Oppression: Nazi Germany and German Workers Party Essay

Submitted By HazeyK
Words: 1366
Pages: 6
Open Document
To Be Oppressed In The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, the author depicts the oppression of women similar to that of the oppression of Jews by the Nazis. Through the gained power under the governmental regime, both parties received a higher ground which allowed them to depersonalize women and Jews in an attempt to create a utopia. If an attempt to create a utopia is done by force, it dehumanizes the society and is counterproductive and results in a dystopia. Each individual has a purpose in life, and if they are forced to live in a certain way, their will to live is diminished The Holocaust began in the 1930’s when Adolf Hitler gained massive power in Germany. When Germany lost the war in World War I, Hitler blamed the Jews and grew strong hate towards them. After a while, Hitler joined the National Socialist German Workers Party known as Nazi’s. He became the leader of this group and through his power in the group, his oppression to Jews began. Adolf Hitler became accountable for six million deaths of Jews. His oppression of these Jews throughout their years of suffering were similar to the oppressions of the Handmaids. The lifestyles of the Jew’s were one of the first things affected by the Holocaust. The Jews had to flee away from their homelands due to how hard their lives were getting because of anti-Semitism. Hitler greatly despised of the Jews and wanted to get rid of every single one of them and pictured the world being better without them. Since children were easier to hide because they didn’t require having personal identifications, parents often mixed their kids in with German kids to save them. They were separated from their kids, without the hope of ever reuniting. The Jewish adults had to protect themselves by converting to Christianity and changing their names to prevent the Nazis from sending them to death camps. The Jews were forced to live in the Ghettos in which the conditions were horrible and unhealthy with little food and cramped area – making it extremely crowded. Trying to escape the Ghettos resulted in an automatic death penalty, so out of fear the Jews had to live there. They were forced to wear the Star of David bands on their sleeves to be differentiated from the non-Jews. The Jews were treated like prisoners. They were confined to living a small area, given minimal food, and stars representing their identity. They were no longer approached as human beings. The lifestyle of the women in this Utopian society was under similar rulings as the Nazis rule under the Jews. Due to the decrease in population because most women were unable to conceive, the women who could conceive were held hostage moving from commander to commander to become pregnant. They were limited to where they could go and who they can go with. When they were in the Red Center, they slept in the gymnasium in army cots, all squeezed in together. The women who lived there belonged in certain categories – the Handmaids, the Martha’s, and the Wives. The women were all dressed in certain ways to differentiate them from the others, for example the handmaids had to be dressed in all red, with white wings above their heads. The Handmaids were those who could conceive. Their dress code filled the same purpose as the Star of David filled for the Jews. The handmaids didn’t even have their own identity – they were referred to as “it”. Rather than being respectfully called upon with their names, they were called upon with ‘of’ and their commanders name. This made them the property of their commanders, erasing their own identity. Knowledge is a very powerful tool that draws people closer to each other and their surroundings. Knowledge is sought through education, the radio, television, the newspaper, and much more. The Jews were deprived of obtaining knowledge. Jewish teachers were fired from their job, and in 1938 all Jewish kids were banned from going to a German school. Education was very vital for the Germans because they
Show More

Related Documents: Oppression: Nazi Germany and German Workers Party Essay

The Marxist Allegory Of Totalitarianism In Fritz Lang's Metropolis

(1949) follows a working class rebel, Winston Smith, through totalitarian Oceania to satirise the totalitarian communist regimes of Nazi Germany, under Adolf Hitler and of the Soviet Union, under Joseph Stalin. Fritz Lang criticises capitalist values and the rise of technology by creating a totalitarian state ruled by the powerful industrialist, Fredersen, in his German expressionist film Metropolis. Both speculative texts present a dystopian vision of the future, and represent the Marxist struggle…

Words 997 - Pages 4

Adolf Hitler In Schindler's Legacy

gambler, profiteer, briber, wheeler-dealer, Nazi he saved 1200 jews by keeping them work in his factory He lived in a farm family and his father tried to train him to be an engineer, he was interested in racing, so he built his own motorcycle and competed on mountain courses. He is a very charming person who married a gentleman farmer’s daughter at the age of 20. As a outgoing person, he likes working in meeting people for sale stuffs on the road, the Nazi party member identity made him easier in doing…

Words 775 - Pages 4

Essay about Nazi Germany and Jewish Working Parties

situations of oppression against individuals and nations as a whole, yet the most prevalent and noted situation involves the systematic mistreatment of Jewish people. Although anti-Semitism and violence against Jewish people would continue throughout time, it reached a climax with the Holocaust, a mass genocide committed by the German Nazis upon Jewish people in Europe. Following their defeat in the First World War, the German nation could not believe they lost the war, especially since the German government…

Words 809 - Pages 4

California Gold Rush

Section One: The California Gold Rush Geography and the development/diffusion of society The gold rush of 1849 caused a population boom in the California territory Prior to 1848, the population of the California territory was estimated to be 1,000 people By the end of 1849, the population was estimated to be over 100,000 people Brought a diverse crowd from many different countries Changed the cultural and historical landscape forever (Eyewitness to History, 2003; The Gold Rush of 1849…

Words 3075 - Pages 13

Essay on Humanity: The Holocaust and Martin Luther King

for people to push the responsibility of preventing future genocide on anyone but themselves, the fact of the matter remains that someone, somewhere, needs to take on this massive task of spearheading the effort. (Grant) No one country or political party should be expected to be the moral compass of the world. Rather, efforts must be made to force the entire world to pay attention to this crisis. That is why the Genocide Convention was such a tremendous step in the effort. ("Prevent Genocide International")…

Words 2481 - Pages 10

Hy Study Guide Essay

morality 3. middle-class anxiety a. criticism of the upper class b. criticism of the lower class 4. homogeneity and hyphenated Americans 5. mass journalism and the reform impulse B. Toward the ordered society 1. containing worker radicalism 2. Wisconsin and containing owner radicalism 3. reason and strong drink 4. the wrong people are voting C. Debate over women’s roles 1. Addams: woman’s sphere is the public sphere 2. Paul and Gilman: women are people…

Words 3031 - Pages 13

Essay on The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It

Great American Political Thinkers In the year of 1776, the United States became an independent country. At that moment, the great men who fought for its independence began to create the government and shape American politics. In Richard Hofstadter's The American Political Tradition and the Men Who Made It, he identifies twelve of the most influential men and the political traditions they created, including the Founding Fathers who started it all. Additionally, Hofstadter informs the reader of other…

Words 7046 - Pages 29

Gp Essay Mainpoints

GP NOTES 2010 (ESSAY) Content Page 1. Media a. New vs. Traditional b. New: narcissistic? c. Government Censorship d. Profit-driven Media e. Advertising f. Private life of public figures g. Celebrity as a role model h. Blame media for our problems i. Power + Responsibility of Media j. Media ethics k. New Media and Democracy 2. Science/Tech a. Science and Ethics b. Government and scientist role in science c. Rely too much on technology? d. Nuclear technology…

Words 24667 - Pages 99