РефератыИностранный языкYeYet Another World War II Essay Research

Yet Another World War II Essay Research

Yet Another World War II Essay, Research Paper


Did the


Western World do enough for the Jews in the Holocaust


"When they came for the gypsies, I did not speak, for I am


not a gypsy. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak,


because I wasn?t a Jew. When they came for the Catholics,


I did not speak, for I am not a Catholic. And when they


came for me, there was no one left to speak." -On the Wall


at the Holocaust Museum in Washington It is impossible to


learn about the Holocaust and the Second World War


without the question of how it possibly could have happened


arising, and along with that question comes another. The


question of whether or not the Western World did enough to


help the Jews in Europe. What was their reaction to the


campaign of systematic persecution, robbery and murder the


Third Reich inflicted upon the Jewish people? During the


time leading up to the outbreak of World War II, the


Western Press consistently carried numerous reports of the


German?s anti-Jewish policies and their purposeful


victimization of the Jews living in Nazi Germany as well as


the annexed territories. The general public cannot claim that


they did not know what was going on, that they were


uninformed. Whether or not they chose to believe it


however, is a completely different story. The public were


indeed outraged in many of the cases but the governments of


the major European democracies felt that it was not for them


to intervene for they felt that the Jewish problem classified as


an internal affair within a sovereign state. The truth behind


this is simply that the governments were anxious to establish


cordial relations with Germany and didn?t want to cause any


hostility. Thus they stood idly by and remained silent as


Hitler went from denying the Jews of their civil rights to


denying them of their means of earning their daily bread. As


much as they wanted to remain neutral, the countries of the


Western World were finally forced to take a stand on the


issue of emigration of Jews from the Reich who were


seeking refuge. The United States maintained strict


immigration quotas which severely limited the number of


Central and Eastern Europeans admitted to the country each


year. Even under such extreme circumstances, the US


insisted on adhering to these policies and refused to modify


them even slightly. Great Britain proved to be merciless as


they blocked entry into Palestine and limited the amount of


entry permits. The states that had the ability to absorb the


immigrants such as Australia, Canada and most countries of


South America, accepted agricultural workers but denied


entry to professionals, merchants and skilled artisans. There


were actually protests in the US and Britain organized


against the admission of immigrant doctors. The President of


the United States initiated the Evian Conference in 1938 in


an attempt to find a means that would aid emigrants from


Germany and Austria and enable their absorption elsewhere.


Thirty-two countries sent delegates with hopes that a


solution would be found however, it quickly became clear to


all that the even the great powers who had initiated the


conference were not willing to take any significant steps


towards accepting the refugees. Despite the speeches and


the appeals, no one country was willing to commit


themselves to practical measures, the smaller countries


following the example of the larger ones. An international


committee was set up in London for refugee affairs but it


lacked funding as well as a

place towards where they could


direct the refugees. It is evident here that it is not a lack of


knowledge that something had to be done, but rather an


unwillingness that prevented the Western World from helping


the Jews. Words are just that, mere words, unless they are


put into action. As a result, the Evian Conference is regarded


as a complete failure. Once the war began, the


comprehensive information regarding the conditions in


Germany that the Western World had at one time been


provided with, ceased. Still, news of the Einsatzgruppen ?s


activities and the mass killings in the death camps found its


way to the west. Up until the middle of the year 1942, the


general tendency was to regard the consistent persecution of


the Jews as just one part of the complex of oppression in the


occupied countries. By the mid-1942 the horribly terrifying


rumors about Hitler?s Final Solution as well as the operations


and atrocities being conducted were confirmed. Once again


the reactions of the United States and Britain, who were the


major countries of the anti-Nazi alliance, were of horror and


anger. The Jews put forth plans to combat the Nazis


persecution of their people such as a demand for the


exchange of Germans for Jews or the launching of retaliation


strikes against the Germans until the murders ceased. Not


only were these proposals refused simple consideration, but


there was not even a willingness to halt the formal


procedures governing the transfer of dollars abroad which


may have saved the lives of many Jews. All proposals which,


if out into action, could have saved thousands of children and


other victims, were submitted to administrations that merely


contemplated rather than decided and thus, produced no


tangible results. As Jews were fighting for their lives in


Warsaw Ghetto, a conference of the major allies convened


in Bermuda to consider the "problem" of refugees. As with


the Evian Conference, no practical solutions were proposed,


The only thing it did accomplish was an attempt at reviving


the International Committee for Refugee Affairs, which had


no executive powers. Finally, the conclusion of the Allies


was that rescue would only be accomplished through a final


victory over the Nazis. It was decided that in the meantime,


no military action should be taken which was not part of the


purely military-strategic plan. This policy was strictly


adhered to and therefore no operation for relief or rescue


was undertaken, even if such an action did not conflict with


military objectives or require the use of military power. "He


who preserves one life, it as if he has preserved an entire


world." – The Talmud. Anytime the world stands idly by and


remains silent as 6 000 000 worlds are shattered, not only


did they fail to come up with a solution, but they became a


part of the problem. Hitler attempted to erase an entire race


of people, because of him there was a generation lost. My


entire grandparents family was murdered and many of their


friends still bear the numbers that were etched into their skin.


They have endured nightmarish atrocities not fit for the world


of the awake. They have been witness to ideas, thoughts and


actions one would deny human being?s capability of even


imagining. Their eyes have been robbed of their innocence


after seeing sights that would cause anyone to shut them in


fear and disgust but this was an option they did not have.


Now you look into those eyes and you tell them that the


Western World did all they could to help the Jews.

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