History 346

Paper Assignment #3

“At Auschwitz, not only man died, but the idea of man.”

--Elie Wiesel

How did the Holocaust come into being?  Did Hitler emerge from World War I with a clear plan to exterminate physically the Jews of Europe, or was it a "twisted road" to Auschwitz?  What were the consequences of this campaign of mass murder, both for its victims and for the world?  Using your textbook, notes, Life in the Third Reich, and Borowski’s This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen, write an essay on the origins, course, and consequences of the Holocaust.  Be specific in relating the relative importance of the various factors that went into the creation of the "Final Solution."  Finally, what does Wiesel mean?

Typed, double-spaced, one-inch margins, 12-point maximum font size, paginated with your name on each page; 4-5 pages long. Due in class May 11th.

Be sure to be specific when citing examples, whether from the short stories by Borowski, the essays in Life in the Third Reich, the textbook, or lectures.

Please make sure that you keep a copy yourself; this is for your benefit as well as the instructor’s.

For a short introduction into matters of writing and style, consult the instructor's Writing Guidelines.