How Could the Holocaust Happen? - A Social Experiment

[Dizzle229]

Alright, so a little backstory. 2 weeks ago someone in my History class asked how the nazis could have gained so much power and done so much without anyone doing anything about it. He couldn't give an answer (this, by the way, is a different history teacher than the guy I talked about in an earlier thread). He happens to be friends with the English teacher, which is how this started.

 

 

 

Today in class, she walked into the room. She pointed at one kid and said "You! Out in the hall, I'll see you later for detention." As he was taken outside, he protested that he had done nothing wrong, but she wouldn't hear it. Several times during the class, she pointed at different people and told them that they weren't following directions and to go to the detention room. Their punishment would be decided later. One by one, about half of the class disappeared.

 

 

 

Finally, near the end of the period, she brought them all back into the room. She asked if they should be submitted for expulsion for this. Most of the class mumbled "yes". She said...

 

 

 

"THIS... is how the Nazis were able to carry out the Holocaust. They started to take people one by one until it was too late. I noticed that the more people I took, the more of you broke eye contact, looked down at your books, or sat lower in your chairs. Then when I asked if they should be expelled, you were all ready to send them up the river to avoid the same fate. This is exactly how the Holocaust was allowed to happen. I hope that now you all know better."

 

 

 

I really don't know how to end this post except...

 

 

 

...thoughts? Similar experiences? When I left that class I immediately thought that OT might have something to say on the subject, and that this had some discussion to take from it.

[Kiriyama]

Well, fearmongering was one tactic, but to say it was how they came to power is absurd.

 

 

 

To be honest, I gave up on history cause it is well too biased.

 

 

 

"History is written by the winners."

[MC_Kejml]

I had no similar experience in our class, but it sounds very epic and authentic. The teacher did a good job! :)

[Dizzle229]

Well, fearmongering was one tactic, but to say it was how they came to power is absurd.

 

 

 

To be honest, I gave up on history cause it is well too biased.

 

 

 

"History is written by the winners."

 

 

 

Sorry, I'll change the title, I meant how the Holocaust happened :oops:

[RichieMcD]

That's actually an incredibly clever way of demonstrating how they came to power, that will definitely stick in someone's head rather than some boring crap out of a history book.

 

 

 

She did forget to mention though they initially came to power due to their nationalistic policies and insanely successful propaganda during the worst economic period up until today, quite possibly worse.

 

 

 

Then again, it would be rather hard to incorporate that into her demonstration.

[Kiriyama]

That's actually an incredibly clever way of demonstrating how they came to power, that will definitely stick in someone's head rather than some boring crap out of a history book.

 

 

 

She did forget to mention though they initially came to power due to their nationalistic policies and insanely successful propaganda during the worst economic period up until today, quite possibly worse.

 

 

 

Then again, it would be rather hard to incorporate that into her demonstration.

 

 

 

Well, its a teacher, so I doubt they had high thoughts of her.

 

 

 

She could appear to be on their side, no homework etc... Then one day, suddenly start doing what she had done then.

[Chained_life]

Alright, so a little backstory. 2 weeks ago someone in my History class asked how the nazis could have gained so much power and done so much without anyone doing anything about it. He couldn't give an answer (this, by the way, is a different history teacher than the guy I talked about in an earlier thread). He happens to be friends with the English teacher, which is how this started.

 

 

 

Today in class, she walked into the room. She pointed at one kid and said "You! Out in the hall, I'll see you later for detention." As he was taken outside, he protested that he had done nothing wrong, but she wouldn't hear it. Several times during the class, she pointed at different people and told them that they weren't following directions and to go to the detention room. Their punishment would be decided later. One by one, about half of the class disappeared.

 

 

 

Finally, near the end of the period, she brought them all back into the room. She asked if they should be submitted for expulsion for this. Most of the class mumbled "yes". She said...

 

 

 

"THIS... is how the Nazis were able to carry out the Holocaust. They started to take people one by one until it was too late. I noticed that the more people I took, the more of you broke eye contact, looked down at your books, or sat lower in your chairs. Then when I asked if they should be expelled, you were all ready to send them up the river to avoid the same fate. This is exactly how the Holocaust was allowed to happen. I hope that now you all know better."

 

 

 

I really don't know how to end this post except...

 

 

 

...thoughts? Similar experiences? When I left that class I immediately thought that OT might have something to say on the subject, and that this had some discussion to take from it.

 

 

 

Hitler was nice to his own people, he gave them welfare, houses, food etc... They loved him, they were living "good". That's how he gained his popularity and power. Eventually once he started taking land/countries, he turned on "allies" that helped him, slowly, one by one. It's interesting, you should study it more. We didn't do anything about it, because FDR wanted to keep us out war.

[InkofDeath]

If the point was "one by one" then the teachers example of how they came to power is entirely correct.

 

 

 

It's a sad thing but majority of us are cowards, especially when we've been given positive things from the people we're all of a sudden afraid of...or confused of.

[mmmcannibalism]

Alright, so a little backstory. 2 weeks ago someone in my History class asked how the nazis could have gained so much power and done so much without anyone doing anything about it. He couldn't give an answer (this, by the way, is a different history teacher than the guy I talked about in an earlier thread). He happens to be friends with the English teacher, which is how this started.

 

 

 

Today in class, she walked into the room. She pointed at one kid and said "You! Out in the hall, I'll see you later for detention." As he was taken outside, he protested that he had done nothing wrong, but she wouldn't hear it. Several times during the class, she pointed at different people and told them that they weren't following directions and to go to the detention room. Their punishment would be decided later. One by one, about half of the class disappeared.

 

 

 

Finally, near the end of the period, she brought them all back into the room. She asked if they should be submitted for expulsion for this. Most of the class mumbled "yes". She said...

 

 

 

"THIS... is how the Nazis were able to carry out the Holocaust. They started to take people one by one until it was too late. I noticed that the more people I took, the more of you broke eye contact, looked down at your books, or sat lower in your chairs. Then when I asked if they should be expelled, you were all ready to send them up the river to avoid the same fate. This is exactly how the Holocaust was allowed to happen. I hope that now you all know better."

 

 

 

I really don't know how to end this post except...

 

 

 

...thoughts? Similar experiences? When I left that class I immediately thought that OT might have something to say on the subject, and that this had some discussion to take from it.

 

 

 

Hitler was nice to his own people, he gave them welfare, houses, food etc... They loved him, they were living "good". That's how he gained his popularity and power. Eventually once he started taking land/countries, he turned on "allies" that helped him, slowly, one by one. It's interesting, you should study it more. We didn't do anything about it, because FDR wanted to keep us out war.

 

 

 

Id argue that fdr wanted us in the war due to his policies involving the lend lease program and its succesors, but that is another thread.

[fastortoise]

I remember reading a book about this in high school... The Wave by Todd Strasser. It's short & teaches you a lesson, without using complicated literary techniques and devices.

[baalboy5]

They didn't rush their process, they just picked out those 'ones at a time'. Regardless of quanity. It was about picking the right targets.

[Alg]

That's actually an incredibly clever way of demonstrating how they came to power, that will definitely stick in someone's head rather than some boring crap out of a history book.

 

 

 

She did forget to mention though they initially came to power due to their nationalistic policies and insanely successful propaganda during the worst economic period up until today, quite possibly worse.

 

 

 

Then again, it would be rather hard to incorporate that into her demonstration.

 

Also Germany's terms of surrender (or loss? Unimportant) after the first world war. That would give him something to focus his nationalistic policy on.

 

That, though, is probably the best way to teach that particular area of history.

[Kiriyama]

That's actually an incredibly clever way of demonstrating how they came to power, that will definitely stick in someone's head rather than some boring crap out of a history book.

 

 

 

She did forget to mention though they initially came to power due to their nationalistic policies and insanely successful propaganda during the worst economic period up until today, quite possibly worse.

 

 

 

Then again, it would be rather hard to incorporate that into her demonstration.

 

Also Germany's terms of surrender (or loss? Unimportant) after the first world war. That would give him something to focus his nationalistic policy on.

 

That, though, is probably the best way to teach that particular area of history.

 

 

 

Yet, they do not do it that way.

 

 

 

Honestly, all I gathered from school is the Nazi = Evil. Us = Good.

[Bauke]

Sounds like a fun class. Too bad it's not quite a factual representation of history. A lot of other factors came into play. Can't be bothered to go into detail, but if this is all your class was taught about this subject, then that's pretty much pathetic. It's all a bit more complex.

[RichieMcD]

That's actually an incredibly clever way of demonstrating how they came to power, that will definitely stick in someone's head rather than some boring crap out of a history book.

 

 

 

She did forget to mention though they initially came to power due to their nationalistic policies and insanely successful propaganda during the worst economic period up until today, quite possibly worse.

 

 

 

Then again, it would be rather hard to incorporate that into her demonstration.

 

Also Germany's terms of surrender (or loss? Unimportant) after the first world war. That would give him something to focus his nationalistic policy on.

 

That, though, is probably the best way to teach that particular area of history.

 

 

 

That's what I meant be nationalistic policies, defying the Treaty of Versailles and rebuilding Germany to it's once greater power (basically before WWI) while seizing further lands and retaking the lands lost in the treaty. Basically whatever was in "Mein Kampf", the Aryan race, Lebensraum, filtering out the "scum" and "parasites" of Germany etc.

[dusqi]

Interesting demonstration. It is important to put people in the middle of something like this, because everyone thinks that they are different and wouldn't do something so horrible - they'd speak up, etc.etc.

[Skull]

When the Nazis came for the communists,

 

I remained silent;

 

I was not a communist.

 

 

 

Then they locked up the social democrats,

 

I remained silent;

 

I was not a social democrat.

 

 

 

Then they came for the trade unionists,

 

I did not protest;

 

I was not a trade unionist.

 

 

 

Then they came for the Jews,

 

I did not speak out;

 

I was not a Jew.

 

 

 

When they came for me,

 

there was no one left to speak out for me.

[llamster]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(TV_special)

[mlskid]

When the Nazis came for the communists,

 

I remained silent;

 

I was not a communist.

 

 

 

Then they locked up the social democrats,

 

I remained silent;

 

I was not a social democrat.

 

 

 

Then they came for the trade unionists,

 

I did not protest;

 

I was not a trade unionist.

 

 

 

Then they came for the Jews,

 

I did not speak out;

 

I was not a Jew.

 

 

 

When they came for me,

 

there was no one left to speak out for me.

 

Are you by any chance in MY english class? lol Cause in there we have this EXACT same quote in there... odd huh? :lol:

[Smapla]

When the Nazis came for the communists,

 

I remained silent;

 

I was not a communist.

 

 

 

Then they locked up the social democrats,

 

I remained silent;

 

I was not a social democrat.

 

 

 

Then they came for the trade unionists,

 

I did not protest;

 

I was not a trade unionist.

 

 

 

Then they came for the Jews,

 

I did not speak out;

 

I was not a Jew.

 

 

 

When they came for me,

 

there was no one left to speak out for me.

 

Are you by any chance in MY english class? lol Cause in there we have this EXACT same quote in there... odd huh? :lol:

 

 

 

it is a very commonly used quote. a science teacher had it on his door in my school.

[Giordano]

Yep. Fear. We would think we as a whole would stand up to it, but we don't. We listen to authority for a number of reasons: its our instinct to obey a leader, it promised us things, or just cause.

[Dizzle229]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave_(TV_special)

 

 

 

I normally don't like it when people just drop a link and leave, but after reading it I think that really says it all.

 

 

 

While the main topic focuses on how the holocaust was possible, that movie (I saw the movie in class, unfortunately never got to read the book), shows just how the nazis came to power in the first place.

 

 

 

I wonder what would happen if a class did that today.

[Zierro]

They also read children books like The Poisonous Mushroom to schools. They had many tactics.

[Dizzle229]

I hate to post so close to another of my posts, but if you don't want to see the full movie The Wave, then I recommend watching these two vids, all the way through both.

 

 

 

[yt]BVRXXbU-z7U[/yt]

 

[yt]aqdpNa-kR0w[/yt]

[The Dark Lord]

At least she wasn't like your last history teacher and said that the Holocaust didn't happen and the Cold War killed 600 billion people.

 

 

 

She's not totally accurate, but that is pretty much how any dictatorship maintains their power: fear.