What did the Germans think was happening to the Jews during WWII?
Throughout Germany, the idea that the Jews were going to be dealt with and exterminated was pretty well known by the citizens, but it is questionable whether the German citizens knew the final solution that the Nazi’s were using. It is still not completely known whether the citizens knew what the Nazi’s were doing to eliminate the Jews or not. Some sources say that they knew they were in camps, but they did not know the horrors that were being done in the camps. German Propaganda was put out to make it seem like they were treated with clean hospitals and food.
How did the German government manipulate their citizens?
During WWII, the Nazi’s used several different tactics to manipulate their citizens. The most notable and effective tactic they used was propaganda. Nazi propaganda depicted the Nazi’s as the victims rather than the people doing all the awful stuff. Most of their citizens believed that they were fighting for their freedom, although They put out propaganda that made it seem like the Jews were actually being treated properly. They also dehumanized the Jews in the stuff they were putting out, making them seem like monsters. It is because of all of this, that the majority of the Germans actually supported Hitler.
How did the German government hide some of the awful things they were doing?
The German citizens knew for the most part that the Jews were being sent away to live separately to be “dealt with,” but most of the stuff that took place at the camps was covered up. One thing that helped the Germans cover it up, is that some of the stuff they were doing to the Jews was actually unimaginable. It was all so bad it would be difficult to believe for the average person. The Nazis made it seem like they were treating the Jews much better than they actually were. It is clear that the Nazis did not want the way they were treating Jews to get leaked, by the way they tried to hide their crimes whenever they were losing the war.
How did the Germans react to some of the things they knew their government was doing?
Since the German citizens didn’t know exactly what was going on, they naturally could not react how they probably would have if they knew of the horrors going on in the concentration camps. Although they did know the camps were going on, they did still have reactions to them. The reactions of the German citizens varied from person to person. Some people just tried to stay out of it and not really do anything about it. Others sympathized with the prisoners and would actually try and give them food. Of course some people believed the Jews deserved it, so they participated and supported the massacre of the Jewish people.
How were the Germans treated by their government?
During the Holocaust, the Germans were basically cut off from the rest of the world. While their lives still went on normally (for the most part), it was still very different from what they normally experienced. They constantly had propaganda shoved in their faces by the Government to make them believe what the Government wanted them to believe. Although their lives may have been alright, they were still lied to by their Government about the horrors that were going on. The German citizens during the time might get sort of a bad light put on them, but there was truly not much more they could have done.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IGAliOtvvM46idcCv1vJchHWG2uL-6ZjQJhAELE8dMk/edit