Essay Questions

How did Madeleine Albright find out that her family was Jewish before immigrating to the United States? How was she affected by this news?

Madeleine Albright found out that her ancestors were Jewish when she was being vetted to be the Secretary of State. A journalist researched her family history. She was astonished by the news and could not understand why her parents did not tell she and her siblings of their past. It leads her to research her own history to discover answers.

Why did the Nazis encourage the immigration of Jewish people from German occupied lands?

The Nazis encouraged the Jewish people in the land they occupied throughout Europe to immigrate so that they could have their land and wealth without having to result to violence. This helped to keep up the façade to the outside world that they were occupying lands to help the people not harm anyone.

How is Hitler able to occupy various lands in Europe without having to fight to gain the territories?

Hitler is perceived as very charismatic and knows that the leaders at the time will do anything to keep from going to war. He uses this to his advantage and pushes little by little to take the land that he wants. Concessions are made to him because no one wants another war like World War I. Hitler also uses propaganda and lies to make people think that Czechoslovakia is mistreating the Germans in their land. He uses this to get his foot into the door and eventually to take Czechoslovakia without a fight under the agreement of the Munich Pact.