World History homework help

1. This respond should be addressed to Kimbley Minter

The blatant hatred seen today throughout the White Supremacists Movement is despicable. As one of the world’s leaders, this vile behavior should not be so widespread and existing. The pattern of racism and hate that is seen in the U.S. today can be paralleled to that seen in Germany over 70 years ago. Both countries were considered to be one of the most advance, most educated, and wealthiest civilizations on earth, but the question is why did they succumb to such bigotry?

White supremacy, Nazism, neo-nazism, the alt-right, etc. are ways of thinking. They are ideologies that believe in the racial superiority of white people. While this belief has long been unacceptable, like the Nazis of Germany in 1945, a large spark to this movement has been the changing identities of the country. In Germany, the attempt at changing identity of Germany from just country pride to European pride is what sparked a since of German nationalism, A.K.A. Nazism. According to Hallock, there was a shift that “gave rise to political movements” which “gave way to democracy” and “alternative political ideologies appeared that demanded the entire global structure to be remade to reflect fascism or communism”. Basically, as increased democracy rose, there was increased resistance by some countries, namely Germany, that believed that nationalism was more important. Today, America faces a similar issue. America’s identity has changed from conservative to libertarian with the LGBT movements, legalization of same sex marriage, Women’s rights movements, equal pay, integration of women and LGBT individuals into the military, etc. Because of this changing identity of acceptance, white nationalists/supremacists are rebelling trying to hold on to their pride. The main comparison of the racists groups of today and of the past is that they refuse to accept change.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_nationalism

Hallock, S. A. (2012). The World in the 20th Century: A Thematic Approach.

2. This should be addressed to Timothy Mullen

Globalization is the focus on consumerism and the trade of goods and money around the world. It can be described as all-encompassing- touching the realms of politics, economics, culture, and environmental factors (Hallock, 2013). Social and political groups often use guarantees of further globalization as a bargaining tool to gain followers.

In the 1930’s, Germany had recently come out of World War I, still affected by its loss against the Allied Forces and became isolated from the rest of Europe. German culture thrived within the walls of the country’s border and as a result, ideas of self-sufficiency flourished, allowing Germans to feel a sense of superiority over other countries- and eventually other races. Because of their isolated nature, no one outside of Germany fully realized how engulfed the Germans were becoming in their ideals. Propaganda advertisements, teachings within schools, and conformity were all tools used to indoctrinate Germans during this time (Facing History). Eventually, these ideals came to a tipping point- one where Germans wanted to flex their superiority, once again, over other countries and races. Nazis of the 1930s and the American neo-nazis both gained followers through the promises of globalization.

Followers of the Nazi ideals are generally people fed up with their government’s policies and actions and are attracted to the Nazi party with promises of economic growth, security, and superiority (Facing History, n.d.). In America, there is a growing presence of neo-nazism today. The effects of technology have allowed for the Nazi party to continue to grow even though today’s society is more aware of their surroundings and social issues. Members of our society form and share their opinion through the dissemination of information, as it is now more rapid than ever thanks to tools, such as the Internet. Since Nazi Germany, the use of technology has advanced, allowing for rapid exchange of information and the ability to recruit more followers due to the widespread nature of technology.

Unfortunately, I will opine that there is not a viable solution socially to permanently combat these toxic ideals. With the formation of similar groups, such as Black Lives Matter, the only option is to keep these organizations “in check” to make sure that they do not develop into domestic terrorist organizations, causing fear and inciting violence amongst the population. There will always be groups which thrive on hate and superiority over others, but these ideals can be fought by educating all members of society and promoting equality.

Hallock, S. (2013). The World In The 20th century: A Thematic Approach. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Facing History. (n.d.). Lesson: Life for German Youth in the 1930s: Education, Propaganda, Conformity, and Obedience. Facing History and Ourselves. Retrieved from https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/decision-making-times-injustice/life-german-youth-1930s-education-propaganda-conformity-obedience