The Massive Genocide: The Diary Of Anne Frank

A massive Genocide. Families torn part. Homes destroyed. The Holocaust was a traumatic, appalling experience where nearly 11 million people were brutally murdered. Ruling from 1933 to 1945, the Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, attempted to rid themselves of all those they deemed inferior or marginalized groups such as the Jews. However, who should take the blame for this horrific event? The government or the people? Source A, an excerpt from The Diary of Anne Frank, explains how the many people were deported out of the country by the Gestapo. Source B, an info graphic, explains the necessary components for a holocaust. Source C, a poem by Pastor Neimoller, explains how nobody stood up for each other, and Source D, an allegory, relates to Nazi Germany.
Despite the government having a little less influence on the people, they had more power, financial backing, and do not have to fear law enforcement. As stated in an excerpt from Source A, The Diary of Anne Frank, “The Gestapo is treating them very roughly and transporting them in cattle cars to Westerbork…” the Gestapo, working for the government, are police themselves and have no reason to be afraid of law enforcement. Regular citizens can aid in the division of people, but they only have so much power. They are not able to make laws or force people into things without the backing of a government. Source B conveys the same idea that initial reactions would not have occurred if not for laws created by the government. “Polarization: Propaganda is used to force groups apart. Special laws may deny marriage or contact between two groups.” Laws cannot be made by regular people. Laws can only be made by the government, and, as shown here, laws that, for example, denied contact between people, played a vital and massive part in the forming of the Holocaust. Hence, the government is responsible for the