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Truthlytics - Beyond The Headlines

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Crimes

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People often ask “how?” when confronted with the Holocaust. How did the world stand by as the systematic extermination of millions of men, women, and children unfolded on an industrial scale? The Holocaust, which claimed the lives of six million Jews and millions of others, was not only the product of Nazi ideology but also a consequence of widespread complicity, inaction, and logistical support. As we approach the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, we will continue to examine these themes, including the roles played by companies like IBM and BMW, which profited from their contributions to the machinery of genocide. Within the camps, individuals carried out essential functions in the infrastructure of death, making the atrocities possible. How did ordinary Germans—and global citizens—become perpetrators or bystanders to one of history’s darkest chapters?

The Bystander Effect and Collective Inaction

The bystander effect is often cited when discussing the ability of German citizens to look away. This psychological phenomenon, where individuals are less likely to help a victim when other people are present, played a significant role in the Holocaust. As psychologist Dr. Ervin Staub explains, “The inaction of bystanders contributes to the persistence of violence and oppression. Passive bystanders convey to perpetrators that their actions are acceptable.”1 For many Germans, the scale and visibility of the atrocities, such as the deportations and destruction of Jewish businesses during events like Kristallnacht, seemed to invite collective inaction. Staub emphasizes that this indifference became a form of tacit approval, enabling the Nazis to escalate their crimes with minimal resistance.

The bystander effect also manifested within segments of the Jewish community during the Holocaust. At the 1938 Evian Conference, where nations convened to address the worsening Jewish refugee crisis, most countries failed to expand immigration quotas, leaving Jewish populations increasingly vulnerable. Some Zionist leaders, focused on the long-term goal of establishing a Jewish homeland, prioritized state-building efforts over immediate refugee rescue, a decision shaped by limited resources and strategic constraints. These choices have sparked considerable debate, as more likely could have been done to alleviate the immediate suffering of Jews in Europe.

Propaganda as a Tool of Dehumanization

Propaganda played an equally crucial role in creating an environment where hatred and prejudice were not only normalized but encouraged. The Nazi regime weaponized media to dehumanize Jews, Romani people, disabled individuals, and others. Films like The Eternal Jew and children’s books such as The Poisonous Mushroom disseminated anti-Semitic imagery and rhetoric. According to historian Ian Kershaw, “Propaganda was instrumental in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of ordinary Germans. It created an atmosphere of fear and compliance, where dissent became unthinkable.”2 By saturating society with hate-filled messaging, the Nazis blurred the lines between ideology and policy, making their genocidal actions appear as a continuation of “normal” governance.

The SS also used propaganda to glorify their role as defenders of the “Aryan race,” producing publications like Das Schwarze Korps, which extolled the virtues of Nazi ideology and justified violent actions against perceived enemies. These efforts worked in tandem with speeches by Hitler, who described Jews as the architects of Germany’s downfall and positioned their eradication as a necessary step toward national revival. 

Fear, Surveillance, and Repression

Fear of punishment and retribution also kept many silent. The Gestapo, Hitler’s secret police, relied on a vast network of informants and collaborators to maintain control. People were aware that dissent or even suspicion of disloyalty could result in imprisonment, torture, or death. Historian Robert Gellately notes, “The Gestapo relied heavily on the willingness of ordinary Germans to report suspicious activities, creating a pervasive sense of fear and mistrust among the population.”3 This atmosphere of surveillance turned neighbors against each other and dissuaded acts of resistance.

Historian Robert Gellately highlights that the Gestapo’s effectiveness did not stem from sheer manpower but from the active participation of the public, which created a climate of fear and mistrust. This pervasive surveillance, coupled with a legal system that criminalized even minor expressions of opposition, ensured near-total compliance. The sense that one was always being watched not only discouraged resistance but also fostered an environment where self-censorship became a survival strategy, enabling the regime to consolidate its power with minimal overt force.

Photo via Openverse

Economic Interests and Corporate Complicity

Economic interests further intertwined with the atrocities of the Holocaust. Many corporations benefited from Nazi policies, including the exploitation of forced labor. BMW, Siemens, and IG Farben profited from the use of concentration camp inmates in their factories. IBM provided the technology used to catalog and track prisoners in concentration camps. As Edwin Black points out in his book, IBM and the Holocaust, the company “played a critical role in the implementation of Nazi policies by supplying the technology that enabled the Nazis to efficiently carry out their genocidal plans.” 4 The financial gains made by such companies highlight how economic incentives can override ethical considerations, even in the face of genocide.

IG Farben, a chemical conglomerate that supplied the Zyklon B gas used in the gas chambers at Auschwitz and other extermination camps. Zyklon B, originally developed as a pesticide, became a tool of mass murder when repurposed by the Nazis for genocidal purposes. IG Farben not only produced the gas but also directly benefited from the exploitation of forced labor, including inmates from Auschwitz, who were subjected to inhumane conditions in company-operated factories. After the war, the Nuremberg Trials held some IG Farben executives accountable, but the company itself was never fully dismantled. Instead, it restructured into smaller entities, with several continuing to operate today. IG Farben’s involvement underscores the disturbing reality of how economic incentives and technological innovation were harnessed to facilitate genocide.

The Banality of Evil: Following Orders

The concept of the “banality of evil,” introduced by political theorist Hannah Arendt, offers further insight into how ordinary individuals became complicit in the Holocaust. Arendt observed the trial of Adolf Eichmann, a key organizer of the Holocaust, and concluded that he was not a fanatical ideologue but rather a bureaucrat who followed orders without question. “The banality of evil,” she wrote, “is the phenomenon whereby ordinary individuals commit atrocities simply by following orders and adhering to the norms of the regime.”5

Adolf Eichmann, a key bureaucrat in orchestrating the Holocaust. Eichmann was tasked with organizing the logistics of deporting millions of Jews to ghettos, labor camps, and extermination camps such as Auschwitz. At his trial in Jerusalem in 1961, Eichmann presented himself not as a fervent ideologue but as a dutiful administrator who simply “followed orders.” He claimed he bore no personal hatred for Jews and insisted he was merely fulfilling his role within the Nazi bureaucracy.6

Photo via Openverse

International Inaction: A Moral Failure

International inaction and appeasement played a role in enabling the Holocaust. Despite reports of atrocities, many nations refused to intervene or offer refuge to Jewish refugees. The Evian Conference of 1938, convened to address the Jewish refugee crisis, resulted in little concrete action, as most countries declined to increase their immigration quotas. As historian David Wyman argues, “The failure of the international community to act decisively in the face of mounting evidence of genocide represents a moral failure that compounded the tragedy of the Holocaust.”7

The Ha’avara Agreement of 1933, negotiated between the Nazi regime and the Zionist Federation of Germany, facilitated the emigration of German Jews to Palestine by allowing them to transfer a portion of their wealth in the form of German goods. For the Zionists involved, the agreement aligned with their goal of establishing a Jewish homeland, but it also had the unintended consequence of legitimizing Hitler’s regime on the international stage. Concurrently, American Jewish leader Stephen Wise faced significant pressure regarding the global boycott of German goods, which had gained traction and threatened to weaken the Nazi economy in its infancy. Wise, ultimately persuaded by arguments that the boycott could harm Jewish organizational goals and diplomatic efforts, advocated against it. Critics have since argued that a sustained boycott in 1933 might have undermined Hitler’s regime before it gained full power.

The Role of the Schutzstaffel (SS)

The Schutzstaffel (SS), the paramilitary organization under Heinrich Himmler, played a pivotal role in the execution of the Holocaust. The SS operated concentration camps, conducted mass shootings, and organized the transportation of millions to their deaths. At sites like Auschwitz-Birkenau, SS officers oversaw the systematic murder of over one million people, primarily Jews, in gas chambers. Einsatzgruppen, mobile killing squads composed of SS personnel, were responsible for the deaths of approximately 1.5 million Jews and others in mass shootings across Eastern Europe. These units often executed victims by forcing them to dig their own graves before being shot.

Psychologically, many SS members rationalized their actions through ideological indoctrination and dehumanization of their victims. The Nazi regime portrayed Jews as subhuman and as existential threats to Germany, which allowed perpetrators to commit atrocities without empathy. Historian Christopher Browning’s study Ordinary Men examines the Reserve Police Battalion 101, a unit of non-elite Germans who carried out mass executions. Browning found that while some refused to participate, the majority complied due to peer pressure, obedience to authority, and a desire to conform.

Importantly, many SS members were given the option not to participate in killings. Yet, most chose to follow orders, driven by a combination of ideological commitment, fear of retribution, and social cohesion within their units. As Browning writes, “The willingness to kill was less a matter of ideological fervor than of situational pressures and the normalization of violence within the group.” 9

Photo via Openverse

Postwar Reckoning and Legacy

After the war, the international response to SS atrocities was swift but incomplete. The Nuremberg Trials prosecuted leading SS officers and other high-ranking Nazis for crimes against humanity. Heinrich Himmler committed suicide before he could stand trial, but other SS leaders, such as Rudolf Höss, the commandant of Auschwitz, were convicted and executed. Despite these efforts, many lower-ranking SS members escaped justice or reintegrated into postwar society, often hiding their pasts. Historian Deborah Lipstadt notes, “The pursuit of justice for Holocaust perpetrators was often uneven, constrained by political considerations and the sheer scale of the crimes.” 10

After the war, German citizens had to come to terms with their silence and complicity on social, economic, and psychological levels. Socially, the immediate postwar period saw an initial reluctance to confront the horrors of the Holocaust. Many Germans claimed ignorance or downplayed their roles, creating a culture of denial and avoidance. However, the Nuremberg Trials and Allied occupation policies began to force public acknowledgment of Nazi crimes. Historian Harald Welzer notes, “Public discussions and war crime trials gradually exposed the extent of the atrocities, though many Germans viewed these as victor’s justice rather than a reckoning with their own culpability.”11

Psychologically, many Germans experienced cognitive dissonance as they grappled with the tension between their national pride and the undeniable evidence of genocide. This dissonance was particularly pronounced in the younger generation, who questioned their parents’ roles in the Third Reich. Psychologist Alexander and Margarete Mitscherlich’s study The Inability to Mourn argued that postwar Germans exhibited collective repression and an inability to process guilt, leading to a “psychic numbing” that delayed genuine reckoning. “The Holocaust became a buried trauma,” they wrote, “with its acknowledgment surfacing only decades later through cultural and educational efforts.12

Lessons from History

The Holocaust was a complex event driven by multiple factors, including the bystander effect, propaganda, fear, economic interests, the banality of evil, and international inaction. Understanding these dynamics helps us grasp how an entire society became complicit in such a heinous crime. Complicity was not limited to one group; ordinary Germans—both Jewish and non-Jewish—were at times coerced or misguided into actions that furthered Nazi goals. This serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of vigilance, moral courage, and resistance to oppression in all its forms. As survivors and historians continue to emphasize, “Never again” requires not only remembrance but also proactive efforts to prevent future atrocities. As Elie Wiesel once said, “What hurts the victim most is not the cruelty of the oppressor, but the silence of the bystander.”

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