Simon Wiesenthal Argumentative Essay

During the 20th century, after the Allies liberated Europe of which was occupied by the Nazi Regime, many civilians of certain categories were released from Nazi concentration camps, which were expected to have the fate of extermination. However, these released civilians, or captives, did not have to endure such action (whereas ~15 million others had to endure), and one of them included Simon Wiesenthal, a former “slave laborer”, for camps such as Janowska, Plaszow, and Mauthausen. Wiesenthal, moreover, is well known for his activity with Nazi “witch” hunting after WWII. He sought to locate missing Nazi war criminals due to their affiliations with concentration camps throughout Europe. Wiesenthal became associated with the United States Army, using their documentation to track down war criminals, hoping for righteousness in justice.

1947 came along, which ended the ties between Wiesenthal and the United States Army, allowing for Wiesenthal to form the Jewish Historical Documentation Centre (which collected information detailing war transgressions
Furthermore, Wiesenthal was able to detain (with the help of many others) Adolf Eichmann, one of the major organizers for the Holocaust, giving justice to those who fell victim. Nevertheless, the overall motivation in which Wiesenthal began capturing past war criminals was not because he wanted revenge, but because justice was needful for the millions who were persecuted and bedeviled. Moreover, the outcome of prosecution of war criminals primarily resulted in prison time – sentences varying from five years to life (but there were always the extremists who gave justice on the spot). Lastly, the universal themes that lay present from the Crucible in comparison to the Nazi hunts are that one relied on persecution whereas the other relied on prosecution for those who persecuted. Thus, persecution will always result in