Dehumanisation and the Holocaust.

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Dehumanisation and the Holocaust

All the Jews had to wear all the same clothing so that they could be recognised as Jews. Gentiles who saw these people in these clothes knew that they were Jews and they could treat them how they liked not as humans as to the Gentiles the Jews were not humans. This is dehumanisation because they are not being treated as humans by wearing those clothes they are labelled as Jews, and not humans. This made such atrocities ‘easier’ to commit as they were being labelled as non – human and Jews so a picture is put into their heads that they are not human so it doesn’t matter how they feel.

The Viennese anti- Semitic picture paper depicts the Jew as a world-devouring vampire. They are dehumanising the Jews by describing the as “world- devouring vampires” whereas they are completely human and are not at all vampires. They have never done anything wrong to any Gentiles and aren’t doing anything wrong, just believing something different to everyone but this does not mean they are world- devouring vampires. This made such atrocities ‘easier’ to commit as an image of a world- devouring vampire is being put into their heads, instead of normal human beings.

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The picture of a railway straight track going directly through the arch of a building represents a factory, mechanical, going straight in and straight out, they don’t have a choice of where they are going. This was where the Jews were taken and they don’t have a choice whereas they should have a choice of where they want to go, but they are forced to go directly in or out, which is not human like. This is dehumanisation. This made such atrocities ‘easier’ to commit as they are not being treated as humans, and so it is as though you ...

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