The Jewish genocide: comparison of different testimonies soon after the Second World War

Résumé du document

I chose to speak about death-camps, concentration camps such as Auschwitz, and particularly about Jewish genocide. Extermination camps were organized places. They were used to kill masses of people, especially Jews. 'Extermination camp' or 'concentration camp' are words used to speak about what happened to Jews during the Second World War. Death-camps were a consequence of the Nazi government in Germany. This extermination was called 'final solution' by the Nazis. This 'final solution' was decided during Wannsee conference in 1942. That is how, about 6 million of Jews were killed during the war, according to historians statistics. Death-camps or concentration camps were characterized by bureaucracy. Jewish extermination was the main goal of the Nazis.

Extraits

[...] But I chose them to show the power and the influence of Nazi ideology. I want to emphasize the idea of collective duty, of patriotism. Because, when you compare the two testimonies, you understand that the difference is situated in the attachment to Nazi ideology. Primo Levi is a human being like Maximilien Aue or Othmar Trenker. We have to remain what is really the Nazi ideology to understand. We have to observe its persuasion power. Nazi ideology is based on one idea: the Aryan race is superior. It is the better race. [...]

[...] Today this book is considered as one of the best testimonies about Shoah. Contrary to Si c'est un homme, Les Bienveillantes is a pure fiction. That is why we will help us of La mémoire des bourreaux, to give more credibility. Les Bienveillantes is a novel of an American author. However, Littell wrote his work in french. It tells about Maximilien Aue memories. Maximilian Aue is a fictive character who took part in massacres of millions of Jewish. He was an SS officer. [...]

[...] He escaped from selection of people who were killed. He describes, in his autobiography, the fear of cold days, starvation but also violence. He says that, in concentration camps, Jewish lost their human dignity. He describes humiliation that Jewish suffered. It is thanks to his job that he saved his life. Before the war, he was a really good chemist. That is why, Nazi chose him to work in the camp infirmary. He worked in this place until Russians liberated the camp. [...]

[...] - In 1944, you did not doubt about Jewish destination it is to say gaze room? T. - No, I always know it. I never deny my role in Gestapo. We just obeyed strict order to conceal “gazes room”. We have to be clear: millions of Jewish went missing very quickly. Others Jewish have been put in trains to go to many countries and, then, they disappeared. Where do you think they could go? S. - Did you regret yours acts? T. - No I did not. Never. [...]

[...] In this novel, Aue says: the end we used to kill Jewish”. It became habits. (Littel 2006: 170). We must not forget that Les Bienveillantes is a novel. That is why, I chose another work: La mémoire sans défaillance des bourreaux written by Alexandre Szombati in 1988. It is a newspaper article. Szombati interviewed several Nazi to understand better their acts. We have to quote some passages from this interview. Szombati questionned Othmar Trenker, for example. He was Hauptsturmführer (SS colonel) in Reich army. This is an extract: S. [...]