Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Holocaust - Essay Example By far the most targeted during the Holocaust were the Jewish people, though there is a debate as to the reasons why. Some say that it was because Adolf Hitler, who came to power as Chancellor and later as Dictator of Germany, hated Jews with a fanatical passion and without reason; others say it was because Jews were looked upon as â€Å"inferior† while Germans considered themselves the â€Å"master race†, responsible for eradicating the scourge of all other races on the planet, including Jews (â€Å"The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum†). Regardless of the reasons, the Holocaust is horribly, irreversibly stamped on the history of the world. It would be fair, however, to note that the Holocaust did not simply start overnight; no one woke up one morning and decided to eradicate the planet of Jews. A number of events were part of the Holocaust as early as 1933, such as the burning of books that had been deemed â€Å"UnGerman† across Germany on May 10, 1933, written primarily by Jewish authors (The History Place). On January 24 1934, Jews were prohibited from the German Labor Front, and in 1935 the Nuremberg Race Laws were enacted, which marked the beginning of the German people seeing Jews as unclean, and of improper heritage (The History Place). Jews, however, were not the only ones targeted; on November 24, 1933, the Law Against Habitual and Dangerous Criminals was passed, which allowed people such as beggars and alcoholics to be sent away to concentration camps such as Dachau, already built in Germany and awaiting its sinister purpose (The History Place). The events continued to become worse and worse; in 1938 J ews were ordered to â€Å"register† all property and valuables with Germany and in 1939 were ordered to hand over all gold and silver items (The History Place). There were other humiliating acts that took place from 1933 to 1939, some small, some large, both in scope and effect,

Paper on the social structural theories then break it down into the Research

On the social structural theories then break it down into the social disorganization theory, cultural deviance theory, and - Research Paper Example Cultural deviance theory asserts that conformity to the existing cultural norms of the society of a lower class results into crime. Youths or lower sub culture class has a set of unique beliefs and values, which are often in conflict invariably with the conventional norms of the society. Criminality in this aspect is the expression of non conformity to social norms or conformity to a lower class of sub cultural beliefs and values. Youth therefore commit crimes trying to respond to their own class of cultural norms in an attempt to deal with the social problems from middle class and adjustment. This theory is associated with labeling theory, the rationale for choosing it (labeling theory), in that they both address a particular class of society and their beliefs. According to labeling theory, the youths turn to a delinquent lifestyle and commit crimes when a good part of the members of society give them a label or associate them with such crimes and lifestyle, hence they accept such l abels as their own personal identity. As youth interact with others in the society throughout their lives, they are usually given various symbolic labels. These symbolic labels often imply different attitudes and behaviors, thus the labels do not only give a description of an individual trait, but also describe the whole person. A negative label often results into a permanent harm of the targeted persons, especially when a significant other confers such a devalued status on the person. Being perceived as a deviant in the society and/ or being associated with a delinquent lifestyle often impact on the treatment youths receive at work, at home, at school, and any other places of social interactions. Those labeled usually find themselves turning to other people who are equally stigmatized by a similar or related label for purposes of championship and support. Law is, in most cases, applied differently and benefits people who hold social and economic power, while the powerless are often penalized. Labeling theory therefore is not only concerned with why the persons engage originally in the acts that make them labeled, but also deeply concerned with the reasons for a criminal career is formation. The origin of acts of crimes is not specifically discussed by this theory (Samuel, 2007). An individual becomes a deviant majorly due to the social distance that exists between the labeled and the labeler. Labeling theory is associated with various effects on the people who are labeled; these are the reasons why youth find themselves turning into a delinquent lifestyle and commit most crimes. They do this with a belief that even if they remain within the law, the society still associates them with such deviances and delinquent lifestyle. Some of the impacts resulting from this theory include the following: Stigma creation: whenever an individual have a public record of acts of deviance, the denounced individual separates himself or herself virtually from a place of group b y a successful degradation ceremonies in a legitimate order. An impact on self image: the offenders who have been stigmatized may probably start reevaluating their own personal identities within the label Primary deviance: these are some crimes with very little effect or influence on the actor, such are easily and quickly