Hitler's Final Solution In Relation To The Holocaust

The idea of intentionalism, in relation to the Holocaust, explains that Adolf Hitler had the initial idea of the mass execution of the European Jews as a solution to the Jewish question years before he came into power. It is believed that he had a preconceived notion that the only way to truly rid of the Jewish population was through extreme genocidal acts. Historians have debated over the idea of intentionalism vs. functionalism, but no real answer has ever been found, and perhaps never will be, as to if the Final Solution was truly premeditated. Intentionalists would argue that the idea of the Final Solution came before World War II; they would debate that Hitler intentionally deprived Jews of their privileges, socially and economically isolated them from all aspects of German life to further his final goal of overall annihilation of Jewish culture. The opposite side of the debate, known as functionalism, is described as how Hitler used spontaneity and rash impromptu decisions in order to progress to the final stage of the Holocaust, but that there …show more content…
Functionalist” debate has raged amongst academic historians for decades, centered on the question of whether Adolf Hitler personally premeditated and instigated the Final Solution, or whether the idea and its implementation developed out of a collaborative effort within the ranks of the Nazi bureaucracy. This debate has largely been fueled by the fact that no written decree from Hitler directly ordering the Final Solution has ever been found. However, evidence in the form of personal statements made by Hitler as well as verbal recollections, diary entries, and wartime documents made by his Nazi colleagues, point to the idea that he did indeed personally order the Final Solution. Overall, through careful examination of Nazi primary source materials, Hitler’s direct responsibility for the premeditation and implementation of the systematic annihilation of European Jewry can be firmly