Intervention from the USA
The Holocaust
- Used to describe the execution of six million Jews
- To Hitler, it was the “Final Solution” to the Jew Question
- Many who died did so as a result of starvation and disease
- Jews were not the only people targeted for death
- Despite evidence, Holocaust still vehemently denied by some
As word got out concerning the treatment and execution of Jewish people in Germany, many countries, including the United States were slow to react. In fact, it was not even a priority to the U.S. Its first priority was finishing the war victorious. To complicate matters, many simply found it difficult to believe operations of such a large scale was actually or could actually happen. On December 17th, 1942, the United States along with Great Britain and several other allied governments denounced the treatment of the Jews by the Germans. However, the U.S. was made aware of the situation back in August, yet the State Department delayed disclosing such information ("The United States and The Holocaust", n.d.).
The Great Depression took a toll of many countries. This problem became even more of an issue when countries were not financially capable of accepting Jewish refugees. In the case of the United States, many citizens feared what the taking in of these refugees could do the economy of the U.S., but also many feared or distrusted the refugees coming in. In 1939, 83% of Americans were opposed to the idea of bringing in refugees ("America and The Holocaust", n.d.). Between 1933 and 1945, an estimated 200,000 refugees finally made their way to the United States.
References
- The United States and the Holocaust. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005182
- America and the Holocaust. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/defying-nazis/america-and-holocaust
Credit: Krystal