Anne Frank And The Holocaust

During World War II, the Nazi regime, under the leadership of Adolf Hitler, attempted to eliminate all the Jews and other “inferior peoples” of Europe. The Nazis and their collaborators killed millions of people, including six million Jewish people and other minority groups, such as 200,000 gypsies and 200,000 disabled people ("Introduction to the Holocaust”). This terrible period in history is now referred to as the Holocaust ("Background to the Holocaust”). A young girl named Anne Frank wrote one of the most notable Jewish texts from this period. Her optimism about the future should inspire the resolution of the modern religious and racial conflicts which stem from WWII era prejudices.

Before the war, Jewish people had resided in every country of Europe and lived there for over 2000 years. They held a wide array of occupations, including farmers, doctors, business people, and teachers. Some Jewish people were successful and enjoyed comfortable lives, while others were extremely poor and struggled to make ends meet. No matter what their background, occupation, or social standing, all Jews were subjected to elimination and became victims of the Holocaust after Adolf Hitler came to power. ("Jewish Life in Europe Before the Holocaust”).

The Nazi Regime, which came to power in Germany in January 1933, deemed Jews and other minority groups as "inferior.” They claimed Germans were racially superior and Jews were a threat to their so-called German racial community. In addition to Jews, German authorities also targeted other groups because of their perceived "racial inferiority," such as Gypsies, the disabled, and homosexuals. The Nazi dealt with these groups evolved in 3 steps. The first was expulsion, or the attempt to get all the in...

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...op in the amount of land owned by the Palestinians (Kochavi). They are still trying to be recognized as a country by the United Nations, but without America’s support they have not been officiated to become a country.

These modern conflicts over land are simply a continuation of older disputes. The challenge ahead of us is to find solutions for peace. In one of Anne’s latest diary entries, she professed “in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” (Frank 237) This is the optimist that should inspire international affairs going forward. Those words came from a teenage girl, locked away and hiding from a regime that wanted her dead. Nonetheless, she believed that humanity was essentially good. Surely this inspiration can serve as a reminder to avoid 20th century prejudices and work towards making a better, more peaceful future.