The Holocaust is one of humanity’s greatest tragedies. The murder of over six million innocent Jewish lives continues to raise questions about how it all happened. In fact, some historians remain at odds with each other over the details. Moreover, according to Schoen Consulting’s comprehensive national study of Holocaust knowledge and awareness, Americans remain somewhat uneducated behind what was going on in World War II and the Nazi’s treatment of the Jews. The study reveals how details and facts have become distorted, affecting the knowledge of the public. In general terms, one of the most important questions asked is why did the Holocaust take place. Author and historian Saul Friedländer does a wonderful job of explaining those details.
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This might have been the cornerstone vector as the other two vectors overlap with this idea. In Friedlander’s first book, Years of Persecution, he explains what exactly he means by redemptive antisemitism. This idea was born out of racist, even traditional religious beliefs. Furthermore, the idea of redemption, or liberation, could be executed through the expulsion or extermination of the Jews, giving society freedom. It was through the suffering of the Jews the Aryan society would become great (87). Friedlander explains how this fueled the Nazis to commit one of humanity’s greatest …show more content…
Yet, as Friedlander points out in The Years of Extermination, Hitler held onto the view of the expulsion of the Jews to northern Russia, but only after the end of the campaign—meaning war of Russia (238). Then suddenly, Hitler began to shift his rhetoric, letting redemptive antisemitism become the central focus leading to the Holocaust. Friedlander highlights the shift through Hitler’s speeches. In addition, Friedlander uses Hitler’s speeches to illustrate how the Nazi Party was thinking, as Hitler was Fuhrer and his sediments were shared by his allies. One speech Friedlander makes known was on October 2, 1941. Hitler proclaimed “the Jews and only Jews” were not only behind Bolshevism but also capitalism. A day later Hitler designated the Jews as “the world enemy (272).” There was a reversal in Hitler’s plans as his convictions were moving toward the extreme measure of extermination (272). Moreover, Friedlander illustrates how the days and weeks after the October 2, 1941 speech, Hitler’s rhetoric had not changed. The redemptive anti-semitism grew stronger. Hitler was blaming everything on the Jews and made outrageous claims. This included how the Jews were at fault for the economic collapse in the U.S., how Jesus was actually not a Jew, and how Jews tortured people in the name of Bolshevism (272-273). These examples go straight to the
This might have been the cornerstone vector as the other two vectors overlap with this idea. In Friedlander’s first book, Years of Persecution, he explains what exactly he means by redemptive antisemitism. This idea was born out of racist, even traditional religious beliefs. Furthermore, the idea of redemption, or liberation, could be executed through the expulsion or extermination of the Jews, giving society freedom. It was through the suffering of the Jews the Aryan society would become great (87). Friedlander explains how this fueled the Nazis to commit one of humanity’s greatest …show more content…
Yet, as Friedlander points out in The Years of Extermination, Hitler held onto the view of the expulsion of the Jews to northern Russia, but only after the end of the campaign—meaning war of Russia (238). Then suddenly, Hitler began to shift his rhetoric, letting redemptive antisemitism become the central focus leading to the Holocaust. Friedlander highlights the shift through Hitler’s speeches. In addition, Friedlander uses Hitler’s speeches to illustrate how the Nazi Party was thinking, as Hitler was Fuhrer and his sediments were shared by his allies. One speech Friedlander makes known was on October 2, 1941. Hitler proclaimed “the Jews and only Jews” were not only behind Bolshevism but also capitalism. A day later Hitler designated the Jews as “the world enemy (272).” There was a reversal in Hitler’s plans as his convictions were moving toward the extreme measure of extermination (272). Moreover, Friedlander illustrates how the days and weeks after the October 2, 1941 speech, Hitler’s rhetoric had not changed. The redemptive anti-semitism grew stronger. Hitler was blaming everything on the Jews and made outrageous claims. This included how the Jews were at fault for the economic collapse in the U.S., how Jesus was actually not a Jew, and how Jews tortured people in the name of Bolshevism (272-273). These examples go straight to the