What could the United States and other countries have done before the war to stop the Holocaust?
1 Answer
There are a number of things that could have been done.
Explanation:
Firstly the West could have been less sympathetic to Hitler. He was seen by many as a role model. He was Time Magazine Man Of The Year. In particular he was seen as an important bulwark against international Bolshevism and the Soviet Union. This was linked to widespread anti-semitism in the West.
Examples would include Henry Ford who was anti-semitic and gave all the profits from his German factories to the Nazis, and Joseph Kennedy who as US Ambassador to London advised Roosevelt to stay out of the war, but if he did intervene to support Hitler.
The isolationism of US foreign policy during this period did little to help the plight of the Jews. It took the attack on Pearl Harbour to bring the USA into the war and even then it was against Japan. There was no guarantee they would have become involved in Europe but Hitler declared war on the USA in support of his Japanese allies.
The same was true in Europe. The West did little or nothing to help the persecution of the Jews. Hitler had many admirers amongst the British ruling class. Those who went to see him and became friends included, Lloyd George, Unity Mitford and the Windsors.
The British position was made more complicated by her mandate in Palestine. Keeping the peace was becoming increasingly difficult and made the British even more reluctant to allow Jews in.
Even after war broke out, only in Denmark was there a concerted attempt by the population to help the Jewish population escape. Most countries did little or actively co-operated in the deportations. These included the UK authorities in the Channel Islands.
