Yet Another World War II Essay, Research Paper
Did the
Western World do enough for the Jews in the Holocaust
"When they came for the gypsies, I did not speak, for I am
not a gypsy. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak,
because I wasn?t a Jew. When they came for the Catholics,
I did not speak, for I am not a Catholic. And when they
came for me, there was no one left to speak." -On the Wall
at the Holocaust Museum in Washington It is impossible to
learn about the Holocaust and the Second World War
without the question of how it possibly could have happened
arising, and along with that question comes another. The
question of whether or not the Western World did enough to
help the Jews in Europe. What was their reaction to the
campaign of systematic persecution, robbery and murder the
Third Reich inflicted upon the Jewish people? During the
time leading up to the outbreak of World War II, the
Western Press consistently carried numerous reports of the
German?s anti-Jewish policies and their purposeful
victimization of the Jews living in Nazi Germany as well as
the annexed territories. The general public cannot claim that
they did not know what was going on, that they were
uninformed. Whether or not they chose to believe it
however, is a completely different story. The public were
indeed outraged in many of the cases but the governments of
the major European democracies felt that it was not for them
to intervene for they felt that the Jewish problem classified as
an internal affair within a sovereign state. The truth behind
this is simply that the governments were anxious to establish
cordial relations with Germany and didn?t want to cause any
hostility. Thus they stood idly by and remained silent as
Hitler went from denying the Jews of their civil rights to
denying them of their means of earning their daily bread. As
much as they wanted to remain neutral, the countries of the
Western World were finally forced to take a stand on the
issue of emigration of Jews from the Reich who were
seeking refuge. The United States maintained strict
immigration quotas which severely limited the number of
Central and Eastern Europeans admitted to the country each
year. Even under such extreme circumstances, the US
insisted on adhering to these policies and refused to modify
them even slightly. Great Britain proved to be merciless as
they blocked entry into Palestine and limited the amount of
entry permits. The states that had the ability to absorb the
immigrants such as Australia, Canada and most countries of
South America, accepted agricultural workers but denied
entry to professionals, merchants and skilled artisans. There
were actually protests in the US and Britain organized
against the admission of immigrant doctors. The President of
the United States initiated the Evian Conference in 1938 in
an attempt to find a means that would aid emigrants from
Germany and Austria and enable their absorption elsewhere.
Thirty-two countries sent delegates with hopes that a
solution would be found however, it quickly became clear to
all that the even the great powers who had initiated the
conference were not willing to take any significant steps
towards accepting the refugees. Despite the speeches and
the appeals, no one country was willing to commit
themselves to practical measures, the smaller countries
following the example of the larger ones. An international
committee was set up in London for refugee affairs but it
lacked funding as well as a place towards where they could
direct the refugees. It is evident here that it is not a lack of
knowledge that something had to be done, but rather an
unwillingness that prevented the Western World from helping
the Jews. Words are just that, mere words, unless they are
put into action. As a result, the Evian Conference is regarded
as a complete failure. Once the war began, the
comprehensive information regarding the conditions in
Germany that the Western World had at one time been
provided with, ceased. Still, news of the Einsatzgruppen ?s
activities and the mass killings in the death camps found its
way to the west. Up until the middle of the year 1942, the
general tendency was to regard the consistent persecution of
the Jews as just one part of the complex of oppression in the
occupied countries. By the mid-1942 the horribly terrifying
rumors about Hitler?s Final Solution as well as the operations
and atrocities being conducted were confirmed. Once again
the reactions of the United States and Britain, who were the
major countries of the anti-Nazi alliance, were of horror and
anger. The Jews put forth plans to combat the Nazis
persecution of their people such as a demand for the
exchange of Germans for Jews or the launching of retaliation
strikes against the Germans until the murders ceased. Not
only were these proposals refused simple consideration, but
there was not even a willingness to halt the formal
procedures governing the transfer of dollars abroad which
may have saved the lives of many Jews. All proposals which,
if out into action, could have saved thousands of children and
other victims, were submitted to administrations that merely
contemplated rather than decided and thus, produced no
tangible results. As Jews were fighting for their lives in
Warsaw Ghetto, a conference of the major allies convened
in Bermuda to consider the "problem" of refugees. As with
the Evian Conference, no practical solutions were proposed,
The only thing it did accomplish was an attempt at reviving
the International Committee for Refugee Affairs, which had
no executive powers. Finally, the conclusion of the Allies
was that rescue would only be accomplished through a final
victory over the Nazis. It was decided that in the meantime,
no military action should be taken which was not part of the
purely military-strategic plan. This policy was strictly
adhered to and therefore no operation for relief or rescue
was undertaken, even if such an action did not conflict with
military objectives or require the use of military power. "He
who preserves one life, it as if he has preserved an entire
world." – The Talmud. Anytime the world stands idly by and
remains silent as 6 000 000 worlds are shattered, not only
did they fail to come up with a solution, but they became a
part of the problem. Hitler attempted to erase an entire race
of people, because of him there was a generation lost. My
entire grandparents family was murdered and many of their
friends still bear the numbers that were etched into their skin.
They have endured nightmarish atrocities not fit for the world
of the awake. They have been witness to ideas, thoughts and
actions one would deny human being?s capability of even
imagining. Their eyes have been robbed of their innocence
after seeing sights that would cause anyone to shut them in
fear and disgust but this was an option they did not have.
Now you look into those eyes and you tell them that the
Western World did all they could to help the Jews.