Sociology and the Holocaust Essay - 977 Words

Fascism is one type of political system based on the notion that some races are superior to others. Something that seems ridiculous in to enlightened modern day thinkers, which unfortunately makes it all the more difficult to try and understand for someone who has not experienced it. However by looking through history and taking into account some of the results of practised fascism, we can maybe begin to understand why so many people took up, and are still taking up fascism. Hopefully then we can understand exactly what we should learn from it, and possibly understand how we can prevent it appearing on the scale it did in the Second World War. Firstly I will look at some of the effects of fascism, starting with one of the most†¦show more content†¦But why racism? It is generally believed by sociologists that one cannot be a racist unless he is distinguishing between different biological traits between people, which somehow make one biological race superior to another. And Hi tler knew how bitter the Germans were about the loss of the First World War, so he needed a reason to give them as to why they lost. So he turned to racism and began distinguishing the Aryans from other races in Germany such as the Jews and homosexuals. By blaming the mixing of these inferior races into Aryan blood he gave the people a reason to believe they were better than someone else, and gave them a purpose, people to blame for Germanys devastated economy. What exactly have these acts of fascism taught us? Have they shown us how easily a country with a population the size Germanys can turn into murderer racists and fascists if left in the correct conditions? It would certainly be incorrect to assume that this is not why the Germans embraced fascism, but are there any implications of other influences that may have caused these events. Socially, we can try to argue that even deprivation on the scale felt by the German people is not enough to force a society to become something they are not, unless really they already are. Throughout history there have been so many wars between different races. Although issues of religion are often the main driving forces between warringShow MoreRelatedHolocaust Sociology Essay1561 Words   |  7 PagesGevorg Petrosyan Professor Wonser Intro to Sociology 23 June 2012 Final Project, Assignment 2: Nazi Germany and Holocaust The Holocaust was the genocide of around six million European Jews during World War II. (Holocaust History) Nazi Germany led by Adolf Hitler had targeted every single Jew to be perished. Unfortunately Nazi Germany succeeded to murder two-thirds of the nine million Jews who were stationed in Europe. (Holocaust History) The Holocaust can be viewed at in many sociological perspectivesRead MoreNazi Death Camps in the Night by Elie Wiesel833 Words   |  4 Pagesto their own people. Wiesel had to fight internally with himself to keep himself going in the toughest times. Elie wanted to give up hope, but he knew he couldnt. Night can relate back to sociology in many different ways. The book is mainly about the Holocaust. The Holocaust can be related back to sociology such as Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is the theory of evolution that is explored by Charles Darwin. Darwinism uses terms like â€Å"survival of the fittest.† That term is applied to societyRead MoreThe Slavery Of The Holocaust1391 Words   |  6 Pagesone of which is historical precedent. A previous historical account of reparations occurred in 1952 when West Germany began its journey of redemption for the horrors of the Holocaust. 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In Rosewood during the year 1920, there was a vicious attack on an African American communityRead MoreEssay about Ethnocentrism And Cultural Relativity551 Words   |  3 Pagesimportant concepts known as ethnocentrism and cultural relativity. Ethnocentrism is â€Å"the attitude of prejudice or mistrust towards outsiders that may exist within a group (in-group) in relation to other (out-group)†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. (Harper-Collin Dictionary of Sociology). Importantly, there are also three levels of ethnocentrism: a positive one, a negative one, and an extreme negative one. The positive definition defines ethnocentrism as â€Å"the point of view that one’s own way of life is to be preferred to all others†Read MoreGlobal Genocides And The Holocaust1324 Words   |  6 PagesGenocides Understood by Sociology It is made known that before 1944, the term â€Å"genocide† did not exist. A Polish-Jewish lawyer named Raphael Lemkin wanted to describe the acts of the Nazi policies, in regards to the mass murders of the European Jews. Using the Greek word â€Å"geno-â€Å", meaning race or tribe, as well as the Latin word â€Å"-cide† for killing, he formed the word â€Å"genocide† (History.com Staff). According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the term holocaust means, â€Å"Any of the followingRead MoreThe Issue Of Gay Marriages1028 Words   |  5 PagesThaomy Tran Professor Kathleen Gish Sociology 1101-113 September 2, 2015 The Issue Of Gay Marriages Through The Eyes Of Sociologists Gay marriages have been an ongoing event in the United States for many years. It was not until June 26, 2015 when gay marriage was legalized for all states with a five to four ratio. With gay marriage being legalized, there became many controversies in the nation. The most recent controversy was when a Kentucky county clerk was jailed after defying a federal courtRead MoreHistorical Reference Of Social Psychology1169 Words   |  5 Pagespsychology is an integrative field that builds the gap between psychology and sociology. Sociology, on the other hand, is the scientific study of human behavior. In addition, social psychology is a comparatively new field that originated in the early 20th century. In 1954 Gordon Allport nominated Auguste Comte, the French philosopher as the founder of social psychology, he saw it as a science separate from both psychology and sociology; he called it la morale positive (Allport, 1968). In this historicalRead MoreDiscrimination : Nature Or Nurture139 9 Words   |  6 Pageslooked at Shmuel, the mass genocides would have never occurred and they would have realized that everyone is equal and deserved to live just as much as they did. Although this book primarily resolves around the discrimination of Jews during the Holocaust, much similar discrimination occurs today. This results in the majority of people growing up to witness some form of racism or discrimination within the duration of their lifetime. Reading this moving story helps others to understand that everyoneRead MoreHistory Of The Holocaust Midterm Essays1580 Words   |  7 PagesTrudy Morse 10/15/2017 JST3701 Professor Julia Phillips-Berger History of the Holocaust Midterm Essays 1) Antisemitism, the hatred for the Jewish people, has been called the longest hatred in history. This history is deep rooted and has existed for thousands of years, taking different forms throughout its existence, and intensifying up until and through the Holocaust, to then diminish to an extent but still be prevalent in most societies. Antisemitism exists in different forms, religious, ethnic