The White Rose: Discrimination Against The Nazis

Discrimination and prejudice are widely known in United States history. In the 1960's the civil rights movement demanded legislation and passed laws, which banned discrimination. Five decades later, it still continues in our society. Discrimination and prejudice occur when a group of people feel they are superior to another, and can be based on a person's color, race, national origin, religion, sex and gay couples.

The World War 2 era provided many changes in California. With the people coming off The Great Depression during the 30’s they saw California’s economic standing, social moral, and overall mentality transform completely. Not only did the country go through something as devastating as The Depression, they are now entering into the War. With the wartime, expansion came racial discrimination for minorities, especially Japanese Americans, which resulted in one of the worst cases of mass incarceration in America’s history. While America was restarting the country’s economic growth it was sending their own citizens into internment camps, an event that would affect hundreds of thousands of Japanese American citizens for decades to come.

Part of the novel Briar Rose takes place during the Holocaust, the mass murder of Jews during the time frame of 1941 to 1945. During the Holocaust, more than 6 million Jews, as well as members of other persecuted groups, including homosexuals, were killed at concentration camps. In the story, Becca travels to Poland to learn more about Gemma, her grandmother’s, fairy tale stories that she tells Becca and her two sisters throughout their adolescence. She meets Josef, who upon arrival, Becca discovers was the “prince” in her grandmother’s stories. Josef explains the story of his life, focusing on when he was involved in the Holocaust. In Josef’s story, he tells of how they meet and revive a young lady who has completely lost her memory besides

We remember the Holocaust, a time of horror, pain, and suffering. Approximately eleven million people were exterminated, 54.5% being Jew, and 45.5% being another kind of an Undesirable. All of this disaster was planned by Nazi leader, Adolf Hitler. Him and his men took over parts of the world to dominate and create a perfect race. Someone with blue eyes, blonde hair, and fair skin.

After the Reconstruction era, African Americans were granted citizenry in the United States through the abolition of slavery. As blacks sought to live among American culture, white citizens, primarily based in the South, came under rage. Thus, white supremacy became prominent in the United States after the Reconstruction era, a period also called the Nadir. This erupted into a series of violent attacks against the black community and many legislations to deny blacks the immunities and privileges granted to all people in the constitution.

Many European Jews could make it and remain alive, but in reality, most of them are not really still alive from their inside. It is true that their bodies have healed; however, their minds are still psychologically sick. It is hard for many people to see their beloved ones dying because of the hanger or even the harsh treatment. Imagine how hard was for Vladek and Anja to see their little son Richu dying, and they could not do anything to him. Many survivors had this sense of regret about why they were the ones who get to survive while others died. They could see the images of dead people who were lying above each other. Aaron Hass from California State University, Dominguez Hills, California talks about a woman called Rose who was in her 19th year of age during the Holocaust. In his interview with Rose F., he explains how the Holocaust has shaped her life and personality. For example, Rose states that “I felt guilty for many years that maybe I should have run back and tried to get her [he sister] with me or stay with her. Maybe I didn’t do enough to stay together. Maybe I was too selfish about saving myself” (Hass 163). This shows how Rose could not and still can not get over the loss of her sister, and she keeps blaming herself for her sister’s death. The Holocaust and its brutality are hard to be forgotten by Jewish

Between 1933 and 1945 Hitler and his minions tortured non-Aryans because they were considered of lesser value to his regime. History books are filled with horrific tales of mistreatment of human beings he considered inferior: Jews, those who were disabled, gay or lesbians. However, most people are unaware that there was a small population of Germans of African descent who were also victims. According to The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum website, “The fate of black people…in Nazi Germany and in German-occupied territories ranged from isolation to persecution, sterilization, medical experimentation, incarceration, brutality, and murder”. Because of the small number of

The 1920’s, also known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, was a decade in which the increase of discrimination was prevalent due to immigration and migration. Immigration is the movement of people from their country, to a foreign country. Migration is the movement of people from one area to another. The migration and immigration of people was primarily due to the end of WWI.

In the year of 1959 numerous things happened, as well as several things being released. It could surprise younger people of our generation; the way things worked, what happened, and even how many things were priced. Though the US abolished slavery in 1865, (and in 1870 African American men were given the right to vote though it was not until almost a century later that this was fully recognized across the US.) the US was still a fairly racist place, an example is that it white and black people lived in their own little area(A white street, and vica versa). This was not enforced by any law obviously so a black family could very well live in ‘white’ neighborhood. It would just earn lot attention, and controversy from other people.

The 1920’s was a time for advancement, full of many influences that have effected times today including the development of the organization the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People or, NAACP. In the August of 1908 in the city of Springfield, Illinois a two day riot of several thousand white citizens ensued due to the rising of racial equality (“Springfield Race Riot”). This riot resulted in the death of two elderly African Americans by lynching along with innocent people being shot, stores being looted and, homes being burned (“Springfield Race Riot”). The creators of the NAACP took this event along with our nation's history as a cry for help and need for racial justice. The beginning of the 20th century was full of new idea’s but the NAACP organizers knew that it was lacking racial justice.

During the 1920’s the KKK displayed a strong power of continuity over the power of aberration. The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Black Exclusion Act of 1849 began the use of prejudice and intolerances within the Pacific Northwest. The KKK used those Acts as a step and sustained the route. Throughout time the KKK definitely exemplified the use of exclusion, nativism, xenophobia, racism, and colonization. The list of people and or traits one had often exceeded what was viewed as wholesome. The pre-existing Act’s provided an area for the KKK to flourish along with the common white mans participation in the government and guidelines. In Oregon we have quite the diverse community, however, there is a lack of cultural diversity here compared

But today the world no longer sees it in that light, but rather understands its meaning differently. Today it refers to the mass murder of six million European Jews. Additionally, the German Nazis killed members of other persecuted groups during World War II such as homosexuals and Gypsies. This devastating Nazi moment in time has caused the world to wondering how it could have happened. According to the Adolf Hitler (a historical figure most people recognize) the Jews were an inferior race that was an alien threat to the purity of the German race and community. So as a result of his beliefs, the Holocaust happened during his Nazi rule. Unbelievably, common humanity was lost during this time in Germany with acceptance of Hitler’s solution to eliminate an “inferior race”.

The Roaring Twenties is seen as a peak in American life the creation of the Model T, flappers, and speakeasies made American living fun. On the other hand, The Ku Klux Klan, a group of white Americans with a strong protestant belief and racist mindset, made American living difficult for those they saw unfit, such as blacks, catholics, those involved in an interracial relationship, the mentally challenged, immigrants, radicals, and those with psychological problems. The Ku Klux Klan was revived in the 1920s by Colonel William Joseph Simmons “after seeing D.W. Griffith’s film “Birth of a Nation”, which portrayed the klansmen as great heroes (Ku Klux.” The Klansmen prided themselves in their lifestyle. “It is said that “the KKK’s presence was

The white rose society were some of the first ones to start this revolt against hitler. Alexander Schmorell and Hans Scholl , both of whom were studying medicine, were the first LMU students to consider mounting an active campaign of resistance against the Nazi regime. Within two weeks, between the 27 June and 12 July 1942, they wrote, printed and distributed the first four “White Rose” protest

After years of mandatory national service, both Hans and Sophie found themselves attending the University of Munich. Because Hans had started going to the school a few years before Sophie joined him, he already had a group of friends that shared the same beliefs as him and his sister, so Sophie easily befriended them as well. Together they discussed the ugliness of war and Hitler’s actions. In time they came to believe that they should do more than just talk about their ideas and actually start acting upon them. The group decided to print and hand out leaflets calling resistance to Hitler, and began calling themselves the White Rose. Some of the members were Christoph Probst, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, and even a philosophy professor at the university named Kurt Huber (“Hans Scholl”).