The Henchmen German Government Officials In WWII Essays

The Henchmen: German Government Officials in WWII Many people have contributed to the cruel treatment of human beings, specifically Jews, in Nazi Germany during the second World War. This is a report on the damage carried out by some of the Nazi criminals working under the rule of Adolf Hitler. Many people contributed in Hitler's attempt to carry out his 'Final Solution'. Among these people are Ernst Roehm, Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Himmler, and Hermann Wilhelm Goering. While I discuss how they partook in World War Two, keep in mind their actions will, and have, left a mark on the world forever. Little is known about Ernst Roehm's childhood. He was a quiet boy who never went looking for trouble and didn't express hatred towards anyone, mostly because his parents were Libertarians and never paid attention to the politics in Germany's heartland. In college, Hitler's ideas and notions had a strong impact on Roehm's personality. Though Roehm never graduated, he joined the Free Corps, a group of soldiers dedicated to changing injustices in the German government. After a while, Roehm started to grow tired of the Free Corp's non- violent style, and he was tempted to be more of an activist in government reform. Hitler, looking to recruit fellow officers in his plan, then in it's infancy, liked Roehm's strong presence and personality. Roehm, jobless and nowhere to go, joined Hitler's office. After Hitler was elected into office some years later, he split his dictatorship into different divisions. Roehm, being one of the original officers, was chosen as head of the Sturmabteilung, or SA, commonly referred to as the Brownshirts and storm-troopers. By 1932, the Brownshirts had reached more than 400,000 members. All types of men who Hitler saw fit enough to join were members. Among them were ex-Free Corps soldiers like Roehm, students who weren't able to find jobs, shopkeepers who went out of business or weren't profitable enough, the unemployed, uneducated, and common criminals. As you can see, they were a very diverse bunch. Roehm had full power over where they demonstrated and protested. What was their cause? None really. They were merely an idea of Hitler's to spread his popularity, as well as the Nazi Party's. They roamed the streets of Munich, often drunk, singing racist stanzas from songs, beating anyone they thought, judging just from appearance who they thought was a Jew or a Communist. Roehm screamed to the marching storm-troopers, "We will brawl our way to greatness." He enjoyed violence for it's own sake, and he is quoted as saying to reporters after they burned down a kosher diner, in which he also had the left side of his nose shot off, "Since I am an immature and wicked man, war and unrest appeal to me more than order." In one incident, Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Goering, heads of other Nazi divisions, jealous of Roehm and the rest of the Brownshirt's public popularity, even though they had more power internally, conspired against Roehm and the storm-troopers. They forged letters and documents to Hitler in Roehm's name, in which confessions of high treason were written. Many members of the storm-troopers were executed. When Hitler himself came to partake in the executions, they started screaming "Heil Hitler", the salute to Hitler. Hitler realized that the documents had been forged, and let the rest, including Roehm go free. Hitler and the storm-troopers never found out who had written them. Another incident of a much greater magnitude was 'the night of long knives', on June 30, 1934. Hitler cut off relations with all his fellow branches except the SS. He let most of them all go, except members of the storm-troopers. They were all executed, and Roehm insisted that Hitler kill him. He felt any other person to kill him would be considered unfaithful to Hitler and an undignified death. Hitler killed him and in all of World War Two Ernst Roehm remained the only person to ever die by Hitler's bullets. Another henchman of Hitler's, Joseph Goebbels, born in 1897, in Rheydt, Germany and the son of peasants, probably had the most effect on Germany's society and public life. A childhood bone disease stunted his growth, so he didn't grow more than 5 feet and he walked with a limp. His actions are well documented since he kept a diary of almost everything in his political life. Thin-faced and slender, before working for Hitler, he was a successful playwright of scripts about political satire. He was the man who convinced Hitler to run for President of Germany on February 22,