The Holocaust: The Bystander Effect During The Holocaust

Bystanders and Upstanders In society, one can play two roles in situations that need to be acted upon: a bystander or an upstander. A bystander, or onlooker plays an important role in any given situation. They choose to stand by and not take action, or involve themselves in the situation in some way. An upstander will take action and include themselves in a certain circumstance. Because of this, the Bystander Effect has been developed over time from casual everyday situations to big events in history. The act of bystanding was a major part of the Holocaust and made significant impacts on the lives of many, by determining the lives and deaths of those targeted for the camps. The terms bystander and upstander closely relate in meaning. Respectively, they are similar because both a bystander and an upstander affect the outcome of a situation but do not directly take part in it. A bystander is a person who is nearby and observes an occurrence and does not physically get involved in it. An upstander is a person who stands up and takes action in a situation. Whether one chooses to help or stand by, their decisions greatly influence others and how the situation is viewed. The Bystander Effect has been developed over time based on the actions of the bystanders and upstanders in situations that occur every day. Every …show more content…
Villagers living near many of the concentration camps recall “the horrible stench of burning flesh in the air and seeing ashes, tufts of hair, and bone fragments falling onto their streets”(Why Teach this Material, The Holocaust: Bystanders and Upstanders”3). Reports of the horrors of the Holocaust made front page of newspapers to inform others, but still many decided to keep quiet. Cases of upstanders and bystanders signify people did not act in order to prevent mistreatment against the Jews, but out of fear for their own safety or the safety of