The Final Solution

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The Final Solution There are two main schools of thought amongst historians about the Final Solution and only one of them is right. The 'intentionalist' theory is that of one which places Hitler at the helm where he is seen to have had the intention from the beginning (even before his rise to power) to exterminate the Jews. International Jewry was blamed for the humiliation of Germany in the Treaty of Versailles, and German Jewry was accused of betraying Germany in World War I. The 'functionalist' theory is that where the 'Final Solution' was decided upon only after many failed attempts to force Jews to emigrate from Germany. After the attempt to get rid of the Jews the 'functionalist' theory believes that the 'Final Solution' was forced because there was no other option. There is evidence to help both sides of argument but in this case the theory of the functionalists is right. The fact is, Hitler's 'Final Solution' evolved and shifted from 1933 to 1941 and thus helped the idea that the intention of Genocide was not on the cards. Living Space was his major obsession. Hitler believed that the German people needed living space and he thought that the Jewish people only made for a nuisance. He wanted to move them and not kill them. Hitler does not state that he wishes to bring physical harm to the Jewish people. In speeches he states that he wish to 'annihilate' the Jews from Europe, not kill them. (Speech made in January 1939) Early on in Hitler's campaign there is no direct evidence that places Hitler in a state of movement where he has included the physical exterm... ... middle of paper ... ...rman race, not the destruction of others in Germany. He wanted to get rid of them, and in the end it came down to genocide. In the end we can see that Hitler and in turn the whole Nazi party wanted to rid Germany and Europe of all Jewish presence as they were al fault for everything wrong in there. Hitler does not state (before the killing of the Jewish people) that he wish to bring physical harm to the Jewish race, only to condemn them to another place outside of the Reich. After the attempt to move all Jewish people from Germany and surroundings Hitler's only option was to destroy them. It was the only thing to do in a time of war. It is seen that Hitler did not want to commit to genocide at the beginning but that the annihilation of the Jewish race came about after many attempts to get rid of them another way.

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