Holocaust :: essays research papers

Tarek El ZeinHolocaust                                                   Jesus or Hitler?Anti-Semitism was widespread in europium at the time Hitler came to power. Much of this anti-Semitism was rooted, first, in religious beliefs that arose more than 1500 years before Hitler came to power, and second, on governmental beliefs, often cynically exploited for political gain. Though it was not accepted by everyone, this quick anti-Semitism was common and provided a receptive audience for Hitlers anti-Semitic claims.      Hitler did not just exploit the existing anti-Semitism in Germany he changed it and built on it until it became an all-consuming obsession both for himself and for the rest of the National Socialist leadership. The most significant difference between conventional anti-Semitism and the philosophy of the Nazis was that the basis for the anti-Semitism was distorted and changed. Previous anti-Semitism had been based upon religious convictions - primarily on the questionable fact that Jews were responsible for the performance of Jesus - and political attacks to exclude Jews from the rest of society.     Although he exploited this religious anti-Semitism, Hitler and the other Nazi leaders, who were opposed to traditional religions, found another basis for their abhorrence of the Jews. They relied on the theories of "eugenics" and "social Darwinism" which were then common in Europe and transformed them into "race science." They also used the political expression of anti-Semitism coupled with the falsehood of the Aryans. This myth had developed in Europe the last part of the 19th century. According to Hitlers philosophy the Germanic peoples called "Aryans," were superior to all oth er races and had the right to line up over them. Hitler and the other Nazis claimed that other races, such as the Slavs and the Poles, were inferior species break only to serve Aryan man. The Jews were flush lower than the Slavs. Hitler believed that "Aryans" were the builders of civilization while Jews were parasites fit only for extermination. This racism had a political agenda as well. Hitler blamed the Jews for the loss of World War I, which he called "the stab in the back" and do the focus of his political campaigns. The combination of religious anti-Semitism and political anti-Semitism with patriotism led many German people to accept Hitlers message.      One of the stumbling blocks to even wider acceptance of the Nazis racism was the assimilation of Jews into German life. Unlike the Jews of Eastern Europe, German Jews considered themselves no different from other Germans, but in religion.