History 323:  The Holocaust                   S2003              Prof. J. Popkin

 

Topics for Essay Assignment #3

 

Due Date:  Tues., Apr. 1 (note change from syllabus)

 

Write a 3-5 pp (c. 1000 word) essay on any one of the following topics:

 

  1. What does Franz Stangl say about his attitude toward Jews during the Nazi period?  Are his claims supported by the evidence of his behavior brought out by Gitta Sereny?  How would you describe his actual attitudes, based on your reading of the book? 

 

  1. Compare the picture of Stangl’s motivation that emerges from reading Into That Darkness with the three theories of perpetrator motivation we read about in Niewyk (the selections by Lifton, Browning, and Goldhagen).  Which of these theories is most useful in explaining Stangl’s behavior?  Explain your answer.

 

  1. Like many perpetrators, Stangl claims that he had no choice about becoming involved in the Final Solution, and that he was “just following orders” in doing what he did.  Does the evidence presented in Into That Darkness bear out these claims?  Why, or why not?

 

  1. Consider the evidence about Stangl’s relationship with his wife during the Holocaust period.  Should she be considered an “enabler,” who made it possible for him to participate in mass killing?  Why, or why not?