Evidence for the Holocaust

Evidence for the Holocaust

The reason for the development of the final solution is under much

historical debate. There is the structuralists who believe it was a

result of wartime problems, that it was a improvised response to the

problems. However there is the intentionalists who believe Hitler

planned the holocaust due to his pathological hatred of the Jews. Now

in this essay I am going to present the evidence for both schools of

thought.

There is substantial evidence to support the structuralists. Nazi

policy previous to 1939 towards the jews were concentrated on social

exclusion, legislation and encouraged emigration. It can be seen that

emigration was encouraged when in 1939 the Reich central office for

Jewish emigration was set up. This is proof that the Nazis were still

trying to pass on the 'Jewish Problem'

The problem for the policy of emigration became increasingly difficult

from Anchluss onwards. When Austria rejoined with Germany this gave

Germany 150,000 more Jews which made emigration increasingly more

unlikely, even though Eichman forced 45 000 Jews to emigrate. However

emigration wasn't possible at the outbreak of war due to Britain's

refusal to allow free acces to the sea. This restricted options to

send Jews to Madagascar. British interference also restricted plans to

send Jews to Palestine, which Britain controlled over a League of

Nations Mandate, as the local Arab population were in uproar and

Britain finally stopped Jewish emigration in 1944. This has been seen

as evidence of Hitlers desire to pass on the Jewish 'problem' rather

than the 'final solution'. Also after the outbreak of war it left

another...

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...semitic feelings, although many of

Europeans were anit-semitic. However the holocaust wouldn't of been

possible it there was no anti-semitism. Example of this can be seen

from progroms in Russia which were usually government sponsored or

approved violence towards the Jews. However the holocaust could of

only happened with Hitlers approval, & also the only person that could

stop the holocaust. But moreover I still support the structuralist way

of thinking.

"it was only the failure of the Russian campaign & the Nazis inability

to cope with the millions of deported Jews building up in Poland that

led to initiatives which gained Hitlers approval. . . The holocaust

was the result of the regime's hasty search for a way out of the

problem it had created for itself."

Adapted from Mason1981, Mommsen 1991, & Broszat1979.