Question

Even more so than World War I, known as “The Great War” to its contemporaries, World War II was truly a global conflict, involving peoples from every continent on Earth in one way or another. Inevitably, civilians were significantly affected by the effects of wartime life. Some groups were affected more than others, however, because Hitler and the Nazis specifically targeted specific categories of people for internment and/or extermination. How do you think it came to be that the vast majority of people in German-controlled lands remained passive as the Nazis ramped up their persecution from ghettoization, to internment in concentration camps, to implementing the Final Solution? Do you think they should have spoken up? Why? Do you think you would speak up if you noticed a steadily increasing hostility toward a minority group? How would you react and what would you do?

Answer 1

World War II was a devastating event that greatly impacted the world we know today. During the time of the war, singular groups of peoples, most famously the Jewish people of Germany and its surrounding areas, were taken to concentration camps and often killed. However, many other Germans did not fight back at the horrors being committed in their country. It is my belief that this was because they were afraid. Speaking up for those being persecuted could lead you to the same fate, and everyone feared for the lives of themselves and their families. They tried to protect themselves as they waited for other countries to free them from a place where they had almost no rights. While I do believe they should have spoken up, this could have lead to even more devastating effects that could have changed the course of history. If they had spoken up, the war may have been greatly reduced as the Nazis would not have had as much power as had existed when WWII finally did pick up speed. However, because of how dangerous it was, I doubt I would have been able to speak up for those being persecuted, knowing it could end in the same fate for me and my family. However, in modern times it is much more important to speak up in seeing increased hostility toward a minority group because we do not want to lead to the same effects as WWII, which the world is still struggling to repair from. Instead, we should speak out, starting campaigns such as the Black Lives Matter endeavor that grew rapidly in 2020. We need to make sure our voices are heard and that the effects of WWII never need to happen again.

Hope this helps!