Key Features Of The Holocaust: Value Of Western Civilization

The Holocaust, the mass murder of Jews by the Nazis from 1941-1945, challenged the very value of Western Civilization. But how, exactly? I will define key features of the Holocaust, by using the primary source, Sam Bankhalter, from Memories of the Holocaust. The holocaust challenged the ideas: of the equality of men and women, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech, that Western Civilization had. Western civilization is worth fighting for today. The Bankhalter account of Auschwitz demonstrates the pain felt by the victims. Sam Bankhalter was a young man who lived in the ghetto and was one of the first workers on site. The account describes the work of Bankhalter and how the new members were brought into the camp. Bankhalter accounts range from 1941 to 1945 . He was from Poland and moved into Auschwitz. This was a significant account because it is some of the only evidence from Auschwitz , it also gives accounts of what the survivors felt after leaving the camps, and the distrust in society.
Equality was demonstrated by John Locke’s Essay Concerning Human Understanding shows the idea. This stated that all babies have a blank slate, but that they learned from their surroundings. These babies expressed equality because everyone had the same chance to learn. Freedom of religion also held true in western civilization beliefs. The Cashiers de doleances expressed freedom of religion; they were list of wants from the peasants that included religious freedom. They still wanted one religion, but wanted all to have freedom. Last, freedom of speech was demonstrated though the March on Versailles. This was demonstrated because the women demanded the king listen to them and give them the right to vote. The Western beliefs were well integrated into history of the western