The Holocaust and The Modern Nation-State

The Holocaust as a Modern Nation-State Darkest Side

• The Holocaust represents the darkest aspect of the "Modern Nation-State"
• Germany's advanced educational system was ironically a factor
• "Industrialized killing" refers to the organized, scientifically planned genocide carried out by the modern state
• Various professionals such as list makers, train workers, engineers, chemists, doctors, phone operators, and office workers were all actively involved
• The goal was the total destruction of Jewish people, targeting them even outside of Germany
• There was a German belief that Jewish individuals were part of a worldwide conspiracy for domination

Christian Anti-Judaism Ideology

• The Holocaust had a strong ideological basis which dehumanized Jewish individuals
• Jewish people were reduced to mythical figures of EVIL and blamed for world events such as communism, capitalism, and Germany's defeat in WW1
• Christian Anti-Judaism began with the "old" and "new" testaments where "testament" means "covenant"
• The term "tanach" used by Jews does not mean "old" but Christianity defines the "OLD" Christian Bible as "NEW", implying Judaism is inherently flawed

Rosemary Ruether & Edward Flannery Thesis

• Rosemary Ruether argues there's a direct connection between Christian Anti-Judaism (CAJ) and Racial Anti-Semitism (RAS)
• Early Christianity viewed the Jewish rejection of the messiah as a threat that needed to be delegitimized
• There was a distinction between "good" Jews (pre-Christian who would accept Christ) and "bad" Jews (those who would never accept Christ)
• Crucifixion was seen as the climax of Jewish evilness
• Some support for Jews can be found in the Bible, such as in Gospel of Matthew - "The blood be on us and our children" where early Christian leaders blamed the crucifixion on Jews to favor the Romans
• Edward Flannery agreed that early Christianity superseded Judaism but emphasized that Jews were once the chosen people
• A common belief among Christians was that Jews must be preserved, even if not considered evil but still blind, with a "preservationist view" that led to discrimination/oppression but not murder

Blood Libel & Christian Anti-Judaism Theories

• Blood libel is a centuries-old false accusation that Jews murder Christians, especially children, for blood rituals, leading to increased hatred
• The murder of William of Norwich, a 12-year-old boy, was used to falsely accuse jews of ritually killing the boy as a crucifixion like Jesus
• Folk tales, blood libels, woodcuts, cartoons, rumours, and myths created a "Jewish folk culture"
• Jews as a superhuman evil force became part of European culture, and Nazi views drew from images of Jews from the past 2000 years
• Christian teachings helped create a climate where genocide could be conceived, and hatred of Jewish people was the culmination of centuries of Jews living in a Christian world

German Anti-Semitism Origins

• Semite/Semitic: used to designate geographic regions/language groups, then soon used to designate a 'race' of Jewish people
• Hostility, prejudice, and discrimination against Jews were systemic
• Historically, Jewish communities were ruled by Jewish civil law, led by rabbis, dressed alike, and had their own language
• They formed self-segregated communities and were members of a despised region, but the system worked relatively well in the 18th century due to stability and peace

Jewish Emancipation & Evolution of German Anti-Semitism

• 1871 saw full legal emancipation of Jews in Germany, which was now a constitutional monarchy
• Emancipation resulted from a political/legal principle of equal citizenship, allowing all people to develop potential wealth/success
• However, this freedom granted to Jews led to a backlash, requiring centuries to overcome anti-Judaism
• Adolf Stoecker, a respected Protestant minister, believed Jews were 'tolerable strangers' but viewed their political/social rise as 'spiritually blasphemous'
• He believed punishment and oppression would lead to their conversion, with the goal being conversion, not expulsion
• Nationalist Anti-Semitism considered belief in German nationalism essential
• Germany was seen as a 'community of common ancestry and blood', where Jews were alien to the 'German national character' where the goal was Germanization through intermarriage
• World War I defeat created a lack of political unity and stability, including the collapse of the monarchy
• Extremism grew on both the left (communism) and the right (fascism), polarizinzing society by 1933 and resulting in the Nazi takeover
• The Versailles Treaty was viewed as insulting treaty and was abandoned by international powers, it was exaggerated by Hitler to appeal to people's emotions/prejudice

Great Depression & Racial Anti-Semitism

• The Great Depression brought economic catastrophe, and people chose revenge by listening to a demagogue instead of reason
• Extreme Racial Anti-Semitism used a racial mechanism where anti-semitism became a result of racial science, creating a new type of ‘religion’
• There were good (Germans) and bad counterparts, where struggling against world jewry became a struggle against absolute evil
• The mere physical existence of evil (the enemy race) was seen as intolerable and threatening and evil needed to be destroyed. This belief was viewed as necessary for genocide

Nazi Rise to Power & Weimar Crisis

• The Nazi takeover was done 'legally' without revolution, so the actions can be morally judged
• President Hindenburg had 'emergency powers' during the Weimar Crisis (1930-33) to appoint his own government if parliament could not form one
• Presidential rule lasted for 3 years - while divided political parties could not agree on a coalition government, democracy created further division
• Nostalgia grew for powerful authority to overcome the crisis as the party system was weakened
• The collapse of the democratic Weimar Republic was a precondition to Hitler's eventual takeover
• The Nazis came to power as Franz von Poppen was appointed Chancellor of the coalition goverment of the Nazi Party (33%) and Nationalist Party (9%) Hitler gained a role in government
• President called for an election where Nazi and nationalist parties harassed and intimidated others
• It was believed that this coalition could win a majority
• On January 30th, 1933, President dissolved parliament after Hitler burned down the Reichstag
• In March 1933, enabling acts gave Hitler the power to rule for 4 years and all political parties became illegal - concentration camps began

Jewish Apartheid Laws and Decrees

• The Law on the Restoration of the Professional Service purged all Jews from government roles, restoring pre-World War I life for Jewish Germans
• Jews were excluded from positions of authority and cultural/artistic life
• The Nuremberg Decrees, including laws for the protection of German blood, outlawed marriage and sexual relations between Jewish Germans and Germans
• The Reich Citizenship Laws stated that Jewish Germans were no longer considered citizens, marking the beginning of Jewish Apartheid, and was believed to end violence
• Kristallnacht "Night of Broken Glass" involved the demolition of Jewish businesses, the burning of 267 synagogues, and the killing of 91 Jews
• This event was designed to push Jews out with a clear message of consequences for staying

Intentionalist & Functionalist View

• The Intentionalist camp believes Hitler focused on preserving the Aryan race by exterminating Jewish people and other ideological enemies
• It is believed that Hitler’s extermination plan existed by 1920, influenced by his childhood and his central, dictatorial role, as outlined in his biography "Mein Kampf" - the goal was to steadfastly remove the Jews
• Functionalists theorize that Hitlers genius did not cause the holocaust but rather reasons both outside and inside of Germany led to the final solution
• After failed attempts at emigration, officials suggested the idea to Hitler due to a variety of motives
• The Holocaust did not begin until around 1941 with sterilization acts, that when failing, the Jews were forced into ghettos before ultimately being decided to be killed
• The Madagascar Plan and Poland Reservation were introduced to deport entire Jewish populations but that ultimately turned to the “final solution” beginning in 1941

Beginnings of Mass Murder & Mobile Killing Squads

• Killing civilians/Jews on a large scale traced to operation during WW2's invasion of Soviet Union
• Invasion driven by desire to conquer area for slave labour, oil/grain
• Invasion of western Europe seen as sign of strength
• Primary goal was to decimate Slavic populations, control resources, and destroy threat of Jewish bolshevism

Lebensraum Philosophy & the Operation of the Holocaust

• Lebensraum involved demographic revolution, bringing German settlers, and subjugating other groups to destroy bolshevism which symbolized Jewish thirst for power.
• It was taught that communists are the same everywhere
• Operations included Mobile Killing Squads which spread throughout the Soviet Union and rounded up jewish men (shooting them) followed by women and children
• Open air shootings led to 1.3 million deaths, and caused concern that the process took a toll on both public opinion and soldiers participating
• The Nazi’s first attempt at quick and easy gassing was not efficient enough where Gas chambers served the same purpose in a more faceless, efficient manner which led to “conveyor belt killing”

Mass Murder Stats and Perpetrators

• By 1944 approximately 10,000 people died per day at Auschwitz
• A modern government used science, tech and innovation to perform mass murder
• Some entities: German Armed Forces, Desk Killers and Ordinary Men

Ideology and Indoctrination

• The German army combat led to freezing soldiers and harsh conditions and a need for self-preservation
• Nazi Ideology from letters sent home described Jews as sub-human and as a sickness
• Bureaucracy meant mass killing, it allowed people to be not responsible
• In addition, the advanced German bureaucracy was efficient and immune to bribe or corruption
• Euphemisms and lack of talking kept their brutal reality at arm’s length

Police Battalion 101 and Aftermath

• Police battalion consisted men in 30s/40s (older)
• The non nazified group were told their job was to eliminate Jews
• 10-20% would shoot and 80% would just participate from a sense of horror
• Men were compelled not to leave otherwise friends would need to commit atrocities
• The final part of the holocaust was Auschwitz being liberated
• The horrific stats: 800,000 + women’s dresses, 300,000+ men’s suits, 38,000 men’s shoes and 14,000 pounds of human hair - where only 7650 survived