Hitler’sWillingExecutionersbyDanielGoldhagen(Excerpt)IntheSpringof1996DanielJonahGoldhagenpublishedabookcalledHitler'sWillingExecutioners:OrdinaryGermansandtheHolocaustinwhichhearguedthatscholarshipontheHolocaustneededrevision.

ForwhatdevelopmentswouldacomprehensiveexplanationoftheHolocausthavetoaccount?FortheexterminationoftheJewstooccur,fourprincipalthingswerenecessary:

1.TheNazis-thatis,theleadership,specificallyHitler-hadtodecidetoundertaketheextermination.2.TheyhadtogaincontrolovertheJews,namelyovertheterritoryinwhichtheyresided.3.Theyhadtoorganizetheexterminationanddevotetoitsufficientresources.4.Theyhadtoinducealargenumberofpeopletocarryoutthekillings.

ThevastliteratureonNazismandtheHolocausttreatsingreatdepththefirstthreeelements,aswellasothers,suchastheoriginsandcharacterofHitler'sgenocidalbeliefs,andtheNazis'ascendancytopower.Yet,asIhavealreadyindicated,ithastreatedthelastelement,perfunctorilyandmainlybyassumption….

OwingtotheneglectoftheperpetratorsinthestudyoftheHolocaust,itisnosurprisethattheexistinginterpretationsofthemhavebeengenerallyproducedinanearempiricalvacuum.Untilrecently,virtuallynoresearchhasbeendoneontheperpetrators,saveontheleadersoftheNaziregime.Inthelastfewyears,somepublicationshaveappearedthattreatonegrouporanother,yetthestateofourknowledgeabouttheperpetratorsremainsdeficient.Weknowlittleaboutmanyoftheinstitutionsofkilling,littleaboutmanyaspectsoftheperpetrationofthegenocide,andstilllessabouttheperpetratorsthemselves.Asaconsequence,popularandscholarlymythsandmisconceptionsabouttheperpetratorsabound,includingthefollowing.ItiscommonlybelievedthattheGermansslaughteredJewsbyandlargeinthegaschambers,andthatwithoutgaschambers,modernmeansoftransportation,andefficientbureaucracies,theGermanswouldhavebeenunabletokillmillionsofJews.Thebeliefpersiststhatsomehowonlytechnologymadehorroronthisscalepossible."Assembly-linekilling"isoneofthestockphrasesindiscussionsoftheevent.Itisgenerallybelievedthatgaschambers,becauseoftheirefficiency(whichisitselfgreatlyoverstated),wereanecessaryinstrumentforthegenocidalslaughter,andthattheGermanschosetoconstructthegaschambersinthefirstplacebecausetheyneededmoreefficientmeansofkillingtheJews.Ithasbeengenerallybelievedbyscholars(atleastuntilveryrecently)andnon-scholarsalikethattheperpetratorswereprimarily,overwhelminglySSmen,themostdevotedandbrutalNazis.Ithasbeenanunquestionedtruism(againuntilrecently)thathadaGermanrefusedtokillJews,thenhehimselfwouldhavebeenkilled,senttoaconcentrationcamp,orseverelypunished.Alloftheseviews,viewsthatfundamentallyshapepeople'sunderstandingoftheHolocaust,havebeenheldunquestioninglyasthoughtheywereself-evidenttruths.Theyhavebeenvirtualarticlesoffaith(derivedfromsourcesotherthanhistoricalinquiry),havesubstitutedforknowledge,andhavedistortedthewayinwhichthisperiodisunderstood.

Theabsenceofattentiondevotedtotheperpetratorsissurprisingforahostofreasons,onlyoneofwhichistheexistenceofanowover-ten-year-longdebateaboutthegenesisoftheinitiationoftheHolocaust...Forbetterorworse,thisdebatehasbecometheorganizingdebateformuchofthescholarshipontheHolocaust.AlthoughithasimprovedourunderstandingoftheexactchronologyoftheGermans'persecutionandmassmurderoftheJews,ithasalso,becauseofthetermsinwhichithasbeencast,confusedtheanalysisofthecausesoftheGermans'policies,andithasdonenexttonothingtoincreaseourknowledgeoftheperpetrators.Ofthosewhodefinedthisdebateandmadeitscentralearlycontributions,onlyonesawfittoaskthequestion,Why,oncethekillingbegan(howeveritdid),didthosereceivingtheorderstokilldoso?Itappearsthatforonereasonoranother,alltheparticipantsinthedebateassumedthatexecutingsuchorderswasunproblematicfortheactors,andunproblematicforhistoriansandsocialscientists.Thelimitedcharacterofourknowledge,andthereforeourunderstanding,ofthisperiodishighlightedbythesimplefactthat(howeverthecategoryof"perpetrator"isdefined)thenumberofpeoplewhowereperpetratorsisunknown.Nogoodestimate,virtuallynoestimateofanykind,existsofthenumberofpeoplewhoknowinglycontributedtothegenocidalkillinginsomeintimateway.Scholarswhodiscussthem,inexplicably,neitherattemptsuchanestimatenorpointoutthatthis,atopicofsuchgreatsignificance,isanimportantgapinourknowledge.IftenthousandGermanswereperpetrators,thentheperpetrationoftheHolocaust,perhapstheHolocaustitself,isaphenomenonofonekind,perhapsthedeedofaselect,unrepresentativegroup.IffivehundredthousandoronemillionGermanswereperpetrators,thenitisaphenomenonofanotherkind,perhapsbestconceivedasaGermannationalproject.DependingonthenumberandidentityoftheGermanswhocontributedtothegenocidalslaughter,differentsortsofquestions,inquiries,andbodiesoftheorymightbeappropriateornecessaryinordertoexplainit.

SomehistoriansproposedtoexplaintheactionsoftheGermanpeople[asfollows]:1. Oneexplanationarguesforexternalcompulsion:theperpetratorswerecoerced.Theywereleft,bythethreatofpunishment,withnochoicebuttofolloworders.Afterall,theywerepartofmilitaryorpolice-likeinstitutions,institutionswithastrictchainofcommand,demandingsubordinatecompliancetoorders,whichshouldhavepunishedinsubordinationseverely,perhapswithdeath.Putaguntoanyone'shead,sogoesthethinking,andhewillshoototherstosavehimself.

2. Asecondexplanationconceivesoftheperpetratorsashavingbeenblindfollowersoforders.Anumberofproposalshavebeenmadeforthesourceorsourcesofthisallegedpropensitytoobey:Hitler'scharisma(theperpetratorswere,sotospeak,caughtinhisspell),ageneralhumantendencytoobeyauthority,apeculiarlyGermanreverenceforandpropensitytoobeyauthority,oratotalitariansociety's

bluntingoftheindividual'smoralsenseanditsconditioningofhimorhertoacceptalltasksasnecessary.Soacommonpropositionexists,namelythatpeopleobeyauthority,withavarietyofaccountsofwhythisisso.Obviously,thenotionthatauthority,particularlystateauthority,tendstoelicitobediencemeritsconsideration.

3. Athirdexplanationholdstheperpetratorstohavebeensubjecttotremendoussocialpsychologicalpressure,placeduponeachonebyhiscomradesand/orbytheexpectationsthataccompanytheinstitutionalrolesthatindividualsoccupy.Itis,sogoestheargument,extremelydifficultforindividualstoresistpressurestoconform,pressureswhichcanleadindividualstoparticipateinactswhichtheyontheirownwouldnotdo,indeedwouldabhor.Andavarietyofpsychologicalmechanismsareavailableforsuchpeopletorationalizetheiractions.

4. Afourthexplanationseestheperpetratorsashavingbeenpettybureaucrats,orsoullesstechnocrats,whopursuedtheirself-interestortheirtechnocraticgoalsandtaskswithcallousdisregardforthevictims.ItcanholdforadministratorsinBerlinaswellasforconcentrationcamppersonnel.Theyallhadcareerstomake,andbecauseofthepsychologicalpropensityamongthosewhoarebutcogsinamachinetoattributeresponsibilitytoothersforoverallpolicy,theycouldcallouslypursuetheirowncareersortheirowninstitutionalormaterialinterests.

5. Afifthexplanationassertsthatbecausetasksweresofragmented,theperpetratorscouldnotunderstandwhattherealnatureoftheiractionswas;theycouldnotcomprehendthattheirsmallassignmentswereactuallypartofaglobalexterminationprogram.Totheextentthattheycould,thislineofthinkingcontinues,thefragmentationoftasksallowedthemtodenytheimportanceoftheirowncontributionsandtodisplaceresponsibilityforthemontoothers.Whenengagedinunpleasantormorallydubioustasks,itiswellknownthatpeoplehaveatendencytoshiftblametoothers.

[Simply,]thefirstexplanation(namelycoercion)saysthatthekillerscouldnotsay"no."Thesecondexplanation(obedience)andthethird(situationalpressure)maintainthatGermanswerepsychologicallyincapableofsaying"no."Thefourthexplanation(self-interest)contendsthatGermanshadsufficientpersonalincentivestokillinordernottowanttosay"no."Thefifthexplanation(bureaucraticmyopia)claimsthatitneverevenoccurredtotheperpetratorsthattheywereengagedinanactivitythatmightmakethemresponsibleforsaying"no."

Eachoftheseconventionalexplanationsmaysoundplausible,andsomeofthemobviouslycontainsometruth,sowhatiswrongwiththem?Whileeachsuffersfromparticulardefects,theyshareanumberofdubiouscommonassumptionsandfeaturesworthmentioninghere.Theconventionalexplanationsassumeaneutralorcondemnatoryattitudeonthepartoftheperpetratorstowardstheiractions.Theythereforepremisetheirinterpretationsontheassumptionthatitmustbeshownhowpeoplecanbebroughttocommitactstowhichtheywouldnotinwardlyassent,actswhichtheywouldnotagreearenecessaryorjust.Theyeitherignore,deny,orradicallyminimizetheimportanceofNaziandperhapstheperpetrators'ideology,moralvalues,andconceptionofthevictims,forengenderingtheperpetrators'willingnesstokill…Theexplanationstreatthemasiftheyhadbeenpeoplelackingamoralsense,lackingtheabilitytomakedecisionsandtakestances.Theydonotconceiveoftheactorsashumanagents,aspeoplewithwills,butasbeingsmovedsolelybyexternalforcesorbytranshistoricalandinvariantpsychologicalpropensities,suchastheslavishfollowingofnarrow"self-interest."Theconventionalexplanationssufferfromtwoothermajorconceptualfailings.Theydonotsufficientlyrecognizetheextraordinarynatureofthedeed:themasskillingofpeople.Theyassumeandimplythatinducingpeopletokillhumanbeingsisfundamentallynodifferentfromgettingthemtodoanyotherunwantedordistastefultask.Also,noneoftheconventionalexplanationsdeemstheidentityofthevictimstohavemattered.Theconventionalexplanationsimplythattheperpetratorswouldhavetreatedanyothergroupofintendedvictimsinexactlythesameway.ThatthevictimswereJews-accordingtothelogicoftheseexplanations-isirrelevant.

Imaintainthatanyexplanationthatfailstoacknowledgetheactors'capacitytoknowandtojudge,namelytounderstandandtohaveviewsaboutthesignificanceandthemoralityoftheiractions,thatfailstoholdtheactors'beliefsandvaluesascentral,thatfailstoemphasizetheautonomousmotivatingforceofNaziideology,particularlyitscentralcomponentofantisemitism,cannotpossiblysucceedintellingusmuchaboutwhytheperpetratorsactedastheydid.Anyexplanationthatignoreseithertheparticularnatureoftheperpetrators'actions-thesystematic,large-scalekillingandbrutalizingofpeople-ortheidentityofthevictimsisinadequateforahostofreasons.Allexplanationsthatadoptthesepositions,asdotheconventionalexplanations,sufferamirrored,doublefailureofrecognitionofthehumanaspectoftheHolocaust:thehumanityoftheperpetrators,namelytheircapacitytojudgeandtochoosetoactinhumanely,andthehumanityofthevictims,thatwhattheperpetratorsdid,theydidtothesepeoplewiththeirspecificidentities,andnottoanimalsorthings.

Myexplanation-whichisnewtothescholarlyliteratureontheperpetrators-isthattheperpetrators,"ordinaryGermans,"wereanimatedbyantisemitismbyaparticulartypeofantisemitismthatledthemtoconcludethattheJewsoughttodie.Theperpetrators'beliefs,theirparticularbrandofantisemitism,thoughobviouslynotthesolesource,was,Imaintain,amostsignificantandindispensablesourceoftheperpetrators'actionsandmustbeatthecenterofanyexplanationofthem.Simplyput,theperpetrators,havingconsultedtheirownconvictionsandmoralityandhavingjudgedthemassannihilationofJewstoberight,didnotwanttosay"no."

Whatmustwedotorestoretheidentityoftheperpetrator?1)Oftentimeswhenreferencingtheholocaust,peoplerefertolabelssuchastheNazisandSSinsteadofcallingtheperpetratorswhattheyare:GERMANS.TheywereGERMANSactinginthenameofGERMANY.2)WemustredefineGermansocietyintheNaziera.

Source:http://www.historyplace.com/pointsofview/goldhagen.htm