These are answers to the analysis question of paper 3 from Cambridge A level History. After reading a passage from A level Cambridge History Paper 3, these answers are the interpretations of the passages and their main ideas.
Q1) The author of this extract has focused on two main ideas, one is the role that the
common German perpetrators played, which isn’t spoken about or known largely, and
second that the German nation itself was the main initiator or pioneer of the Holocaust,
with some assitance from other nations, however these nations weren’t as was
involved, as Germany was. Throughout the passage the historian keeps returning to
these main ideas and how Hitler may not have been the key figure in the Holocaust,
instead it was the Germans themselves who should be held responsible. He has
structured each paragraph so that it represents a critical idea, which is examined quite
holistically. His assertive tone and functionalist view are quite unorthodox as he shifts
the focus from Hitler and the Nazi regime itself, to the grassroots almost and states that
it is imperative to understand the misconceptions of the uninvolvment of German men
and women miscreants.
He first states that the genocidal institutions were not just machines, but that they were
run by the German people collectively. This is also evident as several Germans such as
Rudolf Hoss, Christian Wirth, Knauer, Frank and many others, were at the forefront of
the leading Gassing Camps and Ethuanasia programs. These people allowed the
herding of Jews and the systematic and unsystematic mass killings. This is closely
linked to Mommsen’s view which portrays Hitler as a weak dictator, hence resulting in
his subordinates carrying out all orders and relaying them to other Germans as well;
Mommsen further argued that other components (such as the judiciary, military, etc)
played an essential role to the Holocaust, which is exactly what the author of this extract
is trying to convey. To further reinstate this author’s message, the historian Goldhagen
states in one of his books that during the Holocaust, many killers were ordinary
Germans, who killed for having been raised in a profoundly antisemitic culture. Though
this seems quite accusational, evidence supporting this ensures that it is not purely fluff.
Kristalnacht is an ideal example of this, as numerous German civilians took part in this
precursory event to the Holocaust, wherein several Jews were beaten and killed, and
synagogues were burnt. In historian Browning’s book: Ordinary Men, he argues that
thousands of policemen and middle-men rounded up thousands of Jews and shot them.
This reinforces this passage’s author’s view that the common Germans were
perpetrators. All these points indicate that German people were seen as the
perpetrators of the crimes befallen the Jews, and many functionalist historians believe
the same. Holism can be seen here as so many different Germans undertook and
conducted various roles, which hence led to the conclusion that this was a German
collective occurrence, and not solely the Nazi regime’s doing.
The author’s second main idea conveyed in this extract is that of the Holocaust being
largely a German concoction and execution, with little to no involvement from the other
,nations. However he does state that without help from the East and other countries the
number of Jews executed would have differed. For example, the local populace in the
USSR helped rally up Jews, Bolshevists and communists, which made the job of the
Einsatzgruppen easier, and as a result, more Jews were identified and could be
deported to the gassing camps. Moreover, Slovakia gave up 89,000 Jews, Croatia
offered 30,000 Jews along with enforcements of Legislation pertaining to the Jews,
Romania allowed the death of 100,000 Jews, France endorsed anti-semitism, etc. The
author states that the executions were mainly a German doing, and he is not wrong in
this view. Several hundred Jews were rounded up by German soldiers from countries
such as Hungary which abstained from the deportation of their Jews. These Jews were
sent to camps headed by Germans who then took on the task of eliminating the Jews,
thousands per day. The writer of this extract also states that the Holocaust was a
German enterprise which included German planning, German organisation and German
execution. Evidence of this can be seen by the relaying of orders from Himmler and
Heydrich. For example Himmler told the SS to search for other options for mass killing
of the Jews and Operation Reinhard itself was named after Heyrich. Furthermore
people search Goebbels and Goring also played a crucial role in the development of the
Holocaust. These views are further reinstated by historians writing such as the book by
Richard Brietman: The Architect of Genocide - Himmler and the final solution, wherein
he argues that although Hitler held the responsibility for the Holocaust, it was Himmler
who essentially laid the plans and devised the schemes for the killings. In all, this shows
that German forces were behind the Holocaust, not necessarily just Hitler, but other
Germans such as Himmler and Heydrich. It also indicates that without the assistance of
certain countries, the number of Jews eradicated would’ve varied significantly.
In conclusion, the author has identified two main messages which can be interpreted as:
very few sources speak about the German perpetrators such as the common German
civilians, and Germans were the main the cause for the Holocaust, with some
assistance from Eastern, Central and Western Europeans. The approaches and
methods seen in this extract can be identified as the author having a functionalist view,
as they don’t seem to believe that Hitler was the sole cause nor had the Holocaust
pre-determined. Moreover, the allegations the writer imposes on the whole German
community as being a part of the Holocaust crimes take a holistic perspective as they
encompass several aspects, the people involved and the roles that they all collectively
played.
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