"Participatory" Democracy and Role of Bystanders

In many of my sociology classes we have looked into the ideas of structure and agency, and here I think it’s application to the blame and events of the Third Reich is particularly apparent.

I have always been fascinated by World War II and this topic, but never knew more than a vague outline of the war and tragic occurrences of the Holocaust. My dad is a huge history buff so I’ve grown up seeing books by Kershaw on Hitler but was too daunted to look into them myself. I was always under the impression that Hitler had started such a movement and caused such damage because he was uber-intelligent and successful in his endeavors. Needless to say I was surprised as we found out through our readings that this wasn’t the case. In addition, I always assumed that all of the Nazi party members and soldiers were staunch anti-Semites with the same thirst for elimination that engrossed Hitler.

Through our readings, especially “Ordinary Men” I came to see that not only were Nazi party members previously adamant supporters of other parties, but that policemen and soldiers sometimes had trouble personally carrying out their despicable orders. I found myself more disappointed by the lack of resistance and help given by the regular German citizens than the Nazis. Perhaps because in recent months we have seen examples from around the world of what resistance can do, I was stunned that there was not more of an outcry from the Germans. Many of them weren't even merely bystanders, they turned in friends and family to await their disastrous fates. I can definitely see myself looking further into that issue because of everything we have learned it effected me the most.

More than any other professor I’ve had at NYU Professor Ertman impressed me with his thorough, detailed knowledge of the subject and all it’s facets. Looking into the Third Reich and Hitler as a historical character through a sociological lens made the causal relationships at once seem clearer and more mysterious. I’ve definitely emerged from this class wondering if a few things changed if all the horrendous events would have happened at all.