By people I mean people from anywhere, but especially Americans
And by Holocaust I mean what was actually happening in the concentration camps and in the countries under Nazi rule.
2007-04-19 08:22:51 · 16 answers · asked by Jules 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
From watching episodes on the History channel regarding the Holocaust, it seems that we did not know much about what was going on until the Allies finally begain to turn the tide and saw these nightmares.
They were surprised. In fact much of the German troops did not know what was going on, at least to the extent that it was. Some believe that Hitler did not even know, though he authorized it. Kind of a "Don't tell me what you are doing, but do what ever you want" kind of thing.
Sad, but most don't understand it, or think about it much now. It can happen again, and in many areas similar things have happened.
2007-04-19 08:29:56 · answer #1 · answered by Mr. Indignant 4 · 6⤊ 1⤋
Who Knew About The Holocaust
2016-12-10 17:27:26 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
People didn't really know anything about the Holocaust when it actually happened. There were rumors of it, but people weren't sure if it was true or not.
When the U.S. and the Soviet Army liberated the remaining Holocaust suvivors from the concentration camps in 1945, they and other people were shocked that the Holocaust took place.
2007-04-19 11:43:01 · answer #3 · answered by 3lixir 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There was quite much known from the beginning. When the systematic mass murder of Jews started with mass executions at mass graves in the Soviet Union right after the invasion of the USSR by the German army in 1941 this was happening rather openly, and was witnessed by many people, it did not take place in secret camps then. When the gas murders in the exterminations camps started on large scale in 1942 this could also not remain completely secret and actually many Germans as well as people elsewhere came to know about it very soon, although not in great detail. There were many rumors about gas murders in Germany but they were vague and people didn't know exactly where and how, and if it's really true, but it wasn't completely unknown. The Allies also knew about it and they spoke about it on radio programs aired in German (my grandfather admitted that he heard about gas chambers when he illegally listened to BBC in Germany in 1943, but that he thought it was only British propaganda) and in leaflets they dropped over Germany from plains.
The existance of concentration camps (not necessarily that of extermination camps and gas chambers) was known by everyone in Germany, they were not secret and were conciously used as a means of deterrence by the regime. People knew they might be sent to a concentration camp for resistance against the regime. Political opponents were often arrested in concentration camps only temporarily so they could tell others about their sufferings when they got out of it again, so that there was fear spread and opposition supressed.
2007-04-22 02:12:50 · answer #4 · answered by Elly 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was always told that our government knew, the Catholic church knew for sure. They offered an apology (delivered by the late Pope John Paul) for the role they played in financing Italy and Germany during WWII. The American people did not know until the end of the war. I have heard stories from men that were there and liberated some of the concentration camps. The stories they had to share were heart wrenching.
2007-04-26 15:04:54 · answer #5 · answered by malee 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
People knew about it... People escaped from the Nazis and told what was going on... it was known... maybe they didn't imagine exactly how horrible it was... but it's like Darfur today... we all know what's going on there, but we pretend it isn't really happening...
BTW, we also knew about Saddam doing what he did to his people for a good 10 years before the war... there were articles in Vanity Fair, The Nation and plenty of other places... you would have to shut off your TV and video games if you wanted to learn anything...
2007-04-19 08:34:38 · answer #6 · answered by aspicco 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We didn't know entirely there were rumors of it. But as you can see even Hannah Goslar and Elie Weisel know that there was a holocaust but people still deny it.
2007-04-27 00:43:22 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They thought they were rumors and propaganda, they didn't find out for sure until they occupied the region, it's like what happened in Iraq, Saddam killed thousands of his own people and yet there are those that won't believe it. History does repeat itself.
2007-04-19 08:33:18 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When people heard about some of the horrific things that were occurring it was too hard to believe. Now, just saying that does no justice... It was literally too hard to believe that such horrendous acts were occurring and when people heard about it they simply shook their heads and said "that's not possible". That is hard for us to believe today because there is very little that shocks us because we are so tainted. But in that time, such acts were not possible... until the actually drove into the camps and saw for themselves... Some idiots who didn't see for themselves and apparently need to in order to believe it... but believe it...
2007-04-24 04:04:06 · answer #9 · answered by Katherine 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Much of it wasn't known until the camps were liberated.
2007-04-19 08:30:32 · answer #10 · answered by chikkenbone 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋