The Power of Propaganda

Europa, Europa is one of the few Holocaust and WWII movies that gives a truly unique perspective of the War and beyond. The story of Solly and his deception of the German government shows the difficulties of staying safe in Nazi occupied Europe. However, unlike many other Jews who just went with what the Nazis forced them to do, Solly struggled to survive by becoming a Nazi himself, brilliantly immersing himself in the Hitler Youth. The camouflage of Nazi support allowed him to be safe throughout his life as a Hitler Youth. This excellent movie showed me that the best way to throw an enemy off your tracks is by becoming exactly like him. Walking his walk, talking his talk. However, the moral implications of this assimilation may be too much for many people, as it almost was for Solly. Solly saw himself becoming the exact entity that had tormented and separated his family. The pain of listening to the onslaught of Anti-Sematic propaganda tested Solly throughout his stay as a German soldier and Hitler Youth. His urge to defend the honor of his people boiled up until the moment when he hit Leni for her Anti-Sematic attitudes. Leni was the perfect German citizen in the eyes of Hitler. She was a loyal Nazi, a staunch Anti-Semitist, and a fierce supporter of furthering the cause of her Homeland. She was so loyal that she was willing to procreate with another man of pure German ancestry and give up her only child to the country that she supports so fervently. She was even quoted to say that she would cut the throat of the next Jew she saw. She is a prime example of how the Nazis have desensitized the German population by dehumanizing the Jews. Hitler successfully created a community that could remove the rights of an entire people without a second thought towards the fact that the Jew are people too. The Jews were stripped of their rights on many occurrences throughout the movie. They lost their businesses and livelihood like when Solly’s father. They lost their right to live where they wanted when they were placed in the ghettos. Then they finally lost their right to their livelihood as Hitler put the Final Solution into effect.