Pope Pius XII: Hitler's Actions During The Holocaust

Studies of the Holocaust have provoked passionate debates. Increasingly, they have become a central topic of concern for historians particularly since the early 1970s, as the Holocaust studies were generally limited. However, one of the most intense debates surrounding the role played by Hitler in the ’Final Solution’. That is, whether and when Hitler took a decision to initiate the extermination process. Of course, this issue has caused incredible controversy and naturally such a contentious topic of debate has radically produced large amounts of new data and literature. Conflicting, an interpretation has caused further disparities between historians over Hitler’s role in the Holocaust. For this

French wants to draw attention to the harrowing nature of Hitler’s ideas. We are then forced to contemplate and question the dramatic pause and about how these prejudicial ideas impacted upon the lives of the Jewish people.

insane to torture the human race that way. Others praise him for attempting to exterminate

This examination is important in its historical content because it is often debated whether Pope Pius XII and the Catholic Church actually helped or hurt the Jews during the Holocaust. Some claim that he helped to legitimize the Nazi regime and assisted Hitler himself, while others argue that he silently assisted the Jews while still appearing neutral.

In spite of the fact that it is a commonly known historical piece of the Holocaust, it’s authenticity has been questioned. Some conspiracies deny that it even happened at all. Through the analyzation of Hitler’s own violent anti-Semitism, powerful position, and ability to convey Nazi propaganda into action, one can see how he is the sole cause of the Holocaust.

Through the course of history, the Jewish people have been mistreated, condemned, robbed, even put to death because of their religion. In the Middle Ages, they were forced to wear symbols on their clothing, identifying them as Jews. The dates 1933 to 1945 marked the period of the deadly Holocaust in which many atrocities were committed against the Jewish people and minority groups not of Aryan descent. Six million innocent Jews were exterminated because of Hitler’s “Final Solution.” This paper will exhibit how Adolf Hitler used the three anti-Jewish policies written in history, conversion, expulsion, and annihilation to his advantage.

Guido is the outcome of a brutal, uncivilized history that establishes him becoming the Christian aristocratic subject which he identifies himself with the world as: “With a rope about its neck...applauded with that cold yet hysterical abandon of a people… the very Pope himself shaken down from his hold on heaven with the laughter of a man who forgoes his angels that he may recapture the beast.” The platform or “arena” of deterioration establishes the exclusion of the Jewish race. Through the

When people think of World War II, they are reminded of the tragic horror that befalls the Jewish race. They were tortured endlessly, being treated as nothing more than swine. All this occurred, because a man with a twisted mind blamed them for Germany’s loss in World War I. Germany suffered many hardships after the war, due to compensation. Their economy dropped, causing their lifestyle to change. This man, by the name of Adolf Hitler, demonstrated, with his political prowess, ways in which Germany can prosper again. As he spoke, he started to attract listeners, and before long, he had a following. As with any group, there is always some kind of identification. An symbol, emblem, phrase,

When Adolf Hitler rose to power in 1933, he had a belief that race was the sole matter that defined the culture of a civilization. He influenced the country of Germany to change the ideological values that they previously abided by. This change marked the beginning of a new era, which led to the most pure ideological genocide that can be remembered to this day since there was no pragmatic motivation throughout the time period the Holocaust took place. It is a dark mark in the history of western civilization, and many countries could have helped aid the Jews in their effort to resist, but none more than the United States of America. Though not the primary reason for the longevity of the Holocaust, the U.S. does bear some culpability for the persecution and eventual mass killings of the six million Jews in Europe because of a growth of anti-Semitism that interfered with the ability to offer aid at a time when they were capable to, thus becoming labeled as an international bystander.

During the medieval ages, the Jews were treated extremely disrespectfully and unfairly. Anti-Semitism encouraged murder and the prosecution of many Jews. The art from this era shows the negative impressions and anti-Semitic policies against the Jews. These policies were harsh and humiliating. The Jews were forced to wear pointed hats and long cloaks with circular yellow badges sewed onto their clothing. In order to point out their Jewish identity and distinguish them from everyone else. The church blamed the Jews of offensive deeds such as killing Jesus and murdering children, which was all shown in the art. The art also clearly reflects the anti-Semitism by showing the cruelty and nastiness towards the Jewish nation.

With this propaganda the Nazi attacked the churches and their members between 1934 and 1936. The Nazis shut down Catholic schools, the Hitler Youth absorbed several youth groups, and the Gestapo arrested dozens of Catholic priests and accused them of immorality. This anti-Catholic campaign produced a defensive reaction from the Church. In March 1937, Pope Pius XI issued a papal encyclical entitled Mit Brennender Sorge (‘With Burning Anxiety’), in which the Pope condemned the violations of the Reichskonkordat and criticized the racial policies of the regime and the lack of justice or natural law in the Nazi state. This marked the beginning of the resistance that the Catholic Church put up against the Nazi regime.

The source of this propaganda piece is an anti- Semitic children's book called The Poisonous Mushroom . The publisher of the book is Julius Streicher's Der Stürmer-Verlag.This propaganda piece is formatted as an illustration. Due to the classroom setting in this picture, it can be inferred that the intended audience for this illustration is children, specifically grade school students. The purpose of this picture is to teach children to isolate and fear Jewish people. The caption of the picture reads “The Jewish nose is crooked at its tip. It looks like the number 6”. By pointing out a stereotypical Jewish feature, it allowed the Germans to separate and ridicule them. From looking at the man drawn on the chalkboard, we can see a strong

In this picture, we can see that the Jewish characters have been given negative stereotypical characteristics like large noses, bent postures, and generally undesirable demeanors. These strategically planned caricatures were designed to distinguish Jews from the Aryan ideal and to create an image of inferiority and untrustworthiness. The idea of the evil Jew was also promoted in children’s books like Der Giftpilz, which compared Jewish people to poisonous mushrooms and called them “the Devil in human

Pius Xii was a man who placed a great deal of care in the wellbeing of human. This conclusion can be drawn from the actions he made in the face of the man he owes his name sake to, hitler. The pope, starting early began a highly classified program to get jews to safety. He did this by issuing an entire program of saving jews which included lying to the nazi government and risking

Art, in essence, is one of the most crucial pieces of cultural history. It transcends language, emanates emotion, provokes thought, and stimulates imagination. In other words, art is of monumental value in its scope of what befalls under its umbrella. It was no wonder why during the Nazi regime from 1933 - 1945 that the Nazis would thieve some of Europe’s most treasured works but also those deemed “degenerate.” Egon Schiele’s Portrait of Wally is a perfect example as to what “degenerate” art would be considered and what the Nazis would have been interested in seizing, but why?