Do you think the German people knew what Hitler was doing to the Jewish people before the end or near end of?

Question

Do you think the German people knew what Hitler was doing to the Jewish people before the end or near end of the war?

Answer 1

The German people knew the Jews were being oppressed but they were not in a position to know the extent of the genocide. The Nazis kept a veil of secrecy around the holocaust and most of it was (deliberately) carried out in remote lands to the east.

This is why we should not wait fro genocide to come to light and we should be careful to question ALL efforts by our government to dehumanise minorities. Most people, then and now, have a certain attitude of 'tough decisions have to be taken and I don't want to know the detail', and this is bad.

Let us also remember the Jews were not the only ones being killed.

Answer 2

Yes, they knew. They may not have known the details, but persecutions, abuses, raidings of Jewish houses and business, people taken to concentration camps --all this was done openly and in plain sight. It was also encouraged and talked about publicly.
German citizens were expected to denounce Jews or half-Jewish neighbors, co-workers, employees. Of course this was more visible in the large cities, and people in the countryside were less knowledgeable of the atrocities.
This does not mean all Germans liked it or approved. Some were horrified. My family, along with many other non-Jewish Germans left the country when Hitler came to power.

Answer 3

They knew. But how much they really knew about it and what they could have done is a big debate. People had often heard rumors whispers. The higher up in the Reich you were the more you knew, but so much depended on circumstances. Where they lived, what they did for a living, their religious and racial prejudices. A very good book that helps answer some of this questions is "They Thought They were Free" by Milton Meyer, a Jewish American Proffessor who went to Germany shortly after the war. He interviewed a lot of people Jew and non-Jew, and he even discusses German reconstruction after the war. Very good.

Answer 4

I know an older couple who lived in Germany during WWII. They were in their late teens-early twenties. It was actually illegal to listen to the radio in some places and neighbors would turn each other in. Both of these Germans who are now American citizens swear that they didn't know the truth about what was truly happening to the Jewish population. All they knew really is that they were being moved out of the city and into Poland. The male that I met actually had been in the German military the very last day of the war and would not fire on American soldiers. He was supposed to be punished by putting in time in military jail, but never has.
I don't know whether to believe this couple or not. They seemed genuine, but at the same time they might be too ashamed to admit to knowing about the death camps.

Answer 5

Well, the German people knew about the persecution of the Jews because it was preached like gospel by the Nazi government. They also knew that their Jewish neighbors and friends were being taken away and not coming back. Also some news of the concentration and extermination camps must have leaked out from some of the guards on home leave.

Answer 6

I do believe that they knew what was going on. The country was so taken with the talk of a better life for themselves and their children that they were willing to do whatever it took to achieve this goal. Hitler, while an obviously angry and ill person, was a brilliant politician. He could spin these tales of corruption among the Jewish people and make people believe in what he said. Charisma was his strong point. The people knew what was happening and either tried to ignore it or helped in hope for a better life.

Answer 7

do no longer think of they actually do. there are various that use Hitler's hardship-loose concepts for his or her very own ability to an end. clearly doubt that Hitler could savour what's being accomplished to his political concepts. for exciting interpreting examine Mein Kampf and Hitler's 2nd e book: The Unpublished Sequel to Mein Kampf .

Answer 8

Hello,

Ok, even in our democracies in North America did we know about what was happening in our POW and internment camps? Things like this were better controlled and censored in Germany.

Talking to many who lived in that era, both in Germany and over here say that there were occasional rumors about the concentration camps and dreadful things happening there but you did not openly discuss it in Germany and people essentially had to mind there own business or be in big trouble. Although Germany was the enemy, people expected these sorts of atrocities in Borneo or darkest Africa but not from a highly technical white civilization.

So judging from the shock and surprise as well as what I had discussed, in my opinion it is fair to say some rumors were getting out but not really believed and dismissed by many.

Michael

Answer 9

After what happened in Warsaw, everyone knew what was possible. Everyone knew that the Balrog had been awakened. Remember in Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" triology at the bridge of Khazad-Dum when the monster was awakened from the bowels of the Earth? That was Tolkien's Balrog. The Balrog represents humanity utterly losing it's mind in the fires of fear and savage madness. That monster, the Balrog, was awakened by the Germans in Warsaw.

Answer 10

No; I believe all of this came to light after the war and even some still had trouble coming to terms with the truth (which is understandable). A good example of this is from the experiences of Alfons Heck, a historian who was a member of Nazi Youth as a kid.