Thursday, November 29, 2012

PERIOD 6 - ROAD TO TREBLINKA

You've just watched, "The Road to Treblinka" from the documentary, NAZIS: A WARNING FROM HISTORY. It is said, “The reality of the history of the Nazis is far harder to explain than the popular conception of a nation led astray by Hitler. That the Nazi philosophy of obedience, seizure and struggle had appeal in the thirties and can still appeal to millions today.” Do you agree with that statement? In addition - please answer the question, "What did you learn that you did not know before watching the film?"




27 comments:

Jake Yanoff said...

Yes, I do agree with the statement that the Nazi philosophy can still appeal to millions today. There have been other genocides since the Holocaust, none as horrific or grand in scale, but people continue to slaughter one another over meaningless ideologies. An example would be the Hutu revolution against the Tutsis in Rwanda. In an effort to gain power and structure, the previously oppressed Hutu rose against the Tutsi and slaughtered them. People who had previously been living side by side were turned against each other over something as trivial as ancestry, all in the name of power. As long as people desire power and control over others, I believe that the Nazi philosophy is still relevant.
Before I watched the film, I was unaware that the Nazi superiors had kept the liquidation of the Jewish people a secret among their own ranks.

David Morency said...

Yes, I do agree with the statement that the Nazi philosophy can still appeal to millions today. If you put in the scenario of ants. A lot of people don't like ants and other insects because they "creep" people out, but in reality they are innocent. Yet at one sight of them near us most people would kill them without a second thought. So yes its at a larger scale now, but same message we are killing innocent beings because we don't like them.I learned that some of the Nazi's actually volunteer to do some of these horrible deeds.

Mark McCauley said...

I also agree with the philosophy. Hitler was able to use force, propaganda and economic conditions to control a country who's people were willing to perform atrocities for their own self-esteem. Because their country suffered so much they felt they wanted to increase their morale and regain the international prominence that they once had before the Versaille treaty. It is scary to think that such a corrupt group of people were able to convince others to follow them and kill millions of people just because of a religion. They thought that getting rid of these people would rid the world of mistakes and that is not the case, if the Jews were exterminated then there would be a new scapegoat and the cycle would never end. I learned that in some parts of Poland the citizens were given the option to sign a piece of paper acknowledging their Germanization and that Hitler tried to keep the murder of the Jews a secret.

Mike Lubsen said...

I agree with this statement about the appeal of Nazi philosophy. The common misconception about the Nazi party is that Hitler planned everything out himself and ran the whole operation. The truth is that Hitler gave a lot of power to other men such as Himmler, which greatly affected the outcome of WWII. The Nazis managed to use the poor economic situation of Germany as well as propaganda to seize power. With this new power, they managed to create a hatred towards the Jewish people living not only in Germany, but in all of eastern Europe. This philosophy is still seen today in many genocides and mass killings. One that comes to my mind is the Jim Jones situation. Jones was a cult leader who had all of his followers either commit suicide or be killed by others. I don't think over a thousand died, but that is still a significant number. One thing I learned from the movie was that the Treblinka camp was just a Extermination camp. I thought in the camps, people were made to work until they weren't able to, then they were killed.

Kate Burlile said...

I agree that the reality of the Nazis is much more complicated than the popular conception of a nation led astray by Hitler. I believe that although Hitler was at the head of the Nazi Party and had the majority of the control, there were many other people who had particular influences over the Nazis and official Nazi decisions. I also agree that the Nazi philosophy can, unfortunately, still appeal to millions of people today. As shown in the video, many former Nazi Party members still stand by their beliefs to this day, despite the common knowledge of the inhumanities performed on the Jews. One man who had volunteered to kill Jews at the camps was able to justify his actions by explaining that he was simply following orders and he had no other choice but to kill them. There are many other examples of the existence of this philosophy today that would certainly be considered radical and unstable; however, still take on a certain appeal to some people. One thing that I learned from this film was that the Nazis took many precautions to make sure the death camps resembled ordinary train stations, hospitals, and resting areas even though it was just an area in which the mass murder of Jews took place.

Eric Oswill said...

I believe that the Nazi philosophy still appeals to millions today. There will always be racist people or people who believe that their ethnic background is better than another. People are always trying to find ways to distinguish themselves from other groups and even attempt at saying that they're better than another person. What I learned from this movie was that the Germans kept the mass killings of the Jews a secret for such a long time by calling it the liquidation of the Jews.

Juli Upham said...

I believe that the Nazi philosophy can still apply today; we like to think that we have so much more moral the Nazi's of WWII, but in reality, we can also fall victim into going against our morals or standards just because someone of greater power or "social standing" deemed it as acceptable. What this video taught me was the reality of the seemingly lighthearted approach taken during the "ethnic cleansing" of Germany. In on of the clips shown in the video, bystanders watched the massacre of the Jews as if it was some sort of entertainment. Such footage made the events of the Holocaust real for me, and it was shocking to see such graphic images being portrayed as just another routine procedure.

Robert MacElhaney said...

I agree with this statement because I feel that a lot of people believe that some are better and more worthy then others. Like the difference between races and the disabilities of others. Also, the survival of the fittest (social darwinism) exists in the business world today. So I feel that the Naznis philosophies are still somewhat in today's world, just not put into action though. A thing that I learne from this film is that civilians came to watch the shooting of Jews which is just discouraging to know. Also, that Himmler wanted to find a more human of killing? In my mind, is that even possible? So I thought that was interesting and he also wanted to kill children because he did not the next generation to be revengers.

Mike Power said...

I do think that the ideology of the Nazi's is still alive today. There have been various cases around the world where mass genocide has occurred and it shows that the thought process of the Nazi's is still prevalent. I learned from this film that the amount of power the Nazi's had was truly incredible. They could do whatever they pleased and made the victims do anything they wanted. It's truly absurd that they tried to keep their actions a secret but however they, as I said were able to anything they pleased.

Maria Hession said...

Yes, I agree with the statement that the Nazi philosophy can still appeal to the people today. There have been multiple genocides since the Holocaust in which this represents that the philosophy still appeals to those around the world today. Furthermore, people at times go against their morals because someone of a greater power deems an action acceptable. Before the video, I assumed Hitler was mainly the one making the decisions. After watching the video I learned that there were multiple leaders making the harsh decisions during the holocaust.

Kensie Murray said...

I agree with the philosophy because it happens all the time. People can so easily be convinced into doing horrific things and harming other-like we saw in the video with the men shocking the "students." People like the Nazis thought they were better, and will keep thinking they are better than other people/other races. One thing I learned that I did not know before was that while Jews were being killed there were always tons of bystanders that just watched. I found it very surprising that they had an open fence around the ghettos so everyone can see what's going on and do absolutely nothing about it.

David Gross said...

I think that Nazi philosophy can, with out a doubt, appeal to people in this day and age. What I learned from this film was that the vast majority of the people killed at Treblinka were women and children. I also learned that some of the people who did the killing were volunteers. It was really unnerving to see the interview with the man who could straight up say that he killed countless people and didn't feel remorse.

Connie Lai said...

Yes, I agree with the statement that the Nazi philosophy can still appeal to people today. Unfortunately, those who want power for themselves at any expense will do anything to support their leaders and conform to obedience. This philosophy appeals to some also, because it gives certain individuals a sense of hierarchy and being in place. Different groups of people across the world, specifically those who are poorer and starving are much more likely to conform to obedience if they feel it can give them power or any assistance.

From this film, I learned that the Nazis viewed the Jews as very unworthy people. They were considered a 'military threat.' I also learned that the Nazis would steal possessions from the dead bodies to help fulfill their own needs.

Kate Milne said...

Yes, I do agree that the Nazi philosophy and actions still appeal to people today. Other groups use many of the same methods used by the Nazis to cause hatred and superiority.Some genocidal situations occurring today include Somalia, Darfur, and Uganda. These situations aren't to the same extent as the Holocaust, but portray similar actions. One thing I learned from this film is the ghettos the Jews lived in were separated from the rest of the population using barbed wire. This means that all of the citizens saw the conditions the Jews were living in and the treatment they received and didn't do anything.

David Tubman said...

I agree with the statement wholeheartedly. The tragedy of the rise of Nazism was not just a result of the doings of one man. The beliefs of Nazism were widespread throughout Europe at the time. As a result, even people from countries such as Lithuania revered the German soldiers as they advanced into their country, and went so far as to assist them in their hunting of Jews. I feel as though many people would like to simply accept that this movement was largely due to one man, in order to alienate themselves from the cause. This would make it easy, to blame the movement on one man, rather than admit that it did in actuality, collectively appeal to a large portion of Europe. Before watching this film, I was not aware of this to the extent that I am now. I did not know just how willing citizens of other countries were in assisting Nazi policies in their own hometowns.

Jennifer Pilkington said...

I do agree with the statement and that it could be applied to even people today. Genocides have occurred since the holocaust and similar to the Nazis they would say that they were just following orders. They didn’t think of the impact or make a real emotional connection because of this statement, for example in the interview in the documentary that man was being asked if he regretted anything that he did and if his conscience was clean, he just replied I did time in jail isn’t that enough? I feel as though anyone who was told by a commander or by someone in a higher authority today may feel the same way because it “wasn’t there idea” they were just carrying out orders. When in fact they are the ones executing the idea. I learned that many of the Nazis still don’t regret what they did because they didn’t have an emotional attachment to any of it. I also learned that they didn’t want anyone to find out that their true plan and idea was the liquidation of the Jewish people, so they covered it up as best as they could by saying that they were sending them off to camps, or they died of natural causes to cover their tracks.

Steven Price said...

I do believe this statement about the Nazi philosophy can still apply today. The reason being is that today, our main goal is to try and teach people about the Holocaust. Some people choose to believe that the Holocaust never happen. If these type of people continue to believe that this horrific genocide of innocent Jews never happen, then this same thing could happen again today. That's why we need to teach younger students about the Holocaust. On that I never knew before watching this film was actually a quote that someone said. Himmler said, "If we do not do this to them (Jews), they will do the same to us". I think this statement is ridiculous how he could think that the Jews were a threat to the Germans. The Nazis killed these Jews for absolutely no reason.

Chris Arsenis said...

I agree with the with the statement and also believe that this type of thinking would still exist today. Hitler was able to take power only under the special condtions which existed after Germany was humiliated after their defeat in WW1. Hitler was able to unite the country under one party which made people feel apart of something and were willing to do anything to hold on to that feeling of belonging.

Johnny Maguire said...

I agree that with the right conditions, Nazism or a similar ideology could flourish again. I don't think it would happen in a highly developed nation like the US or England, but in China for example, an ideology similar to Nazism could surface. By watching this film I learned that poles could earn german citizenship by simply signing a sheet of paper. I also learned that Treblinka was a very primial death camp and most prisoners were killed within 3 hours.

Edwin Diaz said...

yes I agree that the Nazi philosophy stiil appeals to millions today. And I learned that Nazis voluntered to kill prople with no reason. I think this is still happen today because people they want more power or money.

Thomas Kotosky said...

I agree with the statement because it has been proven to be true over and over again. It is so easy to fall victim to propoganda and do what everyone else is doing. It all goes down to obedience, and how easy it is to do what someone tells you to do. When reading the statement about obedience, I remembered how easy it was to get people to shock someone to death while watching the Milgram Experiment. While watching this most recent film, I learned how many people would simply watch the execution of people, and I also learned that alot of the people who did these executions were actually volunteers.

Joy Cho said...

I agree with the statement in a sense because the documentaries we've watched such as Road to Treblinka have shown that there are still people alive today whether German citizens or former Nazi party members that do not have any regret or shame for the Holocaust. At the same time there are people who are incredibly remorseful of what they done so in my mind, although there are people that exist who that type of Nazi philosophy appeals to, I think there are far more who would say otherwise because of the lessons history has taught when that road is taken.

Joy cho said...

I agree with Jenny, that people as a whole, regardless of country, have shown tendencies to want to gain power over other human beings and rampage human beings in mass genocide. I think the difference for many is that people see how wrong it is and hopefully try and take action to stop it.

Griffin Bennett said...

I absolutely believe that they're are millions out there who appeal to the Nazi philosophy. We hear countless stories in the modern world of terrorist attacks and wars being fought most of which involve religion. However, I believe that the modern world has grown enough to never allow a group such as the Nazis to gain as much power as they did.

Mike Damiano said...

I do believe that some Nazi philosophies from the past can and do still appeal to many people today. Throughout history, and up to day, it seems that people are willing to struggle to make their own world better, and obey whoever claims that they can make this possible, even if it means other societies or cultures are squashed in the process. In the Nazi party, even though Hitler was the main figurehead, most of the time he just listened to and approved the plans of whoever in his regime promised a better reich.
What I learned from this film was that german jews were not as persecuted right away as other jews from occupied countries. It seemed like, although there was a slight delay in their persecution, the Nazis skipped a step: there was no mention of ghettoes, and it skipped from the labeling and restrictions in society to the work and death camps.

Dan Orlando said...

I do agree with the statement that the Nazi philosophy still appeals to people today. I agree with this because people still love to blame and point fingers towards others for their mistakes and there have been other genocides since the holocaust. Many people just feel like they need someone to blame for their struggles, and that I feel will never change. Something that I learned from this film is that even some Nazi's would volunteer to kill these Jews, which is obviously just very horrific.

Mary Grace Moran said...

The Nazi philosophy is incredibly attractive to our human nature becase it gives structure, a direct opinion on right and wrong, ang gives us pride as humans. During Nazi rule Germany experienced an economic stability it hadn't seen since WW1. The German people loved this increase of food, housing, and other neccesities that were now available.Think about in, America is going through a economic crisis with prices increasing and amount decreasing. Wouldn't it be nice to not have to worry about not having enough moeny for groceries every weeek? It also gave them an enemy. The direct accusation that Jews were the problem for everything bad that had ever happened gave the German people a scapegoat for every situation. And the directness that Jews were not even people,took away most people's hesitancy of seeing it as morally wrong. Think about a rapist. You wouldn't care if some person beat them to a pulp because they have been targeted as a bad person. Or even think about someone from the Middle East. Some people hate them all because they are all "terrorists", and sometimes we do believe that because they have been preached as the enemy. It gives structure, which is something that all humans want and crave.
Something I learned from the film was the transportation of Jews and how they were moved, where they were moved and what happened after the transportation.