The Importance Of Hitler's Accomplice During The Third Reich

Hitler’s biggest accomplice during the Third Reich were the German “ordinary” citizen. The German people had a part in the oppression and genocide of the Jewish citizens. Albeit some more than others but to what degree. In order for the Nazi regime to survive it needed the collaboration of the German people. However, you cannot completely blame the regular German citizen for the Holocaust because the people who are directly responsible to a higher level of culpability. This is not to say that there was no resistance from Germans. We had examples such as the White Roses who were executed for only speaking out against Hitler. There are several elements that took place to make “ordinary” Germans to make citizens “Nazis”. Europe and specifically Germany had a long history of ant Semitism long before World War I. The in-group/out group bias was always ingrained in German people. It is fair to say that there was a certain psychology present to allow people to behave in either apathetic or aggressive way. The ordinary German typically fell in compliance, collaboration. conversion and resistance. We also see how they overlapped throughout time. …show more content…
To show empathy to Jewish persons as the man who gives Ruth an orange in the Klemperer article would of at best resulted in ridicule or worst punishment. Dissent in some cases would have resulted in perilous consequences. Many had grumbled about personal liberties being taken away such as music literature and art. At some point a public “Heil Hitler” was not enough to be considered a “good “German. In psychology there is a concept of “product of inevitability “or minimizing negative situations when it the outcome is probable to come out negative in order to not feel so bad about it. People felt that nothing they could do so the mistreatment or apathy was their external justification, allowed people to convert or conform to anti-Semitic