Prejudice in the Real World: Analytical Essay on Adolf Hitler

Adolf Hitler had great historical significance because his actions changed the course of the planet. He was responsible for the Holocaust, the state-sponsored massacre of six million Jews (Britannica, 2020).

Hitler used his influence to initiate an anti-Jewish campaign that resulted in the Holocaust. Hitler’s mind had a myth and blamed the Jews for the defeat of the First World War as a result of a Jewish conspiracy, the Versailles Treaty was also a Jewish conspiracy designed to bring Germany to its knees, and the 1923 hyperinflation was the result of an international Jewish attempt to destroy Germany.

Nevertheless, the Jews became the 'Untermenschen' after January 1933, the sub-humans. At Jewish markets, Nazi fascists prevented Germans from shopping. In 1934, all Jewish shops were labelled with David's Yellow Star or had written on the window the word 'Juden.' Jews had to sit on seats dedicated for them on buses, trains, and benches. The Nuremberg Laws were passed in 1935. The Jews lost their rights to be citizens of Germany, and marriage between Jews and non-Jews was forbidden.

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The anti-Semitism campaign began on November 10, 1933. There were 10,000 Jewish-owned shops demolished and their goods robbed. Homes and synagogues were set on fire. Jewish properties were damaged, forcing the Jewish community to pay a one-billion-dollar fine for the clear-up. Jews also had to sweep the streets clean (Trueman C, 2019).

Hitler’s attitude can be broken down into three components: affective, behavioural, and the cognitive. Hitler’s affective component can be explained as he felt hatred, anger, and sadness. He victimised by the Jews, he blamed a Jewish doctor for the death of his mother, he blamed a Jewish professor for refusing his artwork when he applied to the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, and he blamed Jews for Germany’s loss in World War I (Answers, 2016). Secondly, Hitler passionately hated Jews, and to protect his nation, he fought for his country. From pep talks on building sites to talks in beer houses to speeches in basements to town halls (The greatest story ever told, 2014).

Hitler had built 23 concentration camps which had sub-camps, nearly 900 of them, consisting of hundreds of Jews (Jewish Virtual Library, 2019). Many of the prisoners died in the concentration camps due to deliberate maltreatment, disease, starvation, and overwork, or they were executed as unfit for labour. Hitler’s discriminatory behaviour and actions had killed 6 million Jews and wiped 2/3’s of Europe’s Jewish population.

Stereotypes and cognitive interpretations of how Hitler’s views are related to the Nazi party (Vescio T, Weaver K, 2013). The command of the German army spread the idea that they had not lost the war, but instead, they said they had been betrayed. Hitler bought into the myth, that the country had been betrayed by Jews and communists and brought to power a left-wing government. Hitler created a stereotypical enemy, by blaming the Jews for the defeat. The vanquished nation was still in great economic turmoil in the 1920s and early 1930s. According to the Nazis, the solution to Germany's problems was to kill the Jews (Trueman C, 2015).

Hitler believed that the Jews weren’t human beings, he considered them as sub-humans. Hitler always had a dream of an Aryan nation and Jews weren’t a part of his nation. Hitler also believed in racial purity. He wanted to end the Jewish population because he thought “life unworthy of life” should be killed. He thought Jews would do nothing but drag the country down, and in his mind, Jews needed to be extinguished (e Notes, 2010).

The functions of Adolf Hitler’s attitude would be adaptive and self-expressive. Hitler loved his nation and the people, he wanted to maximise his nation's rewards by maximising Germany's demographics, financial growth and be victorious. Germany was economically unstable during the 1930s (Alpha History, 2015). Hitler thought that Jews were doing nothing but dragging down the country. Hitler wanted to minimise Germany’s punishment, but he figured that Jews increased punishment by causing Germany to lose the First World War and bring the country down. Secondly, the other function is self-expressive, Hitler was proud of his nation, he gave speeches and pep talks about anti-Semitism, fought for the liberty, growth, and people of his country. This showed and expressed his identity to the world, it showed that he passionately hated Jews.

Hitler’s attitude about Jews could’ve been formed through indirect exposure, direct exposure, and modelling. Firstly, I believe Hitler might’ve experienced indirect exposure and formed an attitude through Germany’s loss in World War I. This might’ve been due to newspapers, posters, overhearing conversations, etc. He may have developed animosity by direct exposure and stereotyped Jews. Eduard Bloch, a Jewish physician who cared for Hitler's beloved mother, Klara Hitler from breast cancer until her death in 1907. Secondly, Hitler might’ve been a part of a conversation with other Germans who may have expressed views about the Jews. Due to these conversations, some of the views such as losing World War would’ve been echoed across the nation and resulted in Hitler adopting a hatred for Jews.

Thirdly, Hitler’s father, Alois Hitler, was described as physically abusive and 'tyrannical.' This would have made Hitler resentful of his father and intensified his Jewish hate. Because of this, Hitler felt helpless and powerless as a child because of his poor relationship with his father who dominates and directs him excessively (Diamond S, 2014).

This could’ve resulted in Hitler being aggressive to Jews, as he has been observing his father be aggressive from childhood. He learnt from his father, that being abusive was the right thing to do. He had already built a stereotype of Jews back in 1910 (Trueman C, 2015), through his anti-Semitism and his abusive father, Hitler’s childhood and early life in Vienna led to being aggressive towards Jews.

The concept of accounting could be used to resolve the prejudicial, racist, and stereotyping actions of Hitler. Hitler's hatred for Jews has been built up since childhood and had evolved as he grew. Many examples of how good and important Jews are for Germany, and how much the Jewish population has worked to help Germany resolve its discrimination through the bookkeeping method.

Reference list:

  1. Britannica, 2020, Adolf Hitler | Biography, Rise to Power, & Facts, Viewed 10 February 2020,
  2. Trueman C, 2019, Jews in Nazi Germany, Viewed 20 February 2020,
  3. The Greatest Story Ever Told, 2014, 10 Reasons Why Hitler Was One of The Good Guys, Viewed 12 February 2020,
  4. Answers, 2016, Why did Adolf Hitler do what he did, Viewed 12 February 2020,
  5. Jewish Virtual Library, 2019, Concentration Camps: How Many Camps, Viewed 13 February 2020,
  6. Trueman C, 2015, Adolf Hitler, Viewed 22 February 2020,
  7. Vescio T, Weaver K, 2013, Prejudice and stereotyping, Viewed 19 February 2020,
  8. eNotes, 2010, What did Hitler think of the Jews, Viewed 13 February 2020,
  9. Alpha History, 2015, Great Depression in Germany, Viewed 15 February 2020,
  10. Diamond S, 2014, How Mad was Hitler, Viewed 15 February 2020,

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