The physical barrier refers to people getting out of their
comfort zones and doing things they normally wouldn’t do. The moral barrier can refer to those who looked
the other way; kind of like today when people say, “I don’t want to get
involved.”
Historical Context:
Regardless of whether one aligns with the intentionalists or the
functionalists, there can be no denying that certain obstacles both within and
without Germany had to be circumvented.
The Holocaust, in its implementation, required the movements of vast
numbers of people as well as resources.
In order for that to take place, the Nazis needed either cooperation or
indifference. They got both…
Rationale to Teach:
This unit covers many of the pieces that “fell into place” in order
for Hitler, Goebbels, Himmler, Heydrich, Eichmann, et al. to do their dirty
work. We take a look at both internal
and external obstacles to the Final Solution.
Students will see how the common man, in many different countries as
well as walks of life (commoners, diplomats, world leaders) more often than not
looked the other way. We discuss the
roles of perpetrators, collaborators, and bystanders, and try to gain a vision
of the dangers of being any of the above.
We look at T-4 and the Einsatzgruppen.
And we look at how it was all planned…
Major Topics:
1. Internal public opinion
a. Propaganda
2. External public opinion
a. Evian Conference
3. Kristallnacht
4. T-4 Program
5. Einsatzgruppen
Comment: As I said previously, this discussion should get some of your students involved in passionate discussion. The best times to study are when it is an interactive process, when both the teacher and the students give-and-take. The work of numerous historians can be cited during this lesson, and some video footage can be used. I would encourage you to mix up the presentation if possible. In discussion, take care to keep the discourse civil, while not shutting anyone out from giving his or her opinions.
Resources:
Classroom notes with lines of questioning/student interaction
Grobman, Gary, The Holocaust: A Guide For Teachers – The Seeds of War and World Conquest © 1990 http://remember.org/guide/History.root.seeds.html. Grobman includes text and questions for such topics as Kristallnacht and the Evian Conference. Student activities are also included.
Propaganda links/references:
Daffy the Commando. Videocassette. © Leon Schlesinger Studios, distributed by Warner Brothers, 1943. This is a Daffy Duck cartoon I found on a tape my children had. It is a great way to take a few minutes to show your students that not only were the Nazis engaged in propaganda, the Americans certainly were, too. I also like to show a couple of comic book covers of Superman and Captain America fighting against the Axis.
http://www.ushmm.org/lcmedia/viewer/wlc/photo.php?RefId=44203. This is a photo of Joseph Goebbels giving a speech in Berlin. Students should note the size of the crowd he is addressing; point out that Goebbels was a master of the new public address technology (microphones, loudspeakers, radio, etc.).
http://ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/photos/xWS37851A Photo of a caricature of a malevolent Jew equated with the Devil and shown menacing Mother Europe, who resembles Mary.
http://www.ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/photos/xWS73815. Antisemitic cartoon of a "Jewish" octopus encircling the earth. Some students remark that the octopus is covering the earth in darkness with its ink; others see that the tentacles appear to pierce the earth, causing it to "bleed"...
http://www.ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/photos/xWS40000. Cover of the antisemitic children’s primer The Poisonous Mushroom.
http://www.ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/photos/xWS20600. A cartoon showing a beautiful Aryan woman standing while riding a train while ugly Jews keep their seats and gossip. Students can identify several negative traits in the Jewish caricatures.
http://www.ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/photos/xWS20599. Similar to the cartoon above, this one turns more direct toward the assault of the Aryan by the "conniving" Jew.
http://www.ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/photos/xWS20591. Again, as above.
http://www.ushmm.org/uia-cgi/uia_doc/photos/xWS20596. Take caution with this cartoon, as it contains nudity. My high school seniors handle it very well, drawing out the appropriate elements, not the least of which is the nudity depicted in the 1930’s media.
Kristallnacht links:
http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/online/kristallnacht/issues/k-night1.htm. This link shows the original document that Hitler used to address the police concerning their role in the upcoming Kristallnacht pogrom of November 9=10, 1938. Questions are provided for further discussion.
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-knacht.htm. Short article with two photographs. This would make a quick read for an overview of Kristallnacht.
T-4 links/references:
Author unknown. Pamphlet from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.
Handicapped
Biesold, Horst. Crying Hands: Eugenics and Deaf People In Nazi Germany, Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press. 1999. This book fits in nicely with Henry Friedlander’s. It can be used here to discuss eugenics and the T-4 program, but would also serve as a discussion on collaboration by the educational and medical elite in the carrying out of the Shoah.
Friedlander, Henry. The Origins of Nazi Genocide: From Euthanasia to the Final Solution, Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. 1995. The definitive book on this subject.
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-euthanasia.htm. A short article on the T-4 program. This would make a quick read for the students.
Einsatzgruppen links/references:
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/h-tasks.htm. This is a very short article; the photograph on this page is extremely powerful.
Berenbaum, Michael. Witness To the Holocaust, New York: Harper Collins Publishers, Inc. 1997. For the Einsatzgruppen, see pp. 112-148.
Hitler’s Holocaust: Invasion
Videocassettes. © MPR Film und Fernsch Produktion GmtH for the History Channel, 2000. These tapes are excellent! They mix archival footage with survivor interviews; my students have always held their attention to the television when we have watched these programs. There are numerous places to stop the tape for discussion. I would highly recommend this series!
Rhodes, Richard. Masters of Death: The SS-Einsatzgruppen and the Invention of the Holocaust, New York: Alfred A Knopf, 2002. From the back cover: “To follow Richard Rhodes’ book on the infamous SS murder squads is to follow him to the brink of absolute evil and its cold, calculated and blood-chilling brutality.” – Elie Wiesel. Certainly a worthwhile read.
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