Will the holocaust ever be forgotten?

The massacres of the Mongols exist only in history books and art. The holocaust has photos, film, first hand accounts of survivors in multiple media forms some of which are very emotive (looking at you Anne Frank) and on the whole far more relatable than acts from centuries ago. Plus the Holicaust is gold dust for Hollywood so that will always fuel public interest.

I don't like to use the word evil either. Saying the Nazis did what they did just because they are evil stops you exploring the deeper reasons and the real motives of the Holocaust. Not that anyone's completely sure what they were and I doubt anyone every will.

I also feel that there is something deeply pervasive about the evil (though I hesitate to use that word) of the Nazis, especially characters like Mengele, that continues to fascinate people. I can't quite put my finger on it though. For that reason, though I have actually wondered myself whether the crimes of Hitler would one day be considered somewhat akin to the crimes of Ghengis Khan, I don't think it will ever truly lose its emotional cachet.

I think part of the reason the Third Reich has burned itself into our psyche so much is becuase of the hatred at the centre of its ideology, which led it to start a destructive war of conquest that led Europe into moral, physical and cultural ruin. The lessons of the Third Reich exert a universal appeal, the consequences of its murderous racism stands as a warning to the whole of humanity.

This is sort of what I was getting at. Speaking of the hate, there's also the fact that it was so utterly venomous, without even the pretense of logical reason most of the time. Some of the laws restricting the rights of the Jews later in the 1930s, such as banning them from having pets and imposing ridiculously inconvenient curfews, seem to have no reason other than pure spite to me.

This is sort of what I was getting at. Speaking of the hate, there's also the fact that it was so utterly venomous, without even the pretense of logical reason most of the time. Some of the laws restricting the rights of the Jews later in the 1930s, such as banning them from having pets and imposing ridiculously inconvenient curfews, seem to have no reason other than pure spite to me.

It's odd how history seems to emphasize some major events over others, there are many parrallels to the holocaust namely genocide but they don't spring to mind because of bias of whoever is in charge of the historical programmes controller on tv, films too.


There isn't much on british TV about slavery? Is it even in the history syllabus?

It's odd how history seems to emphasize some major events over others, there are many parrallels to the holocaust namely genocide but they don't spring to mind because of bias of whoever is in charge of the historical programmes controller on tv, films too.


There isn't much on british TV about slavery? Is it even in the history syllabus?

The slave trade is in the KS3 syllabus, meaning that all students study it. At least it was when I did it 4 years ago.

I'm guessing that the posts of the Holocaust denier were removed? Or is my computer just being funny...

Yeah they were, my post (which quoted him) was also edited.

I think, unfortunately, yes it will.

I'm not having a go at anybody's historical heritage here, but it's well-documented that the Mongol conquests under Genghis Khan killed a similar number of people to the Holocaust (and, at a time when the world population was smaller, although that doesn't really detract from the horror of either event.) But nowadays, people are starting to write histories about how Genghis was a great liberator - revisionist history talking about the benefits of his rule. So, by that metric, it will only be a few centuries before people start trying to get a more "balanced" view of Hitler, as mad as that sounds to us today.

If we humans had longer memories then there would not be the vast array of atrocities we see documented throughout history, and the patterns and cycles that seem so apparent in hindsight would not carry on occuring. But we don't, so they do.

I think the issue is with 'holocaust fundamentalism' being forgotten and replaced with full and rational debate on the issue.

Holocaust is not even the biggest genocide of the 20th century -- that title goes to Mao and Stalin. But still we can discuss these events in rational tones so why not the holocaust?

people must understand holocaust propaganda is about zionist politically agendas. Muslims understand this very well unlike the more naive Christians.