1. What happened in Detroit in 1943 that created all the tension for the race riot? - Shayna
2. To what degree did Hitler's service in World War I influence his later politics? - Martin
3. Holocaust deniers claim that the Holocaust never occurred, yet how can they deny it with so much visual, actual proof? - Martin
4. I know that the U.S. had a great military back during the war, but it's hard for me to understand how in some of the battles there was such a huge difference in the number of casualties. For instance, at Iwo Jima, 6,000 Americans vs. 20,500 Japanese. Okinawa was much worse: 12,600 (7,600 soldiers + 5,000 sailors) Americans vs. 110,000 Japanese. What do you think accounts for the difference in the numbers? - Colleen
5. According to the textbooks, we saw Stalin as an ally during the war but he was responsible for killing more of his own people than Hitler. Everyone knows about Hitler and the Holocaust but we hear little about Stalin and these deaths. Why is that? - Allison and Colleen
6. Since there were so many more Jews in the concentration camps than Nazis, why didn't they try to band together and fight back? - Shayla, Andy R.
7. In every war there are P.O.W.s. Did the United States have any enemy P.O.W.s during WW2 like we do now with the Iraq War at Guantanamo Bay? Do you think we treated them as badly?
- Alex S.
8. What if the U.S. didn't enter the war, how would the U.S./the world be different today? - Ashley, Jill, Lori, Kaitlyn,
9. Do you think that Oppenheimer and those other scientists really thought that they were "saving lives" when they built the atomic bomb? - Alex L.
10. Why would anyone be a kamikaze pilot? What must it be like? Did his family receive anything in return? - Ryan, Crystal, Ciara, Andrew W., Larry, Brittany, Adam
11. Have we really learned from the Holocaust when we look at Rwanda and Darfur? - Crystal
12. How would you have survived the concentration camps? Would you have struggled on and lived through the horror or would you have rather died and been spared the agony? - Megan
13. What made Hitler the way he was? How did he become so popular and influential? - Hannah, Larry, Erin, Samantha, Adam, Ryan, Jasmine, Imani, Shayna, Martin, Claire, Trevor, Leah, Shayla,
14. How are relations between the U.S. and Japan today? Do the atomic bombs play any role in these relations? - Alice
15. Where was Superman during all this time? - Thomas
Editor's Note: I think I found the answer, Thomas. Unfortunately, the action in the comics never matched reality.
Detroit News account of 1943 race riot: http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=185&category=events
Also, I've checked Ebay and ration books are selling for between $1 and $10 if you're interested in having your own set.
When looking for info on Hitler, take care to make sure your source is very credible. Like with most historical figures, legends have been repeated so often that they have become fact. That makes it difficult to find accurate info.
Please post just your first name and last initial.
48 comments:
#4. i think the most important factor in this huge difference in casualties is that the U.S. were simply better equipped. they had the better weapons and were better trained . . . even japanese soldiers fought with more discipline. they were also more willing to give their lives for their their country and it was the highest honor to die on the battlefield. therefore many battles that were already lost were still fought until the bitter end on sides of the japanese.
#6. i think these are questions that are not easy to answer. of course they could have fought back and some tried . . . unfortunately you haven't heard of many since most were unsuccessful and all involved people were killed. it is pretty hopeless to fight with stones and your bare hands against machine guns . . . especially if you're nearly starved to death . . .
#*. well . . . nobody really knows how the world would look like today if the U.S. wouldn't have entered the war but one thing's for sure: it would have been more likely that there would be a fascist europe. germany was defeated at stalingrad but the soviet troops would probably not have been able to invade germany if hitler would have concentrated his forces on the eastern front. because of operation overlord he was forced to split his forces and to defen east and west front. gb by itself would not have been able to launch operation overlord and so it would have been just a question of time until germany would have recovered from the defeat in stalingrad and launched a invasion of great britain.
#10. japanese simply became kamikaze pilotes because were expected to defend their country in every way possible. if their emperor wanted them to give their lives, they didn't question it . . . to die for the emperor and their home country was the greatest honor the kamikaze pilotes could bring their family.
#12. the irony is that there was no plan "how to survive a concentration camp" you never knew if the decision you just made saved your life or sent you to death. there was just one thing you could do to keep yourself alive: not to give up hope. people who gave up died soon . . . they didn't have any will to live anymore and guards and physicians at selections could see/feel that and you were most likely sent to death.
#15. yeah . . . and superman . . . who knows . . . maybe he took a nap . . . or was out of red bull . . .
- Martin S.
8. What if the U.S. didn't enter the war, how would the U.S./the world be different today?
I think that if the United States didn't enter the war,the world would be totally different then it is today. I think that the United States of America had alot to do with World War 2. I think that if we did not enter the war though, there would not have been a huge "world war". That is what I don't really understand about the United States. I do not think that we have a right to enter other countries' conflicts. Like we did with Iraq, I think that it is a good thing that we try to stop things that we believe are inhumane, but we have to realize that we risk alot of our soldiers lifes to try to fix something that will never be fixed. There will always be people that are against America, there will always be people that will try to make America threatened by them.
But back to the Topic, I think that if America would have stayed out of World War two, there would definately still be concentration camps, there would definately be more nazis. I mean there are still some people that think the way that Hitler did but I think if America didn't go into the war and stop Hitler from doing such horrible things, it would still be continueing today and he would have alot more people following his ways. So after all the fighting and our soldiers dieing,I think that it was definately a good thing that we entered World War 2, because if we did not we would still have the same issues.
Alexandra Stender
5th hour
#3. The people who deny the holocust most likely aren't doing it to try to convince others to think the same way. They are trying to convince themselves. Although there is evidnce and knowlege about the holocust, it is easier to deny that it ever happened than to admit that you knew and yet did nothing to help stop it. It's not totally their fault either. You'd be afraid to if some guy with a lot of power threatened to kill you if you didn't follow his ways. People don't want to be ashamed of themselves knowing about such an atrocity. Some of us may not understand it, but if you look into history and think about the people living during that time, you can only imagine their position and how afraid they must have been.
-Elise Lieberman
5th hour
3/12/07
Happy Birthday Mr. Wickersham!
8. What if the U.S. didn't enter the war, how would the U.S./the world be different today?
If the U.S. didn’t enter the war, Hitler most likely would have won it. At the point where we entered, France was already taken over by German forces, and Great Britain was desperate for supplies and back up support. If Hitler would have won the war, majority of people everywhere would be suffering and dying in concentration camps. I believe that at the point where Hitler was coming into America to rid it of “the brown-eyed brunettes” we would have begun to fight back immediately. We would either win this war and life would go on like today except with many more death camp deaths or we would completely not win the war at all and become a world that Hitler dreamed of living in. Another possibility is that the United States would realize Hitler’s military strength after the defeat of the rest of the world, and strike a deal with him about something like letting America be as they are, and he can have the rest of the world. Either way, it would be a very different world, from most of us dying, to knowing a lot more death camp casualties, and finally to being completely isolated from the rest of the world.
Leah J.
8. What if the U.S. didn't enter the war, how would the U.S./the world be different today?
I think that if the United States didn't ge into the war then the world would be totally different then it is today. I think the USA had alot to do with WW2. I think that if we didn't go into the war, there wouldn't have been a real big world war. That's what I don't fully understand about the (U.S). I don't beleive that we have the choice to go in other countries business. Like we did with Iraq, WE got in they business and now alot of our loved soildiers died and we still in there doing nothing. America is always going to have allies and enemies.
but coming back to the question, I think that if America would have stayed out of World War two, there would still be concentration camps and all that stuff. I mean we went in and hitler still did his thing so if we stayed out he would still do his thing beunless somebody else stopped him which probally wouldn't of happened becyae america is 1st world country in which we are very industrialized unlike others. i also think if we stayed out there would be more issues becuase it would be so easy for hitler to do stuff with us out the way.
Gil Clark
5th hour
#12. I don't think I would have survived very long in the concentration camps. I'm not saying that I would have rather been spared because I think I would have tried to survive as long as I could. But you just never knew in the camps when it was your turn to die. When people were on their way to the concentration camps they were put into cattle cars. Cattle cars aren’t very big, and yet the Nazis managed to fit near 100 people in them. There wasn't very much room for air, there was no food, and people had to sleep standing up. These people put in the cattle cars would have to go longer than a week without food. If you weren't killed from the cramp conditions from the cattle car, at the entrance of the concentration camp, guards sorted prisoners out to see if they were fit enough for hard labor. If you weren't you were sent to a gas chamber where you would die from being gassed. If you were not killed in the gas chambers, you could die from all of the hard labor they made people do. Also, People could get shot just because they looked at a Nazi, or if one of the Nazi’s just were having a bad day and felt like taking it out on a prisoner. No one could really know what was going to happen next. You might just have the worst of luck someday and get shot. Besides getting shot, I don't think that I could have lasted with the amount of food that was given to the prisoners. They barely got any meat, if none at all. They ate stale bread, and watered down soup witch didn't taste very good. I don't think my body could have handled that amount of malnutrition. There is also the fact of disease, if I wasn't killed by anything else, I could catch a disease from being in such close quarters that so many other people. And if that didn't kill me I could have died from the cold. The prisoners were given only one pair of striped jumpsuit prisoner outfits. They got to wash it only once a year and weren't given much of anything else to keep them warm, especially during the winter. So if not killed by any of the above, I would have tried to survive through all the horror as long as I could in order to try to reunite with my family once again.
Jonathan Klar
6th Hour
What if the U.S. didn't enter the war, how would the U.S./the world be different today?
The United States would be tremendously different if we hadn’t entered the war in 1949. That war changed the face of our earth and has made a difference in our actions and descions that we have made today. Today we have so much more strengh and power than we would have if we didn’t enter the war. The war gave us the opportunity to make changes to the United States and greater benefit the people of our country. If the United States had just stood by and watched the war, we would be a disadvantage. This is because the next time something big comes along we wouldn’t have a opportunity to help because we turned down world war II. The expierence in the war changed how we are reacting and facing our problems today. Therefore, the war has greatly improved how we are living our lives today in a postive way.
Evie C.
13. Many things are believed to have influenced Hitler to make him the way he was and able to take over Europe. In Hitler’s early life he had a pretty ordinary childhood, however as he grew older things started to change. His father physically abused him. That is probably is part of the reason he saw no harm in hurting others with out a cause. Along with abuse Hitler and his father also disagreed on where he should go to school. Hitler wanted to go to Art School but his father had different ideas. Hitler was really bright but since he didn’t go to the school he wanted to you could not tell how intelligent he was. Later Hitler’s mother and father died. Hitler moved to Vienna to pursue his career in Art school. Vienna was very anti Jews and blamed them for the World’s problems. This fueled Hitler’s hatred toward Jews. It is ironic because a lot of Jewish people helped Hitler in his life. For example, a Jewish doctor tried to help Hitler’s dying mother and Jewish people bought Hitler’s art while he lived in Vienna. In WW1 Hitler found that he had leadership qualities and could lead people. These are all examples that made Hitler the way he was and was able to take over Europe.
Hitler gained his power because after WW1 Germany was in a state of depression. Many people were without jobs and in fear of what was going to happen to them. These people wanted a job and as a last hope joined Hitler’s army. Hitler’s Nazi party became the strongest political power in Europe. Hitler soon became the Prime Minster of Germany and developed his own government. With control of Germany he could now expand the rest of his empire across Europe.
Allison L.
5th
#10 Many people in Japan wanted to be Kamikaze/suicide pilots. Three times as many applied for suicide flights as the number of planes available. Many of theses Kamikaze pilots were university students in their twenties motivated by obligation, and loyalty to family and country. Many of them before their mission would write farewell letters to their families, these letters were delivered to the family after they had completed their mission. Each Kamikaze pilot received a thousand stitch sash and drank water that gave them spiritual lifting before they took off on their mission. Japanese people believed they were fighting for their Emperor God and that the Kamikaze would deliver them out of the darkness. Kamikaze pilots can be compared to suicide bombers today. For example in Iraq we hear daily of people getting killed because of a suicide bombers.
Emily B
5th
3. Holocaust deniers claim that the Holocaust never occurred, yet how can they deny it with so much visual, actual proof?
Even though there alot of visual proof,I think a big reason why people think the Halocaust didn't happen is becasue thats what they learned from their parents, who learned from their parents. I think people who deny it happened understand it happened but don't want to believe the truth. Many people were also "brain-washed" by others and believe such a thing could have never happened. I read an article online that said some people believe it was all scam by jews to draw attention to themselves, while others just don't think its possible that all of those people died. Even though its hard to believe people don't think it happened, i guess its those peoples opinions and you just have to accept it. I'm not sure what the people who deny it think when they see pictures and statistics, but scientists have been studying it for years. There have even been names coined for people who deny the halocaust ("Holocaust revisionist", or "Denier").
-Shayna S.
12. How would you have survived the concentration camps? Would you have struggled on and lived through the horror or would you have rather died and been spared the agony?
Concentration camps were large death/work camps controlled by the Nazis. Many people died easy or fought hard to save themselves. There are only a few around today to tell us the stories of the horror. We mostly are informed by books or movies, and those don’t even show a portion of the pain people went through.
If I had to survive in a concentration camp I would just hope and pray each day that it will end soon. I can’t even image the terror of death every moment of every day. Even seeing someone you knew or didn’t know dies in front of your face would be overwhelming. Living with no food other than stale bread and little soup you may have gotten.
If I got the choice to live through it or die, I would want to die. It would just be too hard to live that way. You would feel scared, helpless, and hungry every second. By dying you would be protecting yourself. Those three things are the reason why I would die instead of staying alive in a concentration camp.
Megan T. 6th hour
What made Hitler the way he was? How did he become so popular and influential?
Hitler became so popular and influential for two main reasons: 1) he was a good public speaker and 2) Germany was going through tough times. Whenever Hitler gave a speech he was very energetic and convincing. The country was going through a depression of sorts and people were looking for a way out. Hitler promised things that were very appealing to them. They didn't realize anything about his ultimate "final solution" plan. It wasn't until later that his true side came out, and then it was too late. He had already gained a lot of power, suport, and authority. I don't think the German people had no idea of what was coming.
Kaitlyn M.
Historical proof for the Holocaust, such as maps and documents or buildings claimed to be gas chambers, have been deliberately falsified, misinterpreted, misrepresented, or reconstructed. For example, documents contain grammatical errors which only non-native German speakers would make; photographs of generic death and destruction are labeled Nazi atrocities.
In response to the "Have we really learned from the Holocaust when we look at Rwanda and Darfur?" question:
That was a rhetorical question and the answer is no. It's easier listening to broken records than repairing them. It's easy to become blind to solvable problems. For instance, in World War II, over 10 million people were dying in concentration camps, yet America looked away for fear of involvement. Had we reacted sooner, 10 million lives could be saved.
Today, a similar problem arose in Darfur. Hundreds of thousands of lives are continually being lost day by day, yet the United Nation's spokesperson cannot determine whether the massacre in Darfur is a "genocide." Why is this word such a big deal? This word is the difference between aiding Darfur and avoiding them. World War Two and Darfur are completely parallel situations.
Another huge problem that lingers is the media. The only thing that generated awareness for Rwanda was an Oscar Award Winning Movie. Before its release, barely anyone knew there was a genocide at that time. Darfur at first was kept under wraps. It took months to show the severety of the situation in Africa.
So once we know these problems, why does it take so long to solve them? Our biggest problem as Americans is the fact that we are trapped in bubbles, so to speak. We're so obsessed with ourselves, that reaching out to people is too much to ask. Had the majority of Americans urged help Britain and France defeat the Axis, millions would be saved. Had the majority of Americans knew and fought against the happenings in Rwanda, hundreds of thousands of lives would be spared. Darfur is an issue that can still be dealt with today. If the majority of Americans urge the United Nations' representitive to stop being a tard, then we can cease this genocide, yes genocide, before it exponentially slaughters millions, thus breaking our pattern of destruction.
Chelsea R.
5th hour
#8. How would you have survived the concentration camps? Would you have struggled on and lived through the horror or would you have rather died and been spared the agony?
I believe if it was me in the concentration camp i dont think i would have survived, because i wouldnt be able to cooped with how they lived, work, were treated that would have been to much for me. But i guess to answer the question, i think i would just do as i was told, not made any trouble, not try to run away, and wait till it died out. I think with the question of would i rather struggled on and lived through the horror or would i have rather died and been spared the agony, i think that goes two ways for me because i believe in a part of my body and mind i would tell myself that i can make it, i can pull myself up and get through this, i can wait till it is time were this will be over and i wont have to do this anymore. But, then you have the other part of me that says i cant do this anymore, i am tired of all this labor and pain that i am enduring, i cant take living like this and getttin enought food and clothes to were, not enough sleep, i cant take having to do this hard work for something i am not even getting paid to do, and i cant take going through something i dont even deserve.
Brittany F.
1. The race riots began in Detroit in 1943 because of the migration of Blacks from the South to the North. There was some support though, from FEPC, which said that there could be no discrimination in the employment of workers in defense industries. They couldn't discriminate against race, creed, color, or national origin. The riot began on June 20th at Belle Isle when around one thousand Dtroiters gathered to enjoy the hot Sunday. Fights broke out with young blacks and whites. These got out to Detroiters on the other side of the bridge connecting Downtown and Belle Isle. Blacks robbed white communities, while whites overturned cars driving down Woodward Ave. The police sided with the white rioters and were very brutal to the blacks as well. The riots finally came to an end when the mayor and governor asked President Roosevelt for help. 25 out of 34 blacks were killed and many more were injured or arrested.
Eboni Bell
5th Hr.
#6 I think that the Jews didn't band together during the Holocaust because the Nazis had put so much fear in them. They were probably to scared and nervous to even think of a plan to fight back. Also if they did fight back, there would of probably been a horrible consequence and they probably didn't want to risk that.
~Shayla 5th~
13. What made Hitler the way he was? How did he become so popular and influential?
Hitler became so popular and influential after WWI when he joined the Nazi Party. He proved to be such a powerful public speaker and organizer that he soon became the party's leader. He promised he would bring Germany out of chaos, and he dreamed of uniting all German-speaking people in a great German empire. He also wanted to enforce a racial purification that would one day rule the world. Finally Hitler believed that Germany needed more living space in order to succeed. He wrote all this in his book Mein Kampf. The Great Depression helped the Nazis come to power and many men who were out of work joined Hitler’s private army the storm troopers.
The German’s were desperate and turned to Hitler as their last hope. The Nazis had become the strongest political party in Germany by 1932 and in 1933 Hitler was appointed chancellor. Hitler quickly dismantled Germany’s democratic Weimer Republic and established the Third Reich. The Third Reich would last for a thousand years according to Hitler.
The German’s where desperate and didn’t know what else to do. They let Hitler take control because they trusted him. He knew how to give a speech and he told the people what they wanted to hear. By the time they knew Hitler’s entire plan for Germany it was too late because Hitler had too much power.
~Claire M.
5th hour
#9
I think that the scientists building that atomic bomb did think that they were saving lives. But in this case to save lifes, means that they would have to destroy many, many lives to make a point. This is because in order to make sure that Japan surrendered, and to keep other American soldiers from dying, the United States needed to destroy lots of Japanese peoples lives. By doing this the U.S. got Japan to surrender and it ended the Pacific war. Even though it killed many peoples lives, making the atomic bomb did save many more lives by ending the war between the United States, and Japan.
Kevin K.
6th Hour
#11. I think the world, especially the U.S., has learned from the holocaust despite the obvious genocide tragedies that are occurring to this day. The reason the U.S. had and is having a cautionary approach to the Rwanda and Darfur genocides is because they have a thin military, for our standards anyway, at this time. The U.S. is basically fighting two other wars and they can not really afford to pull out of one, let alone both. It would just be plain stupid to join the Darfur action with the present status of our military. The terrorists of the world would salivate at the opportunity of bringing down a world power because that country is fighting three other wars. Another point is that the efforts for Darfur should be concerted effort among industrialized nations. Andrew Wehbe 6th
Why would anyone be a kamikaze pilot? What must it be like? Did his family receive anything in return?
I think the people who were kamikaze pilots either were very dedicated to their country, and really hated the enemies they were fighting against and they perhaps volunteered. Another way I think people were chosen to become the kamikaze pilots were if they screwed up really bad doing whatever they were doing before. War training and war you must listen to your higher ups no matter what or you will be in a lot of trouble. And what will they do, throw them out of the war? No, because that would be good they could just go home, instead i think they punished those soldiers by forcing them to be kamikaze pilots. I assume that the families of these pilots were rewarded in some way, and probably informed way ahead of time. But that could be subject to change considering the inhumanity of the war.
lori b.
6th
What made Hitler the way he was? How did he become so popular and influential?
It's human nature to feel insecure. When we feel insecure, we seek ways to make ourselves feel more secure. It doesn't last long, but a feeling of being "better" than someone else because of race or whatever it might be will give that person the temporary boost of security they need. Hitler gave that to thousands of people (the Nazis and his followers). He made insecure people feel like they were greater because they were killing others who were lower than them.
Along with this insecurity, people were afraid. It is easier to become the "top dog", so to speak, as opposed to giving in to fear. If thousands of people were killing Jews, then it made it okay for you to kill them as well. It's like the kid at recess who finds it easier to be on the bully's side than the bully. Hitler gave people a sense of security and maybe even a sense of purpose, as disgusting as it was, and that was why so many people unfortunately flocked to him.
Have we really learned from the Holocaust when we look at Rwanda and Darfur?
We have read several quotes from people who were American soldiers who liberated death camps like Auschwitz, and they told of its horrors. I think if we could do World War II over again, knowing what we know now, that we would have done it right and entered when the problem began. Then again, how is it almost completely similar problems are occuring in other parts of the world and we are ignorant?
While we may not be as close to Sudan and Rwanda as we are Europe, geographically and in terms of our relationships, that is no excuse. I feel like our government has taken very little initiative to even show concern about these problems, let alone consider giving aid. If we don't learn from our mistakes, history will inevitably repeat itself and the world will never be at peace.
Jill M.
#3 Because of historical proof for the Holocaust, such as maps and documents or buildings claimed to be gas chambers, have been deliberately falsified, or reconstructed. For example, documents contain grammatical errors which only non-native German speakers would make photographs of generic death and destruction are labeled Nazi atrocities. Agreil O. 5th hour
8. What if the U.S. didn't enter the war, how would the U.S. /the world be different today? - Ashley, Jill, Lori, Kaitlyn,
If we didn’t enter the war I honestly think the world would be in very bad shape. The holocaust probley would have lasted longer and more people would have died. There wouldn’t be strong allies with other countries because we just sat back and watched. We could also just get attacked by the soviets. Then we would have more enemies and problems then we needed. When we just went over there and helped we solved a lot of problems. If we would have not helped at all I think America wouldn’t have the same pride it does. We wouldn’t be looked at as a great country that does good things. People wouldn’t want to come here from other countries because we would have so many enemies. All the enemies it raises the chances of us getting attacked by another country. That was the problem with going over and helping we were worried that we would get attacked. I am happy that they just were smart and went over attacked the soviets shut down Hitler and ended one of the worst killings in American History. It is sad to see what happened to all those people and it would have been much worse if we didn’t come over and help. America is strong today because what it did in the past and helping Defeat Hitler, gaining Allies helped us get bigger as a country.
Aston W
6th Hour
10. Why would anyone be a kamikaze pilot? What must it be like? Did his family receive anything in return?
I think people would want to be a kamikaze because some people really love there country enough to die for it. Many of them were volunteers and some were ordered to. So its not like they didn't know what they were about to do. I'm pretty sure that the pilots were scared. Anybody thats about to die and know it must be scared. Their familes probley supported them but really didn't want them to do it. I believe that their familes weren't paid because most of the money had to go to equipment. Though i do think they were rewarded with something else.
Ciara E-B 6th hour
Question 13-
Hitler was smart because his chose t obegin his rise of power when Germany was hit the worst from WW1.At this point, there econmy was very poor and so where thier spirits. Hitler used these factors to gain the trust of a large amount of people. He apealed to middle and lower class, preaching anti-semitism and propaganda. Under his control a totalarian was established in Germany.His army ran the country, so people against had to follow or be killed.
A. Lewis
US History 6
#6. I think the reason that the jews didnt band together and fight back against the nazi's are that they were already so spiritually and physically depleted that even if they were to fight back they wouldn't be strong. Also the germans had guns while the jews had nothing, all the jews would have died anyway. Also, if they really needed it, Germany could have used their army. This is why they didn't fight back, becuase they knew the would lose.
-adam 6th hour
#6
The main reasons the jews in the concentration camps didnt fight back was because althoguh there were more of them, they were so confused / scared of the soldiers with guns that they didnt want to try anything. they had their familes to worry about keeping, and with a revolt they wouldent know if they would end up losing a loved one. also, these camps were well run by the nazis, they were for the most part very organized. the people in the camps had a large chance of getting free, seeing as they were way more overpowering ( in number of people) although, they really didnt fully realize what all was gonig on, they knew basically nothing about these camps excet that they were in them, they were going to die, and it was hitlers fault.
Ryan D.
6th hour
#6
It would have almost been impossible for the jews to fight back against the nazi's at the concentration camps. Yes the jews did out number the nazi's but the nazi's had such a greater andvantage on them. They were armed with weaponry, they were trained for war so they weren't weak or anything of that sort. The Jews on the other hand were the opposite. They were civilians brought in from around europe, there were men woman and also children. They weren't trained for war, they werent equipped with guns or any of that, and also they were very weak. The nazi's would starve the jews until there was absolutly no meat on their body, just skin and bones. Because of this they weren't strong at all. IF the jews had tried to rebell or anything the nazi's would have killed every single person who tried to rebell, thats how cruel life was in the concentration camps.
13. What made Hitler the way he was? How did he become so popular and influential?
I believe that Hitler was taught differently when a child. He could have been abused or had other problems threw out his family that made him the way he was. No one will ever know the real reason why he shared so much hate, towards so many innocent people that he never even tried to get to know.
Many people say that Hitler brain washed all the Nazis to follow him and do as told. It wasn’t till after Hitler died that many people realized the bad in what the Nazis have accomplished. Maybe Hitler really did brain wash everyone to follow him or maybe they didn’t notice the bad they were committing until after the task was accomplished.
-Kellie H.
3. Holocaust deniers claim that the Holocaust never occurred, yet how can they deny it with so much visual, actual proof?
I think that the reason that people want to deny what happened with the holocaust is that they didn't want to believe what happened either because it didn't affect them or influence their lives at all. Also, because the events that occured were so horrendous and devistating that no one wanted to believe. They chose to turn the heads and distract themselves. I think that they has to do with question 11(Have we really learned from the Holocaust when we look at Rwanda and Darfur? - Crystal). This relates to modern day. Because the society is so self centered, people feel that it isn't their responsibility to single-handedly SAVE the world, but what they fail to see is if everyone puts a small amount of focus on the issue it can be overcome without dedicating your life to it. I think that so many people are too wrapped up in their own lives to look and relate and maybe feel bad for what did and is happening and use thier ablilities and talents to help another member of the human race.
-Mariah V.
(p.s. this is REALLY late) oops.
#9 I think that Oppenhimer allong with all of the other scientists including Einstine thought that they were building a dooms-day-device, but the real question was how would we know is we were really saving lives by using the terrible wepon of mass distruction. I mean, how would we know if we were saving lives unless we had a magic time machine and saw that more people would have died had we not dropped the bombs on Herishima and Nagasaki. Many argue that it was the U.S.'s only alternative at the time and that it saved more lives in the long run, because it put an end to the war. On the other hand many people see the atomic bomb as one of the biggest mistakes of mankind because while scientists marvel at there acomplishments of splitting atoms, they wern't thinking about the consiquences of how the A-Bomb can obliterate half a city in seconds. So who's lives are we really saving? If all man is created equal, than why should the use of any bomb be permitted if it instintaniously kills hundreds of thousands of people and not to mention the years of fallout radiation.
Alex L.
5th Hour
11. Have we really learned from the Holocaust when we look at Rwanda and Darfur? - Crystal
I believe that some countries have learned from the Holocaust but not all. Things like Darfur still occur because they were not involved in the Holocaust and they did not see the great terror that was there. Whats happening in Darfur is not as inhumane as what happend for the Holocaust but it is still a terrible thing. Countries need to make a stand and lay down the law saying that countries can not continue doing things like this and it is not ok.
Jeff K.
5th Hour
#11. I think in some ways we have learned from the holocaust and in some ways we haven't. We all know it was a horrible thing that happened and we have tried to stop future genocides by starting different organizations but its not enough. It's like we try and help and then we just stop. For example people are trying to leave Darfur but neighboring countries wont let them in and leave them out there to get killed. Also when aid came to help the people in Rawanda, they came way too late and could have saved so many more lives if they had gotten there sooner. So in those cases i dont think we have learned from the holocaust.
Jasmine W.
5th hour
#6. I think they didn't fight back for many reasons. I think one of the main factors was the loss of hope. They had lost everything and their families were taken away from them.They saw innocent people killed right infront of them. They did not see anyone coming in the near future to rescue them. I think they felt weak at that point from starvation and torture. They first had to endure up to a ten day trip in a small car with hundreds of people. Then they were taken from their families. Then they were stripped, shaved, and tatooed with numbers. I think they thought they wouldn't be able to take the Nazi's when they had machine guns and the jewish people had nothing. They were so weak that I think they thought they had no chance.
Hannah Burch
Hour:5
#6. The reasons I think that the Jews didn't fight back were because they were all confused of what's happening. The families were all separtated. Many people were afraid to cause a problem adn get in trouble and get killed. Also Germany was powerful and had all the guns. There were many spies around the camps so it was hard for the Jews to escape. The spies made it hard for the Jews to get organized to fight back. They did fight back in the Warsaw Gheto where they had the time and a chance to get organized.
Ellen Rutila
U.S. History 6th
.How would you have survived the concentration camps? Would you have struggled on and lived through the horror or would you have rather died and been spared the agony?
When I think about it, I really don't think I would have been able to survive the concentration camps. To think what they went through, and not even knowing it, its just horrible. I think that It would have been easier to just give up. I know that thats a bad attitude and you should fight for life, but with those kind of odds and all that pain, I really don't think id be able to make it through it.
#10. For the Japanese, honor is their greatest virtue. They would rather die then surrender and would never give up. This had been a standing tradition since a very long time ago. And i think that brainwashed is too strong a word, but the men were told that they had to die for their country and their emperor to save their country. In the movie Letters from iwo Jima, one of the soldiers makes a comment like, "The young are the best soldiers because they havent lived enough to know what they are sacrificing" The men were young and most didnt have a wife or kids, so they just gave up their lives. In the movie, the one guy that just had a newly born daughter was one of the guys that couldnt kill himself, he wanted to live for his daughter. Others didnt feel that way. They wanted to give their lives for their emperor and homeland and japanese pride.
colleen m.
How would you have survived the concentration camps? Would you have struggled on and lived through the horror or would you have rather died and been spared the agony?
I would have tried to struggle on and live through the horror. It is very hard to survive in a concentration camp you have no idea what to expect.When people were on their way to the concentration camps they were put into cattle cars. Cattle cars aren’t very big, and yet the Nazis managed to fit near 100 people in them. There wasn't very much room for air, there was no food, and people had to sleep standing up. These people put in the cattle cars would have to go longer than a week without food. If you weren't killed from the cramp conditions from the cattle car, at the entrance of the concentration camp, guards sorted prisoners out to see if they were fit enough for hard labor. If you weren't you were sent to a gas chamber where you would die from being gassed.
March 18,2007 6th hour King,Carr
6. Since there were so many more Jews in the concentration camps than Nazis, why didn't they try to band together and fight back? - Shayla, Andy R.
I think that the reason they didn't try to band together and fight back because they simply couldn't. I think that they were in so much pain that no one even thought about it. Everyone was just trying to stay alive and trying to fight back would only cause them more torture. Another reason for not fighting back is that no one had the strength, mentally or physically, to even try. I'm sure maybe some people thought about it and I bet some people even did try and were unseccefull. Another good question could be would you try to fight back?
Kristin M 6th hour
#10 Most suicide bombers of plan pilots are doing it just because that the way they were told they had to surve their country. They felt like they had to do anything necessary to defend their country and this just happend to one of the ways. Dieing for their country is one of the greatest achievements that a solidier from their Emperor could have at this point in time.
#12 I dont think that you colud come up with strategies on how to survive, i think you just have to be truly blessed.Some of the things that went on in the camps you couldnt control such as the gas chambers. You could be their one day wont make it to the next.
K.REED
6th Hr.
#6. Even though there were many more jews than Nazis the Jews were way weaker. They probably had spent many days without food to realize what was happening to them and by then all of them were weak. also they Nazis had a stronger power over them. Having all of the equipment such as gas and the guns and fires probably frightend the Jewish people. But because they were so weak is probably the main reason why they didnt all come together. Im sure many of them tried to escape but with such power the nazis had it must have been hard.
10. People in Japan are raised differently then people in america. people there are taught to honor your country and to die for it no matter what. this thought or idea was constantly drilled into their minds. in turn they had no problem commiting suicide. this to them was an act of honor and should bring their families pride. this was what their families would recieve was the honor of their sons and the pride they felt of knowing that their child died an honorable death for Japan.
Christina Leong
U.S History 6th
#6. I think the reason that the jews didnt band together and fight back against the nazi's are that they were already so spiritually and physically depleted that even if they were to fight back they wouldn't be strong. Also the germans had guns while the jews had nothing, all the jews would have died anyway. Also, if they really needed it, Germany could have used their army. This is why they didn't fight back, becuase they knew the would lose.
-adam s. 6th hour
#6. I think the main reason why the jews in the concentration camps didnt band together and fight is because they just didnt have anything to fight back with. Sure the jews greatly outnumbered the nazis in the camps, but did they have machine guns and bombs to set off? No I dont think so. It doesnt matter how much they outnumbered the nazis when a single bullet can kill somebody just like that. The jews knew this so why would they even attempt something virtually impossible.
#10. There were many japanese soldiers who were lined up to be kamikaze pilots. It was considered a great honor to their family to die for their emperor fighting for their country. In the japanese culture at that time bringing honor to your family's name was more important than just about anything else. It takes crazy heart and a true soldier to go into something like that knowing that your life will be coming to an end. I know they must have had a great amount of fear getting into those planes.
Eric P 5th hour
What made Hitler the way he was? How did he become so popular and influential?
Hitler was the he was because of his surroundings. A lot of people didn't like or respect Jewish people. This was just like racism, because Hitler was taught, to treat people bad he did. Unfortunately he took it to a different level. I think if people hadn't supported him, and the things he stood for. Hitler wouldn't have been successful with getting away with murder.
Imani R.
# 5 hr.
8. If the US had not entered World War Two the history of the World as we know it would be completely different. Our creation of the atomic bomb is essentially what ended World War Two so without the US army and the people behind the Manhattan project the world could potentially still be at war.
The tides of war started to turn after the US finally got involved in World War Two. We started winning major battles which gave hope to the rest of the Allies and those against the Axis forces. Even though we suffered from major losses, the losses of our opponent were much greater and much more devastating.
Without the liberation of the externment camps at the end of World War Two, the Jewish race probably would have been completely wiped out. Hitler would have kept expanding his army and killing anyone who wasn't a part of the "superior race." Country by country, he would capture those inferiors and place them in horrible externment camps until amost half the population of the world was wiped out. It was a very good thing theat the US entered the war.
Anna Badalamenti
6th hour
#3
With so much proof, it is hard to believe that someone could deny that the holocaust ever happened. It's strange that someone would deny it but there may be a couple reasons why:
-if you're from Germany, you may be ashamed of what some people from your country did to innocent people. Since you're ashamed, you make up for it in denial.
-if you were in the war and saw all the horrible and surreal things that happened in concentration camps, i'm almost positive you would want to block them out of your mind and claim it didn't happen.
Lauren L.
10. I think people become kamikaze pilots because they are brain washed by people. These people think the people that are telling them what to do are the people they should listen to and base every thing they do on what their so-called leaders say, but really their leader is telling them to do things that will benefit only them. These kamikaze pilots feel like people will respect what they are doing, but what respect will they get after they are dead? People are risking their lives for their cause, but what are their people doing for them? They are all so brain washed that they don’t see how stupid it all is.
I also believe that anyone who would choose such a life really is quite unsure of what they believe and are too easily persuaded. I can’t imagine choosing death over life for a cause.
Erin D
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