fit the Aryan mold Hitler envisioned for Germany. Aryans were typically characterized as true Europeans of white skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes; thus the undesirables, otherwise known as non-Aryans, included Jews and blacks, among other ethnic and social groups, including Slavs, gypsies, homosexuals, and disabled individuals. Facing discrimination during a time of severe racism in the Third Reich, Gad Beck …show more content…
Also working against him was the fact that his mother was Protestant and his father was Jewish. As a mischling (“child of mixed blood”), he was despised by the Nationalsozialists. Although his homosexuality did not play a huge role in how he was treated by those around him during his adolescence, it made him a target for the Nazis, just as his religion did, despite only being a mischling. Beck realized he was different from those around him when he was not allowed to participate with his classmates in a Nazi drill outside. This was truly a defining moment for Beck because he felt discriminated against and realized he was unique, but not in a good way. Another defining moment came when Beck’s team won the four-man sixty-meter relay. Because he was Jewish, he would not be recognized for his victory. Beck says, “According to his regulations I was really not allowed to be honored since I was Jewish. My world collapsed at that moment. I was the first to cross the finish line and wasn’t allowed to stand there with the rest” (Beck 20). His father being Jewish was enough to turn Beck’s life completely upside down, but Beck would not let that hold him back—he was resilient in this time of pain and …show more content…
Massaquoi decides the best way to mask his undesirability is by changing his hair to that of an Aryan. He says while staring at himself straight-on in the mirror, “Convinced that if my hair were straight, half of my problems would be solved, I was ecstatic when I came across some information that seemed to have the potential of forever changing my life [...] After letting the syrupy concoction cool off, I massaged it into my hair as if it were shampoo, wiped off the excess with a towel, then waited impatiently for the transformation to take place” (Massaquoi 92). Massaquoi goes through the difficulty of making a syrup by dissolving a sugar-like substance in hot water and then running it through his hair just to mask his inferiority and to be liked again by everyone, including the Nazi party, Hitler, and his peers. Although he eventually embraces Jazz music (a genre generally forbidden because of the African American influence) by playing the trumpet at the Cafe König nightclub, he still resents the color of his skin, and does not come to terms with being