Transcript Hist 33D, L 2: What was the Holocaust?

Hist 33D, L 4:
Origins of the Holocaust:
History
1. Approaches, questions
2. 1945 film “Tradition, not blood”
3. Announcements (Journals, Q1, field trip)
4. History of Germany, 1780s-1914
Last Time: Australian Genocide
• Approach: intellectual history (history of ideas)
• Question: Did “genocide” occur in Australia?
• Core concept=“theodicy”: an argument that
God is good—in spite of evil in the world
– Death/murder for the greater good
– ends justifies means
• Prof. Moses’ argument:
mass death was intrinsic, not incidental
Ok, but: was it intentional?
Question of Intent
• Did they (who?) MEAN to do it?
• Ideology of racism (scientific racism)
• German case:
When did killing ALL Jews become a goal?
• Was mass murder predetermined?
• What predisposed Germans to this “solution”?
 their history (long-term)
• Today’s question: What role did “history” play
in the ultimate occurance of the Holocaust?
History as a cause of the Holocaust
1. Long-term history: culture of militarism,
obedience, bureaucracy, antisemitism
(film clip)
2. Middle-term history: “special path” to
modernity. (conditioning by events)
Textbook p. 76: “From the last two decades of
the 19th century, German society was in a state
of almost permanent political and social crisis
which persisted right up until Hitler’s
appointment as Chancellor in January 1933.”
Film “Here is Germany”
• US Army Signal Corps, 1945
• To prepare US soldiers for occupation
• BUT: never released, not used for soldiers
– Change of US occupation policy
(“non-fraternization” to “democritization”)
– Cold War context: not punishing,
but winning friends
Announcements
• JOURNALS due Thursday (half the class)
(rest of class next Tuesday)
• Q1 on Thursday: Appeal of Nazi Party
• FIELD TRIP Sunday Oct. 20:
–
–
–
–
depart 8/8:15am from UCSB bus loop
Museum of Tolerance 10:40-1:40
LA Museum of the Holocaust 2:15-3:45
Drivers get reimbursement for gas
Review of German history in film
• Fredrick Wilhelm I: “Soldier-King” of Prussia (1713-40)
• Fredrick II “the Great,” 1740-1786
“3 pillars of power”:
– militarists, large landowners, state officials
• 1848 democratic revolution, Fred. Will. IV:
“Never must a scrap of paper come between me and my people”
• Bismarck (1815-1898):
– 3 wars of unification, 1866-1871
– “Great questions of the day will not be decided by majorities, but
by blood and iron”
German History, cont’d
• Wilhelm I: “Kaiser” of 2nd Reich, 1871-88
– economic boom: 4th pillar=industrialists
– Unstable society?? Permanent crisis?
• Fredrick III (1831-1888): Kaiser for 100 days
• Wilhelm II (1859-1941; 1888-1918):
– Fired Bismarck 1890
– Deliberate policy of provoking war (WWI)
Parting reminders
• Q1: appeal of Nazi Party (2 reasons why)
• Film tomorrow evening, Chem 1171
History of Germany/Hitler, 1914-1945
– Start time?