History Magazine, Mia, C Block

thehistorymagazine.com

ISSUE 27 | JUNE 2017

HISTORY MAGAZINE

THE SPACE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG AND THE STRENGTH TO STAND THERE

Based On The Power Of The Average Citizen In 1939 Nazi Germany

By Mia Wrisley

Block C

The Space Between Right And Wrong And The Strength To Stand There Based On The Power Of The Average Citizen In 1939 Nazi Germany Most of us are familiar with books and movies based on

Education In Nazi Germany

the heroes or villains of the Nazi Germany era, but what

Just before World War II, the Nazi made changes to

about the average person? While authors and movie

Germany's educational system as a means of

directors often base their work on one or both of these

brainwashing the youth. All Jewish children and

extremes what about the average German during Hitler’s

teachers were removed from the schools. Attempting to

reign; the majority of the population did nothing to help

permanently remove all ideologies that contradicted

or at best they were complacent. If history is doomed to

Nazis beliefs the Nazis began book burnings. During

repeat itself, the people of the world must stand ever

these book burnings, there were a few people brave

aware of both the past and the present. Typical essays

enough to save books, some fictional books today like

from this period address notorious villains and unsung

the Book Thief by Markus Zusak highlight this. There

heroes, but the will of the villains was allowed by the

were also changes in the school curriculum. Racial

cowardliness or ignorance of the population at large.

purity was a foundation of public schools. Hitler said,

Focusing on education, employment, and daily housing

“no boy or girl should leave school without complete

this essay will not only discuss the best and worst of Nazi

knowledge of the necessity and meaning of blood

Germany's humanity; it will also discuss average citizens

purity.” The children were all taught how to salute

and their role in the massive execution of their

Hitler, and it was even part of the curriculum for boys to

neighbors.

learn the principles of shooting and poisonous gasses. It is unlikely that all children and parents were fine with this, but the average person did not say anything. For the schools to teach this there had to be teachers who were willing to, but with the threat of losing their jobs, the teachers had to make a choice. According to the site History Learning, “97% of all teachers joined the Nazi

Map of Nazi territories

Teacher's’ Association. All teachers had to be careful about what they said as children were encouraged to inform the authorities if a teacher said something that did not fit with the Nazi’s curriculum for schools.”

Parents and educators both failed the children of Nazi Germany.

Issue 27 | 234

Employment In Nazi Germany The Nazis also drastically changed the way people were

school or work, they also changed their lives at home. The

employed in Nazi Germany. According to the United States

Nazis were taking millions of Jewish people away, but very

Holocaust Memorial Museum, “Jews felt the effects of more

few non-Jewish residents did anything to help. The average

than 400 decrees and regulations that restricted all aspects of

person was simply watching their neighbors get dragged

their public and private lives.” Bit by bit, the people of

away, too scared to do anything else. The United States

Germany allowed these pieces of legislations to be passed. The

Holocaust Memorial Museum explains, “Most non-Jews

Government of Germany seized the business of Jews and

neither aided nor hindered.” The worst of the population

ordered that Jewish people could not have different types of

would report their neighbors for being Jewish or hiding

jobs.

Jewish people, the best would help their Jewish neighbors

Daily Housing In Nazi Germany The Nazis did not only affect the lives of the people of Germany when they were at

disappear, but with most of the population doing nothing it was impossible for their brave actions to fix the problem.

Brainwashed children of Germany.

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History books of the future will be written about our leaders, good or bad, but it is the average person that lifts those leaders to power or pulls them from it. The lives of the ordinary people, the ones we tell the story of the least, have a great amount of importance in the world because their group is by far larger than the heroes or villains.

When we read or watch stories of the heroes or villains from Nazi Germany, it is important to remember that the majority of the population did nothing. If we are to ensure that the horrors of the

30,000 educational books destroyed by the Nazis.

Holocaust are never to happen again, we must all be aware of our roles and duties in society.

Over 1 million Jewish students removed from school.

Timeline

Nazi Book Burnings

Issue 27 | 234

77,000 German citizens were killed for resisting the Nazis.

ISSUE 27 | JUNE 2017

BIBLIOGRAPHY "Anti-Jewish Decrees." The British Library The British Library.

Http://www.bl.uk/copyrightstatement.html, 03 Apr. 2006. Web. 04 June 2017.

"Anti-Jewish Legislation in Prewar Germany." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 04 June 2017.

"Nazi Education." History Learning Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 June 2017.

"Nazi Germany." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 June 2017. Web. 04 June 2017.

"Rescue and Resistance." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 04 June 2017