What happened to the Nazis?
These are some different resources that explain what happened at some of the different trials after the war in which some of the Nazis were tried for crimes against humanity.
The Nazi Party was outlawed in Germany; the lower and mid former Nazis became governmental workers, civil service workers, or teachers in West Germany; meanwhile in the east, the Soviets had taken over and hence the Nazis were sent to Soviet camps in Siberia. Other higher former Nazis were held for trial, such as the Nuremberg Trials, the Bergen-Belsen Trials, and other trials in Poland; many were imprisoned or executed as a result. In other cases, many of them fled to other countries, in which mainly were Argentina, Brazil, or Paraguay. Some of them escaped their punishment and lived peacefully, however, some were hunted down and got executed.
Another consequence that the Nazis faced was the denazification, which was an Allied act to rid Germans and Austrians of any of the Nazi ideology. This program was solidified by the Potsdam Agreement, in which many Nazis' involvement in the party were officially removed/disbanded; hence, they were not tried for their crime.
II. Kielce Pogrom
The Kielce Pogrom
65 Years Later
a) What happened to the Jewish population in Kielce?
At least 42 of them were murdered and 40 of them were injured by the Polish soldiers, police officers, and civilians during the worst outburst of anti-Jewish violence in postwar Poland. The massacre warned other Polish Jews that they had no futurei n Poland after the Holocaust and therefore stimulated them to flee the country.
b) When did this event happen?
July 4, 1946
c) What catalyzed this attack?
A nine-year-old non-Jewish boy, Henryk Blaszczyk, left his home in Kielce without informing his parents. When he returned, he lied to his parents that he had been kidnapped and hidden in the basement of the local Jewish Committee; the boy was attempting to avoid punishment for wandering off. This angered many Poles and therefore a large crowd of them had gathered outisde the building, requesting the Jewish residents to surrender any weapons. Then, an unidentified shot was fired and the whole massacre started inside and outside of the building.
d) What is particularly disturbing about this event?
It is disturbing that even the police forces joined in this massacre, and that only one of them received a one-year sentence while the other two got acquitted. Also, this took place one year after the Holocaust.
e) What were the long term effects of this event on the remaining Jewish population in Poland?
Over 75, 000 Jews fled Poland.
V. Consider these 12 Ways to Deny a Genocide. Why would anyone choose to deny a genocide? When a person or a society denies a genocide what does it suggest about that person or society?
Someone would choose to deny a genocide because he/she cannot bear the amount of punishment (physically and mentally) of the crime. Genocide is considered a crime that would bring disgrace to the perpetrator; hence, his reputation and integrity would be abased. When a person or a society denies a genocide, it suggests that the ideals that that person/society is nurturing is leading into the wrong direction. A genocide is a crime, but denying it is a bigger crime. One might wrong but still has a conscience if he knows what he does is wrong; one wrongs and denies it is one without a conscience. Therefore, when a person or a society denies a genocide, that person/society is denying his/her human rights, integrity, and morals as a human being; the person/society is denying his/her responsibility as a human being to live it up for oneself and one's community, and hence his/her values/morals would be scorned and disqualified by other people/societies.
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