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Genocide and the Holocaust

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The 21st century has undergone numerous crisis and disasters of genocide, in different regions of the earth, which has left a significant trace on humankind. Violation of the most fundamental right currently, which is ‘the right to live’, has been terribly disregarded by numerous ethnic and national groups that changed the history of different nations. Holocaust is probably such outstanding example of genocide, that it will remain in history forever, because of its “Uniquely unique” nature [CITATION brc l 1033]. Holocaust ‘is perhaps the one genocide of which every educated person has heard’ [CITATION brc l 1033]. The most repressive years of German history, and simultaneously one of the brutal regimes of the world was the totalitarian regime under Nazi Party, with Hitler’s dictatorship. The authoritarian leader’s extreme ideas had dramatic effects on the whole world at that time, and presumably Jews experienced his atrocity in the “best way”- the Third Reich initiated genocidal projects against Jews with mass murder and as a result, Jews were rigorously discriminated from public life, as ‘eliminating the Jewish “cancer” from Germany’[ CITATION brc l 1033 ] was Hitler’s initial goal, and about 6 million Jews were immolated during Hitler’s anti-Semitic policies in total between 1941-1945 [CITATION Hir l 1033]. Hitler, eradicated Jews not only on German territory, but he also influenced other states’ attitudes and perspectives towards them. His hatred of the Jews and their race was a driving force for his insistence of eliminating Jews from the whole European continent. At this aspect Hitler used his superior power over other states in Europe, and influenced the “puppet states’” points of views which had the following outcome - not only Germany but numerous other countries also became antagonistic towards Jews and got involved in the Holocaust. The essay will precisely discuss approaches of Vichy France, Italy, and Tiso’s puppet state in Slovakia towards Jews, enactment of the Holocaust as well as the the impact and contribution of Nazi’s hostile position in that. To begin with, France and its attitude will be presented towards Holocaust and Jews in general, during the Second World War. Vichy France was on collaboration with Germans during the period when France was invaded by Germans in 1940, and since then, the nationalistic French leaders, who were at that time in government, shared the similar notions and ideas as Nazi Party[ CITATION vic l 1033 ]. Philippe Petain, known as Marshall Petain, was among those nationalists, and a hero of the WWI, who served as an anti-Semitic Vichy leader. He signed the armistice with Germans in 1940, which divided France in two parts, and according to that agreement North and West of France would be under total control of Nazi, and the rest part, with the capital at Vichy, would become neutral under Petain’s leadership. However, in practice, that “independent” region with Petain’s commander, was closely tied with Nazi and also followed their initiated anti-Semitic legislations (BBC, 2014). Quite recently, Marshal Petain’s handwritten original draft of the 1940 ‘Vichy law’ was found, which indicated discriminatory actions against the Jews, under the Vichy government[ CITATION dis l 1033 ]. The famous Holocaust historian and expert, Serge Klarsfeld demonstrates that, the discovered document, ‘is definitive evidence that French wartime leader Philippe Petain was an anti-Semite who actively supported the holocaust’ [ CITATION rec l 1033 ]. Vichy regime is considered as a puppet state, without ability of its own legitimacy but following Nazi ideologies, because of their auspices. Vichy France similarly step by step followed extermination of Jews and implementing anti-Semitic laws against them. With the total collaboration with German authorities, Vichy government requested the list of the synagogues’ members to be delivered to the government[ CITATION syn l 1033 ]. The shops and business that belonged to Jews were marked their owners’ identities that they were Jews in French and English languages. The initiated ‘Jewish Statute’ by Vichy regime in 1940 deteriorated Jewish’s position even more, as it revoked the citizenship of all the French Jews, and demanded shutting down of their businesses. Approximately 10,000 businesses and thousands of apartments were impounded from the Jews at that time[ CITATION syn l 1033 ]. The medical practices from all the Jewish doctors were abolished. From 1941 French police began to control and arrest Jewish people. In the same year, the first Jewish victims of the Holocaust in France were persecuted - Germans and French together launched deportation of thousands of Jewish refugees to the camps in South of France[ CITATION syn l 1033 ]. In 1942, everyone with Jewish origin

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