Christie Renaud Composition 28 Nov. 2001 The Dangerous Effects of Prejudice In our society prejudice is sometimes overlooked and ignored because of the accomplishments and efforts made to rid our country and the earth of this devastating epidemic. However, just over fifty years ago the world's most evil man attempted to terminate a whole religion because of his prejudice. This, of course, was Adolf Hitler. During World War II, he ordered the killing of over six million Jews in an event simply known as the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler had a profound hatred towards all followers of the Jewish religion. He believed his own race and religion were superior to any other. As Chancellor of Germany, Hitler began to build military strength and decided to invade almost all of Europe. He also began to isolate Jewish people in areas known as concentration camps. He preached to his followers about race supremacy and eventually led them to believe the Jewish people should be exterminated. Slowly, almost all of Europe's Jews were forced into these so-called concentration camps. Hitler gave orders to deprive the Jews of food and water, baths, and eventually their own clothes. Twenty to thirty people would be forced into one room with only two or three beds to sleep on. Only a few could fight their way to a bed. The others would have to settle for the freezing floors. At first, the people of these camps were totally unaware of the true reasons for being placed there. Many believed they were there to work or to be given shelter from the horrors of the war. But quickly they began to realize why they were placed there. They were there to be killed. Many were dying of starvation or of illnesses related to poor hygiene. Then, the real terror began. Hundreds were killed daily in gas chambers or were shot in the back of the head. The remaining prisoners were often beaten and forced to work for scraps of bread or a drink of water. The Jews began to fear everything. They feared they would be the next killed or beaten. They feared the hunger that grew steadily within the pits of their stomachs. They even began to fear the beds that were once a privilege to sleep on but now were infested with lice and fleas. Mostly they feared their mother, father, daughter, or son had already been killed, and they would never reunite with the ones they loved. The thought of escaping was useless because the Germans had the concentration camps surrounded with barbed wire and armed men. The few who were brave enough to even attempt escape were quickly and horribly killed, their bodies mutilated and displayed so the prisoners of these camps saw what would happen if they too tried the same. This is known as one of the most horrible events to take place in the history of the world. In no other time had so many been killed because of racist and prejudice beliefs. Once the Allied Forces defeated Hitler in 1945, so many Jews had been killed the number is horrifying to imagine. Six million Jews, two thirds of all Europe's Jews, lost their lives during this time. Hitler's beliefs almost wiped out an ancient religion that existed before Christ and proved how prejudice can create terrible horror and destruction. Prejudice produces effects now known as discrimination. It can produce extreme hatred and lead to the killing of others. Hitler's prejudice was the cause of the suffering and killing of many innocent people. It devastated some for the rest of their lives and ripped apart families forever. It is sometimes unbelievable to think that one man's idealistic views could destroy so much and so many. Today we must realize prejudice needs to be destroyed so that it can never cause such horror again. |