Did the Western World do enough for the Jews in the Holocaust?

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Did the Western World do enough for the Jews in the Holocaust?

"When they came for the gypsies, I did not speak, for I am not a gypsy. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak, because I wasn't a Jew. When they came for the Catholics, I did not speak, for I am not a Catholic. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak."

On the Wall at the Holocaust Museum in Washington

It is impossible to learn about the Holocaust and the Second World War without the question of how it possibly could have happened arising, and along with that question comes another. The question of whether or not the Western World did enough to help the Jews in Europe. What was their reaction to the campaign of systematic persecution, robbery and murder the Third Reich inflicted upon the Jewish people?

During the time leading up to the outbreak of World War II, the Western Press consistently carried numerous reports of the German's anti-Jewish policies and their purposeful victimization of the Jews living in Nazi Germany as well as the annexed territories. The general public cannot claim that they did not know what was going on, that they were uninformed. Whether or not they chose to believe it however, is a completely different story.

The President of the United States initiated the Evian Conference in 1938 in an attempt to find a means that would aid emigrants from Germany and Austria and enable their absorption elsewhere. Thirty-two countries sent delegates with hopes that a solution would be found however, it quickly became clear to all that the even the great powers who had initiated the conference were not willing to take any significant steps towards accepting the refugees. Despite the speeches and the appeals, no one country was willing to commit themselves to practical measures, the smaller countries following the example of the larger ones. An international committee was set up in London for refugee affairs but it lacked funding as well as a place towards where they could direct the refugees. It is evident here that it is not a lack of knowledge that something had to be done, but rather an unwillingness that prevented the Western World from helping the Jews. Words are just that, mere words, unless they are put into action. As a result, the Evian Conference is regarded as a complete failure.

As Jews were fighting for their lives in Warsaw Ghetto, a conference of the major allies convened in Bermuda to consider the "problem" of refugees. As with the Evian Conference, no practical solutions were proposed, The only thing it did accomplish was an attempt at reviving the International Committee for Refugee Affairs, which had no executive powers.

Once again the reactions of the United States and Britain, who were the major countries of the anti-Nazi alliance, were of horror and anger. The Jews put forth plans to combat the Nazis persecution of their people such as a demand for the exchange of Germans for Jews or the launching of retaliation strikes against the

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Approximate Word count = 1177
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History