Modern Antisemitism

1. Modern Antisemitism Seedbed to the Holocaust

2. Focus Questions 1. How does a society get to this point? Why did Western nations do so little and so very late to save the victims?2. Why were the Jews the chief victims? 2/3 European Jews killed; 1/2 world3. Why have people hated Jews since ancient times? Why were the Jews persecuted? 4. How did Jews become scapegoat per excellence?

3. Transition to Modern Age • (1350-1550) • Renaissance: Humanism; voyages in exploration and discovery • Reformation: Division and reform in Church; Protestantism ends religious unity in Europe • 1453: Fall of Constantinople (end of Middle ages)

4. Modern Era “-ism” • 16-17th century: Rise in sovereignty: secular states • Absolutism • Mercantilism • Capitalism • Late 1600s: Rationalism, scientific revolution: secular and scientific world, heliocentric, Galileo, Newton challenge Church

5. Foundations of Modern Antisemitism in 19th c. • Following Englightenment, Industrial Rev., French Rev. • Liberalism • Conservatism • Industrial capitalism • nationalism • racism • Social Darwinism

6. Entry to the Modern Period • “As Jews were allowed to enter the mainstream of society in one western European country after another, there has occurred perhaps the deepest revolution of all in the long history of the Jewish Diaspora. To understand ... we must begin by briefly considering the effects of 2 historical processes which would profoundly affect the whole course of European history. The 1st is the Enlightenment of the 17th & ... The 18th centuries ... The 2nd is the French Revolution of 1789 ...” • Landau, Ronnie S. The Nazi Holocaust. London-New York: I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd Publishers,1992, p. 48

7. Englightenment • Age of Reason (17-18th c.) • secular-based persecution becomes prevalent • Jews really begin participating in society • “educated elite” – Rationalism • the belief that truth can be determined solely by logical thinking/reason • Roots in Scientific Rev of 1600s (Newton, Galileo, Kepler, Bacon, Descartes)

8. 3 Assumptions of Enlightenment • the entire universe is fully intelligible and governed by natural rather than supernatural forces; • the "scientific method" can answer fundamental questions; and • the human race can be "educated" to improve itself, even to overcome limitations of birth and class.

9. Enlightenment Mainstream • Politically moderate • Critical of the clergy and all rigid dogma • tolerant in religious matters • France was the center of the Enlightenment • Tried to apply rational analysis to existing social/political problems

10. Jew Hate Arose • Voltaire, leader of the Enlightenment, denounced and attacked “Jewish particularism” • stubbornness • perversity • greed • Enemies of Jews quoted Voltaire to prove that not only was their religion bad, but inner character narrow-minded and bigoted

11. 18th C. “Judensau” • “Jew Pig” • Shows Jews performing indecent acts with pigs

12. French Revolution • Pre-1800s, Jews had to convert to Christianity to become citizens in Europe • Spawned liberalism/nationalism • New parties • Left: liberal, Republicans • Right: Conservatives, Church, army aristocracy • Jews’ rights guaranteed by law after Rev.

13. Industrial Revolution • Age of machine, investor—new urban social order • Rising middle class that derives power from wealth • progress required energies and abilities from all • Marxism—belief in necessity of revolution to overthrow capitalism to be replaced by Communism—authoritarian socialism (property and means of production by gov’t—extreme left)

14. Jewish pop. Explosion • Industrial Rev. and citizenship causes population boom for Jews • Jewish children now permitted to attend school • Poor Jewish working class in Eastern Europe • Westernized Jewish assimilated middle class • Jews leave ghettos, start participating in many activities previously closed to them • Gain legal equality throughout Europe

15. Jews Split Into Sects • Orthodox • Conservative • Reform

16. Transition to modern antisemitism • Traditional hatred of the Jews stemmed from: • the deicide accusation • an irrational fear and hatred of outsiders • Jews were cursed for rejecting Christ • Jews deserved punishment for rejecting Jesus as the Messiah • Resentment of the Jew focused on the stereotype that the Jew was possessed by the Devil (tails, horns, used blood of Christian children)

17. Transition (cont’d) • Hostility appears in social and economic forms—socialist thinkers accuse Jews of initiating capitalism (the Rothschild banker family served as a stereotype) • Jewish conspiracy theories—Jews’ desire to control the world

18. Wilhelm Marr • 1873 • Nationalism: beginning 19th c. Europe, single most powerful ideology of modern world • pride in one’s national heritage • shared sense of religious and cultural identity • shared glories and sufferings • loyalty to nation instead of loyalty to dynasty • Jews, outsiders, did not share the common culture, religion, values, were suspiciously seen as threats by extremists in the nationalist mvmt.

19. Marr (cont’d) • Social Darwinism: Darwin’s principle of organic evolution and the “survival of the fittest” in the universal “struggle for existence” were wrongly applied to the social order—to apply science to society—to create social Darwinism • Herbert Spencer—British, applied natural selection to human society (biological racism)—poor not worthy of survival “survival of the fittest” • Divided humanity into racial superiors and inferiors, regarded racial/nat’l conflict as biological necessity

20. Core Notion of Nazi Party • Divided humanity into racial superiors and inferiors, regarded racial/nat’l conflict as biological necessity This notion of the struggle of races for survival became a core doctrine of the Nazi Party

21. Scientific Racism