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All throughout history, the Jewish people have been unjustly persecuted. Anti-Semitism has existed as long as the Jewish people have. Even in ancient times, the Jews were persecuted mainly because of their religious beliefs. Jews claim that they are Gods Chosen People and this has led to misunderstanding between Jews and Gentiles (non-Jewish people). Some gentiles believe that this claim meant Jews felt they were better than other people, thus fostering hatred. Others were wary of the Jews because of their preservation of their religious customs and traditions.
Although this was vital to the survival of the Jewish faith, some people saw it as a threat to their own culture, and deemed Jews as dangerous. Jealously of successful Jews also contributed to the growing hatred towards Jews. It was Germany's humiliating defeat in World War I that allowed Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party to gain control of Germany, thus beginning the Holocaust. Germany was completed devastated, both morally and economically, as a country.
The Treaty of Versailles further humbled the German people Germany was forced to disarm and pay huge reparations to Britain and France to cover the cost of the war. The German people were lost and angry, and this allowed Hitler to manipulate the masses. Hitler chose the Jewish people as his scapegoat, and all the problems Germany was experiencing was blamed on the Jews. Once Hitler gained control of Germany, the Nazi Party quickly changed Germany's political, social, and economic structure. Germany essentially became a police state, and began creating and enforcing laws that persecuted the Jewish people.
All Jewish people had to go and register at a local office. They later had to wear a badge with the Star of David on it, or else they were arrested. Laws were passed that banned people from shopping in Jewish-owned shops. Curfews were imposed on the Jewish people and they were not allowed outside after 9 pm, which conflicted with their religious practices. Children were not allowed to go to school, and later, Jews were forced to live in ghettos, designated sectors of cities where Jews were confined. However, this could not prepare the Jewish people of what was to come.
Concentration camps were established throughout Europe where Jews tortured and killed. They were treated like animals, forced to live in small confined spaces with little food, water, and clothing. The camps were highly unsanitary, and many of the prisoners contracted diseases that were the cause of great pain and sometimes death. Some of the Jews were forced to undergo horrific scientific experiments, all of which are too gruesome to detail. Others were killed through gassing, burning, mutilation, beating, exhaustion, or simply shot. In total, it is estimated that over six million Jews were killed during the Nazi years.
Oscar Schindler was born in on April 28, 1908 in Czechoslovakia to a wealthy family. However, because of the Great Depression in the 1930 s, his family became bankrupt It was then when he joined the Nazi party, as many did at that time, as soon gained the favor of many of the high ranking Nazi officials. He was also commissioned by the German Intelligence Agency to act as a spy and collect information for the Nazis. Schindler then moved to Cracow where he managed to obtain an enameled-goods factory once owned by Jews. He mainly employed Jewish people, presumably because they were the cheapest labor. Oscar Schindler played a huge role in the Holocaust.
He was responsible for saving over one thousand Jewish people from certain death because of the way he maintained his factories. His factories were known amongst the Jews at that time as havens. No one was ever murdered, hit, or sent to death camps. The workers at his factories had more to eat compared to other factories. Until the liberation of spring, 1945, Oscar Schindler used all means at his disposal to ensure the safety of his Schindler-Jews. He spent every penny he had and even his wifes jewels were sold to buy food, clothes, and medicine.
He set up a secret sanatorium in the factory with medical equipment purchased on the black market. Here, Emilie Schindler looked after the sick. Those who did not survive were given a fitting Jewish burial in a hidden graveyard - established and paid for by Schindler. Because of Schindler, the lives of over one thousand Jews were saved, and their descendants now consist of over six thousand people. The survivor accounts and the portrayal of the situation in Spielberg's film are relatively similar. The details of living in the death camps are the same from both the survivor accounts as well as in Spielberg's film.
They both mention the brutality of the camps and the unsanitary conditions they were forced to deal with, in addition to living in constant horror of the possibility of death. Both the film and the survivors verify the cruelty of the actions of Amon Goeth, the commander of one of the Jewish labor camps, and his willingness to kill. Historically, Spielberg's film remains accurate to historical details, for example, the accidental shipping of Schindler's women to Auschwitz. What the film was unable to show, however, was the extreme emaciation the prisoners of the concentration camps underwent. The images in Schindler's films could not way compare to actually being in the camps themselves. One of the greatest consequences of the Holocaust is the diminishment of the Jewish population.
Nearly one-third of the Jewish population was killed off by Hitler and his troops. It furthered the Jewish dispersion, driving Jews farther away from their homeland. On a more personal note, the Holocaust was responsible for tearing apart families and communities. Often parents would send their children away in order to ensure their protection. Another consequence of the Holocaust was the general mistrust of God that resulted. Many believed that if God did exist, He would have prevented something as terrible as this from happening.
Others questioned Gods method of bringing light into the world. However, none of these questions can be answered.
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Research essay sample on Forced To Live Oscar Schindler
