Monday, March 26, 2012

PERIOD 1 - THE GESTAPO

You have been watching the BBC documentary, The Rise of the Nazis - A Warning from History. Please share your thoughts about the segment on the Gestapo that you saw today. What did you think of the interview with Resi Kraus?




42 comments:

Marissa Welch said...

From this film I learned that German citizens would do anything to not have the attention on them. Some of these people even blamed their neighbors for being different. At first I was mad that she turned in her neighbor, but once she said that she doesn’t remember doing this really frustrated me. And the fact that she said it doesn’t matter and she didn’t kill anyone really made me mad. She did help kill someone. She turned in her neighbor, who was later sent to a concentration camp. Even fifty years later she is still blaming other people for what she did. I think this people are awful and I can’t believe anyone would do this then deny it.

Lyndsie Graham said...

As we talked about in class today, this is a classic example of denial. When turning on anybody who had affiliation with Jews was popular, Resi Kraus was all for it. And now that that event in history is looked upon with disguist and scorn, she wants nothing to do with it. Back when it happened I bet Resi felt proud to be one of the people who helped the Nazi's lock away someone who they thought deserved to die. But now she's changed her mind and is trying to separate herself from the situation, even though she doesn't feel any real remorse.

Lyndsie Graham said...

I also agree with what Missy said about Resi's guilt. Mrs. Kotze couldn't have been killed if the evidence hadn't been provided by Kraus and other neighbors.

Ashley Markson said...

I agree with Marissa in that this was very frustrating to watch, though even that is an understatement for me. The thing that bothered me the most was the fact that she thought not physically killing anyone means she's innocent. The Nazis could NOT have obtained that much power without people like her who supported them. She contributed to the death of her neighbor, as well as to the Nazi's power. She has blood on her hands that will never come off.

The fact that she was denying it at first also made me see her as a pathetic woman. Honestly, I'm disappointed if she doesn't regret what she did every single day for the rest of her life.

I have to say, I really liked and respected the journalist/reporter for asking those tough questions and really putting her on the spot. It's a shame she was trying to blame things on the messenger, saying everyone is bringing it up after 51 years. I don't think 51 years makes up for the thousands of years the Jewish people have been killed, humiliated, and outcasted in society. They deserve justice, and completely forgetting about the Holocaust because it happened in the past, to me, is an absolute injustice.

Mike Rodenbush said...

Resi Kraus really pissed me off when I watched the film today; she said that she didn’t kill anyone when in fact she was clearly guilty. She thought that she was innocent just because she didn’t physically kill anyone. However, she was responsible for the death of the neighbor because she turned the person in who in turn was later sent to a concentration camp and killed. I don’t understand how she can still be blaming other people for the incident fifty years later. It amazes me how people can be so horrible that they can blatantly lie about crimes they were a part of.

David Whalen said...

I don't think Resi Kraus feels at all responsible for the death of the lady she accused. I doubt anyone else who wrote letters to the gestapo did either. I think this is a serous problem. Although Resi was not the one putting her to death, Resi still brought the lady to her death place. I don't know how much Resi was aware of what went on in the camps but Resi did know the camps were not a good place to be and the lady she was accusing committed no real crime. What is most cruel about this incident is that the Gestapo felt that suspicion was enough to administer death. It's quite possible Resi was blinded by ignorance to make the decision and only wished one person who was weird to be out of her hair. It's a problem that Resi never thought about the concept of removal.

Mike Rodenbush said...

I agree with what Ashley had to say. I agreed in that I think that the Nazis could not have obtained that much power without people like her that supported them. I saw Resi is a very pathetic woman, like she did, because of the fact that she was denying her actions. It was definitely a shame when she was tried to blame everything on the messenger, saying everyone is bringing it up after 51 years. I also agree with Ashley because Resi definitely has blood on her hands that will never come off.

David Whalen said...

I agree with Marissa Welch, it's awful that Resi still blames others for the mistake she made. I wouldn't be surprised if she repressed this memory once she realized she was guilty of murder. She will never be able own up to her mistakes to the day she dies. It's a shame people like Resi, can't improve from current states of denial especially after serous mistakes.

Krystle Armand said...

I agree with what Ethan said today during class about how "Kraus was full of shit". He is completely right. I cannot believe that this woman would deny such a thing. Her signature and address were both on the paper. She did send that complaint in. This segment just shows how ignorant she is and other people like her. It also made me mad when she said that she didn't do anything wrong because she didn't kill anybody. She is wrong. She did kill somebody.

Krystle Armand said...

I agree with Ashley about how she was most frustrated with how just because Resi did not physically kill anyone, she thought that she hadn't done anything wrong. Ashley is right in that people are like her are what fueled the Nazi party and the destruction that they caused.

Erik Harrington said...

I don’t blame Resi Klaus for denying ever doing it. I do blame her for having her neighbor killed though. She knows that what she did was wrong but there’s no reason to call her out in front of everyone watching the film. I also think that she had no other choice because if she didn’t turn in her neighbor, then maybe she would have been turned in sooner or later for doing something irregular. It must be very scary to be in her position and I think that everyone is forgetting that and they just write her off as a mean old bitch. When really she did what was deemed as a right thing to do back then to save her own life.

Allie Henriques said...

I was really frustrated when we watched the interview with Resi Kraus. I think it’s so ignorant that people like Kraus still make the Holocaust seem not as bad as it truly is. However I can understand why she denied ever writing the letters because she was so ashamed of what she did, she didn’t want to deal with the reality of it. I think more people need to see videos like this to help them realize how extreme the Holocaust really was.

Allie Henriques said...

I agree with David because the ignorance people have now regarding the Holocaust is becoming a big problem.

Ethan Kaphammer said...

All I could think when watching the segment with Resi Kraus was, as I said in class, that she is full of shit. There is no possible way that she didn't write the letter. Her signature was right, her address was right, everything. But when asked how it happened and how it got on the document she says she doesn't know how it happened or how they got it on there. When she says this, the person interviewing her grins, and she says "Now you're grinning, it incriminates me!", and blames the interviewer for bringing it up, asking why he would bring it up after fifty years. Her words are a symbol of the Gestapo/Nazi parties' denial of the Holocaust, which is an awful attitude to have about something that really happened and needs to be recognized. Not responding or recognizing it just keeps the ignorance going, allowing something of a similar nature to happen again. I hate how she says that she did not kill anybody. It is the same thing as saying you didn't pull the trigger. If you cause death, you cause death. This woman sent her neighbor to a concentration camp, and was too much of a coward to admit it even with the evidence plain in front of her. Also, I agree with Ashley's point that it is disappointing and disgusting that she doesn't regret her actions every day. It just makes it worse to attempt to cover up something that is clearly there.

Bram Eagan said...

I was so angry when I was watching interview about Resi Kraus. It was aggravating to watch her deny everything about getting her neighbor arrested and in turned murdered all because her neighbor did say hail Hitler. I was disgusted at that and I really wanted to slap her silly. It mad me so mad.

Brian Looby said...

Words can not describe the anger I felt. Not necessarily only towards Mrs. Kraus, but just the fact that people are capable of lying like this. She contributed to the death of the person her neighbors were housing. She is in denial but you know what, she knows what she did. She deny's it but she knows what she did.

Brian Looby said...

I agree with Ethan as well, she is totally full of shit. It impresses me how heartless people in this world can be. I guess it's just another fact of life.

Dean Otey said...

I think that Resi is a coward. Even 50 years after she got her neighbor killed she still wasn't able to own up to what she did. She is in denial and i think it is pathetic. She fell for the Nazi propaganda which in that time was very common. The Nazis were very good at manipulating the people of Europe. Still, that doesn't give Resi the right to get her neighbor killed. What gets me about this whole thing is that she can't even confess 50 years later.

Jacquie Callery said...

I thought this film did a really good job awknowledging everything that built up to the Holocaust. The interview with Resi Kraus was extremely eye-opening. It showed how people who had any connection to the Holocaust go into immediate denial, even though there is substantial proof of them being involved.

I agree with Mike about how he felt angry towards Kraus during her interview. Her ignorance, and arrogance really pissed me off. The fact that she was laughing when the interviewer was talking about such a heavy topic shows that she is descensitized to the harsh extremity of the awful crime she was involved in.

Rick Casparriello said...

This film over all has been an incredible experience in itself. All of the actual footage is amazing you can actually see the way things were and the events transpire as they actually did long ago. That is my favorite part of this film my second favorite part is the inter views they have with people who were really involved.

I agree with both Jacquie and Mike Kraus was incredibly ignorant and unsympathetic towards the moral crime she committed. Just by refusing to admit to her actions so many years later shows the lack of respect she has for the poor woman whose life she took away from her and her intolerance for certain people in general.

Dom casteel said...

This film showed me all of the minute details that enabled hitler to come into power. Before viewing this movie, I never knew that germany was more democratic before his increase in influence.
I also agree with mike and julie about how kraus' view of the holocaust was severely ignorant and the fact that she didnt want to admit what happened appauled me. I severely regret being tired and missing part of the film. I surely hope it wont hapoen again. My sincerest apologies mr. gallagher

John covino said...

Before seeing this film i was unaware that there was this much build up to Hitler's power. At first I thought he only had the holocaust but after watching this I have learned that it went on for many years before that one big event in time. The fact that Kraus denied that she did not remember any of that was bull shit. Even though it was a terrible time saying it never happened is disrespectful.

John Covino said...

I agree with Mike in the fact that she was guilty and it was her fault her neighbor was killed.

Conor Doyle said...

The interview with Kraus was shocking. In the interview you could tell she was lying. She had clearly stated these things about her dead neighbor. The fact that she tried to lie and glaze over the accusation showed how ignorant this woman was. She feels better about herself if she does not speak if that document and that's what happened.

Steph Melvin said...

I was absent that day.

Conor Doyle said...

I agree with what Dean said she definitely fell for the Nazi propaganda as did several others at the time but the fact that she is trying to ignore evidence that is staring her in the face, proving the assisted murder if her neighbor is sad.

Patrick McGonagle said...

After watching this film i Learned that German citizens really had no choice but to follow Hitler and the Nazi's otherwise they would face severe punishment. I believe that Resi Kraus is a coward because she was unable to admit to her mistakes and blamed others even though her actions were done through her own decisions.

Patrick McGonagle said...

I agree with Allie and that its somewhat understandable for Resi Kraus to suddenly forget about writing those letters and setting her neighbor up to be arrested. i would be filled with shame and humiliation if that was me and would never want to speak about it again

Sean Thekkeparayil said...

I think it is clear that Resi Kraus is lying about writing the letter but I can't say I blame her for it. She's probably denying it because she's embarrassed about what she has done and as an elderly person she wants to have a clear conscious and not think about atrocious acts she committed a relatively long time ago. However, I do hold her partially responsible for the death of her neighbor because everyone who sent a letter to the gestapr had a hamd in the neighbors death.

Sean Considine said...

I believe that kraus's statements are a true representative of all german and non german denials of the holocaust. as you see in the interview she is very hesitant yet aggressive and defensive when answering, trying to space between herself and the nazi's. as ethan said shes full of shit and i think all of us and the reporter interviewing her saw right through her.

Taylor Johnson said...

I learned that people are still in denial that they contributed to the holocaust, or that there was one for that matter. Like Ethan said in class, Resi Kraus's interview was bull. The letter the interviewer had had her correct name, address, and signiture on it. Resi agreeed that those were all correct too but then she says she was confused about how they got there and that she didn't write that letter. Then she accuses the interviewer of incriminating her and that she didn't kill anyone. In reality she did. Her letter was basically a death sentence. No matter how she tries to block the truth out that fact should always be haunting her.

Mitch Crowder said...

I thought that the interview with Resi Kraus was representative of the mind set of the time. They believed that they weren't doing the crime of murder, so it was okay to give someone up to the Gestapo.

Mitch Crowder said...

I agree with Marissa about Resi's guilt.

Anonymous said...

I thought the interview was very upsetting. I think that kraus was a very ignorant person. I disagree with her saying that she didnt kill anyone. Because she did. By her spying on her nieghbor and reporting her, that lead to her neighbor being sent to a concentration camp, and murdered.

Raunaq Zamal said...

I thought it was so strange how people can still deny the evils of World War II so many years after the fact. Kraus was trying to protect herself when she said that she has no idea about the letter because she knew what it would look like if she had admitted to it.

Emily Dwyer said...

When they were interviewing Kraus, i think that she was ashamed of what she had done in the past, and did not want it to get brought up again. Therefore playing dumb was easier than owning up to her writing the letter. She said that she didnt see what was so wrong because she hadnt killed anyone when really, she deffinitely contributed to the arrest and murder of her neighbor.

Emily Dwyer said...

I agree with Raunaq. I think it is very strange and wrong for someone to sill being denying that something like thjs happened even after several years. Even though she was only trying to protect herself she shouldve owned up to what she had done.

Ali Potts said...

Watching this document I learned so many new things about the nazi reign of Germany. I had no idea normal citizens would write denunciations about other neighbors, just to take themselves off the nazis radar. It was sad to learn that Resi Karus, a person that once wrote a denunciation agasinst her own neighbor now can deney it and act like she didn't do anything. Although she is a direct reason this women was put in a concentration camp and killed. This proves the 8 stage of genocide which is denial. It is a first hand example of this stage.

Ali potts said...

I agree with Sean that Resis denial is a representation of how many nazis and Germans think of the Hollocaust today.

Shannon Colbath said...

I also agree with Sean. Denial is a big issue with the woman.

Delson Alves said...

I think even though she felt embarressed about doing what she did it did not change her mind on the subject. She said I didn't kill or murder anyone. yes this is true but she contributed to a womans death. All she did was shift all of the blame off of her because she didnt want to seem like the bad person.
Her ignorence pissed me off because she isn't the only person that believes she was resposible for someones death, when really it was because of people like her that millions of lives were lost.

Delson Alves said...

I agree with Emily,I think she was ashamed of what she did and it showed in the interveiw.