Alexis Davis-Smith April 8, 2013 World History Ms.

Grace

German Holocaust Resistance

The Holocaust started January 30, 1933 and ended May 8, 1945. When Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, Jews became subjected to harsh punishment under his order that lead to thousands of women, men, and children murdered in the most brutal and mortifying ways. They were held in concentration camps in areas such as Auschwitz and Birkenau which were known for having the largest killings. When entering the camps Jews were stripped completely bare from all their belongings, along with the clothes on their backs. After being completely stripped they were all separated from family members young and old, after being separated some were reunited with their family, but unfortunately others were burned in the crematorium before they could see their families again. At this time people were killed from the age range of being as young as twenty day old babies, to senior citizens for being too young or too old to work. Even though Hitler had many followers behind him, who believed in his word, there were still many others who resisted against him, and refused to treat Jews in such a manner. One example of resistance shown during this time of tragedy was during the Kristallnacht. Kristallnacht, also known as (The Night of Broken Glass) where Germans decided to avenge the death of Nazi official who was shot and killed. In this action German citizens and Nazis came together in a form of attack against the Jews, this attack involved

destroying all property and business ran or owned by Jews. In this event all German citizens young and old were asked to contribute. As a result of refusing to join, those families who were not even Jewish were also attacked and had their property destroyed along with the Jews. Even though many Germans took part in this event, others still refused to take part knowing the consequences of their actions. Surprisingly some protested by resigning their membership in the Nazi party, though many made it clear that they were not objecting to anti-Semitism but not to mob violence(Facing History and Ourselves 268). After the Kristallnacht was final over to help Jews whose property was destroyed Others quietly brought Jewish families food and other necessities to replace items that had been destroyed (Facing History and Our Selves 268). This was their way of letting Jews know that they were not involved in taking part of Kristallnacht. Secondly, along with secretly helping Jews, other members of the German resistance werent afraid of voicing their opinion, even if it meant there was a high risk of them eventually receiving the same punishment and be viewed as a Jew. Some individuals and groups attempted to resist Nazism, Socialists, Communists, trade unionists, and others clandestinely wrote, printed, and distributed anti-Nazi literature. Many of these rebels were arrested and imprisoned in concentration camps1 Thirdly, the German resistance even went as far as attempting an assassination attack against Hitler to end once and for all by military officers. After the important Soviet victory at Stalingrad in early 1943, when it looked as though the tide was turning against the German army, a serious assassination attempt was planned by a group of German military officers and carried

http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007751

out in 1944. Hitler escaped the bomb blast with minor injuries.2 After this attempt, sadly the officers, who committed this crime against Hitler, were caught immediately and sentenced to death. Later it was after their death sentenced it was discovered that over two hundred individuals were found to be involved in this plot, they were also sentenced to death. In conclusion, even though it seemed as if no one spoke up to defend, or was to afraid of what might happen to them, many German citizens ended up sacrifice their rights and freedom because they knew deep down inside that what was happening was wrong and refused to be a part of Hitlers actions. Some moved secretly and silently, others refused to take part in movements, some voiced their opinions and thoughts in different ways and were sentenced to live in concentration camps along with Jews, and others took bold action by attempting assassination. All in all these citizens risked their lives once they agreed to be part of the resistance and fight, rather than running away and forgetting all of what they witnessed throughout their times living in Germany. So even though Jews may have felt like it, they were never alone.

http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007751