Question

Read the quotation by Joseph Goebbels. With respect to the Jewish question, the F��hrer has decided to make a clean sweep. He prophesied to the Jewish people that if they again brought about a world war, they would live to see their annihilation in it. That wasn't just a catch-word. The world war is here, and the annihilation of Jewish people must be a necessary consequence. According to Goebbels, Hitler promised Jewish people that they would be eliminated if they refused to relocate to the ghettos. Brought about another world war. Refused to give up their possessions. Promoted anti-Nazi propaganda.

"How did Joseph Goebbels justify Adolf Hitler's decision to target the Jewish population during World War II, as evidenced by the quoted statement? What conditions and actions did Goebbels attribute to the annihilation of Jewish people, and what role did Hitler's warnings regarding relocation to ghettos play in this context?"

Answer 1

Joseph Goebbels justified Hitler's targeting of the Jewish population by portraying them as instigators of World War II and suggesting their annihilation was a necessary outcome. The justification was rooted in propaganda and twisted Nazi ideology, not in any legitimate actions taken by Jewish individuals, such as relocating to ghettos.

Step-by-step explanation:

Justification of the Targeting of the Jewish Population:

Joseph Goebbels justified Hitler's decision to target the Jewish population during World War II through a pernicious mix of propaganda and the allegation of wartime treachery. Goebbels presented the annihilation of the Jews not merely as a punitive measure but as a prophetic fulfillment of Hitler's warnings. He falsely attributed the causation of World War II to the Jewish people, painting them as aggressors who, by allegedly causing the war, warranted their own destruction according to the twisted logic of the Nazi regime.

The claim that the extermination was a consequence of Jewish actions rather than the result of premeditated genocidal policy is further reinforced by Goebbels' words. However, relocation to ghettos was not directly cited by Goebbels as the reason for the intended genocide in the quoted statement. Instead, he focused on a broader, more ominous warning: that the Jewish people would face annihilation if they were perceived as being the cause of another world war. This baseless accusation was part of the larger narrative of anti-Semitism that the Nazis harnessed to justify their policies and actions.