While going through the Holocaust exhibit, I was impressed by the great care that was evidently taken to ensure accuracy, as well as the power of the exhibit to evoke feelings conducive to learning about the Nazi occupations and atrocities, as well as the victims of such atrocities, during World War II. I learned so much about the atrocities and crimes of the Holocaust, and will always remember the emotions this exhibit evoked in me.There were many original relics on display, such as concentration camp uniforms of those imprisoned, a glass case full of victims’ shoes, and other personal belongings of Holocaust victims; all of which contributed to giving the exhibit a much more humanistic and real feeling. There were also such things on display as a boxcar which took hundreds of people to concentration camps, a miniature display of the Auschwitz concentration camp, several videos of concentration camp survivors telling their stories, as well as farewell letters that were oftentimes found by the sides of railroads. The exhibit also took a British focus by detailing the progress of news reaching newspapers about the Holocaust, as well as Britain’s involvement in the war.
As a result of viewing this exhibit, I believe I learned the most about the Nazi’s rise to power. A hindrance to negotiations with Germany nearing the end of World Ward I was from the “question of annexations consequent on the success enjoyed by the German armies during the opening months (Wood, 336). After Germany’s defeat, the German colonies were dispersed among the allies (Wood, 345), further adding to the humiliation and decreased power the Germans endured. One book about World War II says the Treaty of Versailles “imprisoned Germany” (Sulzberger, 1) Measures were also taken to “ensure against the revival of German military power” (Wood, 345), such as soldier reductions, a ban on the country’s use of weapons like tanks and heavy artillery, as well as the dismantling of the German fortification at Heligoland(Wood, 345). All measures taken contributed insult to injury, and the morale of the German people was at an all-time low.
This vulnerability and low confidence provided a perfect breeding ground for a leader like Adolf Hitler. In his earlier years Hitler was imprisoned for a failed coup attempt. It was while he was in prison that he wrote his notorious Mein Kampf . He became popular as a result of his work, and nearly 5 million copies were sold. His position as leader of the Nazi Party was augmented by the success of this piece of editorial fiction, and Hitler’s power was on the rise.
Many German followers of Hitler were impressed by his promise to instill the country with confidence by increasing their national power. Hitler also gave a sense of direction and promised achievable glory to a humiliated people.
There was also a huge feeling of anti-Semitism which existed in Europe during this time. Although the origin of these anti-Semitic feelings in Europe were not as detailed as other parts of the exhibit, it did say that anti-Semitic feelings have existed in Europe for centuries.
With Hitler’s increased power, came a renewed belief in Julius Frobel’s 1848 statement: “The German nation is sick of principles and doctrines, literary existence and theoretical greatness. What it wants is power” (Sulzberger, 3). The exhibit at the Imperial War Museum compared how the atrocities of the Holocaust were the result of this first time of using industrial methods of mass exterminations.
Works Cited
Imperial War Museum, "About Us." Imperial War Museum. 5 Jun 2008
Sulzberger, C.L.. World War II. New York: American Heritage Press, 1970.
Wood, Anthony. Europe 1815-1960. 2. Harlow: Longman Group Limited, 1984.
Information on Hitler in last two paragraphs I learned from reading the info panels in the exhibit.
Picture inside the Holocaust Exhibit courtesy of: http://www.untoldlondon.org.uk/diversity/logos/3ee03f19435a7646c38aecb68f60b974.jpg
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