Survival In Auschwitz Essay, Research Paper

Hatred Leads to Persecution of Minorities

Primo Levi?s book, Surviving Auschiwitz, tells about the results of one group of people hating another group of people, the Nazis; hatred for the Jews. The Nazis justified their actions, however, in an attempt to explain the horrible things done to Primo Levi and his fellow victims. There were consequences of this hate for both the Jews and the Nazis. Still, today there are groups that are hated in this country and it would be foolish to think that it could never happen here.

Hate is something that people acquire from experiences that they need to blame someone for. Often, hate is generalized at one certain group of people. Hitler blamed the Jews for the First World War, and built up an army to kill of the entire race. It was his way, and in turn a percentage of Germany?s way, of blaming innocent people for something that angered them. The Nazis justified their cruel actions because they claimed they were following orders and felt they could not go against their leader. However, there were often times many of the cruelties could have been avoided. Many got carried away.

The Holocaust had consequences for both the Nazis and the Jews. The Jews suffered enormous losses of property and dignity. They were tortured and killed. Their living nightmare will continue in survivors? dreams forever. The Nazis suffered many consequences as well. When soldiers were forced to kill Jews, some did feel an enormous guilt. Some had nightmares. After the war ended, Nazis began to be tried for

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war crimes. This was a more serious direct punishment. It may have even been humiliating for some Nazis to face the past and the horrible things they did.

Persecution is not only a part of the past, but also the present. Today hate crimes occur in the U.S. all the time. The most common and widespread hate is toward blacks. Today the KKK still exists and they are a large organization dedicated to hating blacks. They work at trying to keep them out of business; if blacks were to prosper, they might become better than the white man. White supremacists fear this. I believe that a Holocaust could happen to blacks; it started to take off for a while before the sixties. Whites used blacks as slaves in early history. They were often beaten and tortured too. I also believe that it could happen to any group of people with enough time. Anything is possible.

The Holocaust is one of the most horrific times in history. An entire race of people was nearly wiped out. And it?s happening again internationally. As seen in Kosovo and Yugoslavia, not much has changed. People thought nothing like the Holocaust would ever happen again. But it has, and it will continue to happen.