In addition to Hitler and the Nazi inner circle, ordinary Germans and soldiers are culpable in the Holocaust. They are guilty because of their long-standing antisemitism, knowledge of the crimes, and actual assistance in the Holocaust. One could argue for the soldiers because of their forced consent, yet they are still at fault for the events that took place. Hitler was the political voice for the nation’s hate toward Judaism and Jews in general. He used his voice to build on the existing sentiment of the entire German population. Although Hitler was the leading force behind the Holocaust, this atrocity would not have been possible without the ordinary Germans and soldiers who agreed with his beliefs and participated in the atrocities.
Antisemitism was the beginning and the catalyst for the Holocaust. Wilhelm Marr a German journalist coined the term “antisemitism” to
…show more content…
The German soldiers weren't forced to kill. They could have asked to abstain from the killings and to be transferred to a different work position, but few did (Mckay). Some of the soldiers even exceeded their necessary quota and took pictures of their heinous acts (Mckay). The Germans voluntarily abused the Jews as described by Daniel Goldhagen, author of Hitler’s Willing Executioners: “They tortured and massacred Jews, starved them, punished them for their birth and they did so voluntarily, even eagerly, with unsurpassable malice and cruelty.” Additionally, citizens formed their own individual hate groups, such as the Iron Guard in Romania; or took part in the brutality in Germany and in the occupied countries of Europe (Simon). In every occupied country excluding Denmark and Bulgaria average people voluntarily took part in the sadism against Jews (Simon). Thousands of civilians and soldiers witnessed or acted in the violence, not because not because they feared Hitler, but because they wanted