Was The Nazi Holocaust Inevitable?

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The Origins of Genocide: Was the Nazi Holocaust Inevitable? One of the earliest and most persistent debates concerning the Holocaust involves causality: Was the Holocaust inevitable? Was there something particular about German psychological roots, society, or culture that allowed for the Holocaust? We live in a time of unparalleled instances of genocide and being aware of our own capacity for extraordinary atrocities, and the constructs that foster it, provides potential preventative measures. Ultimately, if human nature is the problem it may also be the solution. Genocide, the extermination of an entire target group (Staub, 1990), is the ultimate expression of prejudice. Such discrimination on the basis of race or ethnicity…show more content…
These allow for moral disengagement through a gradual process of detachment in which individuals or groups are placed outside the boundary within which moral values operate (Waller, 2006). These processes also involve a tendency to perceive the world as just and fair. “Just world” thinking (Lerner & Miller, 1978), is the belief that the world is just and those who suffer must have deserved it. Victims of genocide are therefore excluded from the moral universe, so moral values no longer apply to them and they are seen as deserving of their fate (Woolf & Hulsizer, 2005). For example, following World War II there were some who questioned whether Jews were partly responsible for the Holocaust as they were “weak”, “allowed it to happen” and “gave in” (Waller, 2006). Moreover, the targets of prejudice are evaluated as relatively worthless human beings that do not need to be treated with consideration, courtesy and respect (Waller,…show more content…
Waller (2006) suggests that it is highly unlikely that evil actions such as genocide are the inevitable product of personality or dispositional qualities. It is possible that a situational perspective can provide an explanation of the accumulation of factors- albeit preventable- that lead to such brutal acts. Zimbardo (1972) supports this idea of social influence: “Individual behaviour is largely under the control of social forces and environmental contingencies rather than personality traits, character, will power or other empirically unvalidated constructs” (Zimbardo, 1972, p. 6). The tendency to commit or allow genocide may result from the unification of role and person. This merger may become apparent where external behaviours and roles are internalised. The Stanford Prison Studies (Zimbardo, 1971) portrayed that the power of the situation can be stronger then the individual, as initial role playing as guards resulted in sadistic and oppressive behaviour. The guards justified their behaviour as fulfilling a job. However, they were no longer wearing a costume and acting, they had become their role. This study suggested that brutality can be a consequence, not only a cause, of being in situations committed to extraordinary violence. Therefore, the social arrangement might transform ordinary individuals into willing

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