Hitler decided on the mass murder of the Jews in the 1920s and thereafter worked with consciousness and

calculation toward that goal. Do you agree? In the run up to taking power in Germany and indeed throughout their time in that position the Nazi party led by Hitler was an organisation dominated by the fanatical anti Jewish sentiment of its ethos. It enacted legislation that would strip Jews of their citizenship, property, employment rights and numerous other basic rights that were enjoyed by those non Jewish persons living in Germany at the time. With the onset of WWII and the annexation of vast swathes of European territory many more Jews were to come under the control of Nazi Germany and were to be afforded the same treatment as the German Jews had been subject to. Treatment that was to become progressively more harsh and culminating in the Nazi effort to exterminate the Jewish population in a mass murder campaign that became known as the Holocaust. The title question states that Hitler decided on the mass murder of the Jews in the 1920s and thereafter worked with consciousness and calculation toward that goal. In order to agree or disagree with that statement the following text will pursue a three pronged approach. Firstly the early views on Judaism as espoused by Hitler will be analyzed followed by the Jewish policy adopted by the Nazis before the enactment of the Final Solution policy. And thirdly the way in which the mass murder campaign manifested itself will be examined so as to unearth evidence of a conscious and calculated approach on the part of the Nazis. The findings reached throughout the main body of the text will then be briefly summarized before being briefly concluded upon. Borne from the ashes of post WWI Germany and nurtured on the anti Semitism of its leader Adolf Hitler, the Nazi party made little or no attempt to disguise its anti Jewish nature. The historian Laurence Rees points out that the Nazis were first and foremost a racist party who believed that nation states, just like individuals were locked in a permanent amoral

struggle to see who should govern the largest portion of the earth.1 Hitler was prone to making broad assertions that were thinly veiled attacks on what the Nazis would have deemed as unwanted elements of German society. In his autobiography Mein Kampf Hitler outlines his vision of what shape the Germany under his rule would take. He wrote that a state may be considered as a model example if it adequately serves not only the vital needs of the racial stock it represents but if it actually assures by its own existence the preservation of this same racial stock.2 When Reess description of the Nazi party and Hitlers 1920s Mein Kampf illustration of his idea of what shape a model state would take are taken into account there can little doubt the direction in which the Nazi party wished to lead Germany. They were an anti Semitic party who wanted to create a mono ethnic state free of Jews and other peoples of whom they had little regard. The way in which such a state would be created is however unclear. Despite his obvious hatred for Jews and his countless expressions of anti Jewish sentiment, at no stage did Hitler clearly and categorically propose the mass murder of the Jews as a means through which a Germany free of Jews would be created. If Hitler did decide on the mass murder of the Jews in the 1920s then he never outlined it in such a manner that would allow historians to say for certain that mass murder was part of official Nazi policy from its early days. From the time they seized power the Nazis under Hitler continued with their anti Jewish agenda. It is however worth pointing out that Hitler and the Nazis did not invent anti Semitism, in fact one source goes as far as to say that the years 1899 to 1939 represents a highpoint in anti Semitism in western societies.3 Anti Semitism at the time maintained a significant presence in many European countries and the Nazi party just went one step further and enshrined their anti Semitic ideals into law. The Nuremberg Laws were passed into law
1 2

Laurence Rees, The Nazis, a warning from history (London, 2005), p.36. Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf (Germany, 1939), p. 222. 3 William Brustein; Ryan, King, Anti Semitism in Europe before the holocaust, in International political science review, i (2004), p1.

in law in 1935.Klemperer gives this set of laws their full title that was given to them at the time of their introduction and refers to them as the Nuremberg laws for the preservation of the purity of German blood.4 Such a title provides an interesting insight into the direction that Hitlers Jewish policy. Aryan blood, racial purity and racial hygiene are just some of the phrases that were used repeatedly by the Nazis in the pre war period. A hierarchy of races was set up in which Jews, Slavs and gypsies were populating the bottom. Much of the basis of the Nuremberg laws originated from the German eugenics society whose existence pre dated the Nazis. Historians such as Weingart comment that the Nuremberg laws were basically the beliefs of the eugenics society slightly altered, politicised and made law.5 Marriage between Germans and Jews were prohibited, Jews were stripped of their citizenship, Jewish property and employment rights became almost non-existent. Most aspects of Jewish life were affected adversely by these laws and Germany became an unwelcome home for Jews with many who could afford to leave doing just that. The harshness of the treatment of Germanys Jews is quite evident. The anti Semitism however was common in Europe at the time and the Nuremberg race laws were an altered version of what was at the time an established science. Hitlers treatment of Germanys Jews during this period, while draconian, was not brand new but merely a few steps on from what was the situation in many other European countries at the time. Furthermore the fact remains that mass murder of Jews in any form was not introduced as a possibility during this period thus casting further doubt on the title question of this text. In order to be deemed as working with consciousness and calculation towards a goal evidence of continuity of effort would have to emerge to back up such an assertion. No such credible evidence has emerged from the Germany of the 1920s until the mid 1930s even

4 5

Victor Klemperer, The language of the third Reich (Germany, 1957), p.169. Peter Weingart, German eugenics: between science and politics, in The university of Chicago press on behalf of The history of science society, v (1989), pp 65-70.

though an abundance of anti Semitism has emerged. Shortly before the outbreak of WWII a plan for the resettlement of European Jews arrived on the agenda in the form of an idea that had been first raised in the 1880s. This plan was known as the Madagascar plan whereby the island of Madagascar would be established as a colony for displaced European Jews. The idea found favour with many high ranking Nazis. Himmler referred to the plan in his writings when he wrote that I hope to see the term Jew completely eliminated through the possibility of a large scale emigration of all Jews to Africa or to some colony.6 The plan eventually proved to be unfeasible but the fact that the Nazi authorities were willing to entertain such a notion indicates that the calculated moves towards mass murder were not as firmly established as the title question might suggest, if at all. Another plan to emerge during this period was also a resettlement plan for European Jews but this plan included resettlement within Europe itself. This became known as the Nisko plan and was eventually to result in the resettlement of Jews into one area in eastern Poland. Ethnic Germans from the Baltic region were to be settled in the lebensraum to the east, Poles were to be settled further east of the Germans and finally Jews were to occupy the territory that was furthest to the east. The historian Christopher Browning referred to this plan as three belts of population and he suggests that Hitler was aware of the plan due to the fact that Hitler raised the concern that the German belt would have to move further eastwards after a number of decades.7 The mention of decades by Hitler in relation to the implications of this plan suggest that long term thinking was being employed by some in the upper echelons of the Nazi party in relation to dealing with what they saw as a Jewish problem. This is at variance with the title question that suggests that mass murder of the Jews had been decided by Hitler in the 1920s and deviation from the path towards that end goal was not an

6 7

Michael Burleigh, The third reich, a new history (New York, 2000), p.590. Christopher Browning, Nazi resettlement policy and the search for a solution to the Jewish question, 19391941 in German studies review, IX (1986), p 502.

idea that was entertained by Hitler. Browning goes further and suggests that Nazi policy in relation to the Jews was more evolutionary than programmatic a suggestion that also picks holes in the rigid Nazi policy line that is suggested by the research title.8 The Nisko plan ultimately proved to be unsuccessful with only one trainload of Jews arriving in Poland for resettlement. One of the reasons behind its failure proves to be significant when considered alongside the title question. Baltic Germans were being resettled in areas that were interfering with the resettlement of Jews causing an overlap in planned land usage. Instead of complimenting each other the various Nazi resettlement plans began to contradict and compete with each other. The resettlement of Baltic Germans was prioritized over the deportation and resettlement of Jews. Another reason why the plan failed was because of disagreements between Himmler and Goring regarding deportations. Himmler favoured deportation and resettlement of all Jews while Goring was opposed to such a move instead proposing that younger and stronger Jewish labourers be held back in Germany so as to maintain production levels agriculturally and industrially. These two reasons for failure of the Nisko plan do not seem to suggest a Nazi regime that was bound by one single minded goal of mass murder of the Jews. Had Hitler decided on such a path in the 1920s it would be unlikely that his underlings would show such pragmatism and flexibility on the issue of clearing Germany of Jews. The mass murder of the Jews was part of what became known as the Final Solution to the Jewish question. The name in itself is significant since the term final solution would suggest that other solutions had been tried. If the mass murder of the Jews had been decided by Hitler in the 1920s before the Nazis came to power then why would other solutions have been even considered? The Auschwitz concentration camp is perhaps the location that has

Yehuda Bauer, Genocide: was it the Nazis original plan? in Annals of the American academy of political and social science, CDL (1980), p 499.

become most synonymous with the mass murder of Jews. In excess of one million Jews were murdered there in a death camp that had become so efficient that it was almost industrial in its clockwork efficiency and output of corpses. The original purpose of Auschwitz was not for the mass murder of the Jews. The historian Laurence Rees makes reference to this when discussing the origins of the camp. It began its period under German rule as a dilapidated former Polish army barracks and was rebuilt by the Germans. It opened in April 1940 and according to Rees No one on that first day, and that certainly included Rudolf Hoess, could have predicted the camp would, within five years, become the site of the largest mass murder the world has yet seen.9 If the mass murder of the Jews had been decided in the early 1920s then how was the commandant of Auschwitz unaware of such a decision roughly eighteen months before extermination began. Furthermore, why would transportation of the Jews to the east have ceased so abruptly if those in command were aware that a mass murder campaign that would require the Jews of Europe to be transported to the east was due to be carried out. In conclusion, the Nazi extermination campaign carried out against the Jews was carried out with such devastating efficiency that in the time after liberation it would seem entirely plausible that the mass murder of the Jews was a campaign that had been planned to the tiniest detail. However historical evidence would suggest that that was not the case. The title question provoked debate regarding weather the mass murder of the Jews had been decided by Hitler in the 1920s and worked toward in a conscious and calculated manner. Quite a bit happened between the 1920s and the mass murder campaign against the Jews. Not once, either in Mein Kampf or in any of his numerous speeches did Hitler ever give the impression that a mass murder campaign was planned. Had he done so perhaps more Jews would have emigrated than actually did. Secondly, the Nuremberg laws made Germany a
9

Laurence Rees, Auschwitz: The Nazis and the final solution (London, 2005), p.25.

most unwelcoming place for its Jewish population and could be seen as an attempt to grind down Jewish morale and make emigration the most favourable option. Thirdly many plans at resettling and or relocating the Jews were considered by the Nazis. Had Hitler intended on carrying out a mass murder campaign all along then it is likely that these plans would have been dismissed outright. Nazi planning relating to Jews seemed to have been haphazard with circumstances dictating policy. This does not lend itself to the notion of a long planned mass murder campaign. Furthermore, Hitlers anti Jewish attitude was well known so if he had decided on the mass murder of the Jews in the 1920s why then did it take until the early 1940s before the mass murder campaign began? The answer to these questions seems to be that the mass murder campaign was not decided on in the 1920s and was only decided on after various territorial solutions had been considered. To make the suggestion that the mass murder campaign carried out against the Jews was part of the natural progression of Nazism and all events led to that unavoidable conclusion is bordering dangerously on teleological thought and not proper historical consideration of evidence and interpretation of events.

BIBLIOGRAPHY Bauer, Yehuda Genocide: was it the Nazis original plan? in Annals of the American academy of political and social science, CDL (1980). Browning, Christopher Nazi resettlement policy and the search for a solution to the Jewish question, 1939-1941 in German studies review, IX (1986). Brustein, William; King, Ryan, Anti Semitism in Europe before the holocaust, in International political science review, i (2004) Burleigh, Michael: The third Reich, a new history (New York, 2000). Evans, Richard: The third Reich in power (London, 2005). Hitler, Adolf: Mein Kampf (Germany, 1939). Jaskot, Paul: The architecture of oppression, the SS forced labour and the Nazi monumental building economy (New York, 2000). Klemperer, Victor: The language of the third Reich (Germany, 1957). Rees, Laurence: Auschwitz, the Nazis and the final solution (London, 2005). Rees, Laurence: The Nazis, a warning from history (London, 1998). Speer, Albert: Inside the third Reich (London, 1970). Voegelin, Eric: Hitler and the Germans (Missouri, 1999). Weingart, Peter German eugenics: between science and politics, in The university of Chicago press on behalf of The history of science society, v (1989).