It was observed that the Jews went to their death submissively and why was it they didn't react? Could this sort of submission be possible again? Granted, at first they didn't suspect anything, but wouldn't word get back via underground sources and if it did, why didn't they react? Why did the world let it go on as long as it did? And while we're on it, why did it take so long for the Berlin Wall to come down?
2006-09-03 19:43:00 · 8 answers · asked by coorissee 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
I don't know as much as the other people who have answered. But as far as people I have spoken to who lived in that era, the US pretty much ignored what was happening for awhile. They put the stories about the Jews dying in the back of the newspaper. They closed their borders to the Jews for awhile. People just didn't want to admit what was happening.
2006-09-03 20:13:36 · answer #1 · answered by . 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They suspected that it was not going to be pleasant when they were herded up by the Nazi Troopers; but, they did not realize the extent of their doomed future. They went semi-willingly in the misguided thought that they would be treated better (the men especially behaved to protect the women) if no resistance was shown.
It is concieveable that this could happen and basically is happening in some of the African cultures today. In an enlightened country (multiple sources of information - newspapers, radio, television, computer, etc.) it should be extremely difficult.
The world was in a "don't get involved, they aren't going to bother us" mode of operation.
The free world had to wait until the Russian Government was on the verge of bankruptcy and unable to subsist on what it could produce on its own before the leverage was there to force the issue. If the Russian Government wanted to survive it had to finally admit that its form of communism/socialism was not going to survive without a viable trading partnership with the West and Europe.
2006-09-03 20:00:41 · answer #2 · answered by Papasnake37 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some former SS death camp guards reported being traumatized by being "forgiven" by the jews that they were sending to their deaths, which speaks volumes about the power of forgivness.
You have asked a very complex question, and there are no easy answers, but decisions were made on high during the war not to bomb the trains carrying people to the death camps and not to bomb the death camps themselves. However, although the allies knew that Jews were being killed there, they had no idea of the massive scale of the killings, and therefore thought that not bombing them was the more humane thing to do, as they assumed that most would survive. This thinking changed in 1944, but the camps were still not bombed due partially to mis-placed optimism about a quick German defeat and partially due to political inaction do to the split focus on the Pacific war. That said, I have barely scratched the surface, there were a lot of things going on. I would recommend "the rise and fall of the third reich", and "inside the third reich" as good starter books. there are about 10,000 others.
2006-09-03 19:54:31 · answer #3 · answered by keepitsafe2think 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Correct me if I am wrong. When the camps were liberated, the killing, not necessary the dying, stopped.
Death camps were new to the Jews. They did not believe that they would be killed. Just moved to another ghetto.
Get out a map and look where the camps are located. They are in the middle of extended Germany. It took the allies years to occupied that reign.
Defeating Germany was the goal, not stopping the holocaust.
The holocaust is well documented. See for yourself.
2006-09-03 19:51:08 · answer #4 · answered by J. 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your answer lies herein:
Why didn't the world react to the Rwandan genocide?
Why isn't the world reacting to the situation in Darfur?
Why didn't the world react when the United States tortured people
and entered a war on false premises?
2006-09-03 19:47:36 · answer #5 · answered by avocaronico 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We're busy. We don't want to be disturbed. It costs. It takes time to convince us it is real, that we have an investment in stopping a situation, that we can make a difference, that the other person matters, that we have a chance.
We can list Pol Pot, Stalin, Idi Amin, Cortez, Ghengis and on through history. It is easier to hide from evil than to face it.
2006-09-03 19:47:41 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is a shame that we didn't react to the Holocaust before millions were killed. But many people didn't like Jews because they thought Jews killed Christ. More people need to practice loving their neighbors and charity for the misfortunates.
2006-09-03 19:47:48 · answer #7 · answered by redunicorn 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sometimes we turn a blind eye, or choose to disbelieve such atrocities are possible. To believe that human beings can inflict such pain and suffering on one another while others stand by and watch takes considerable soul searching. It is easier to pretend it doesn't exist . . . hence the delay.
2006-09-03 20:15:04 · answer #8 · answered by Kat 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋