Milgram Experiment Holocaust

Words: 682
Pages: 3

The Milgram experiment, conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram in the early 1960s, and the fact that the experiment can explain the Holocaust has been a topic of discussion for a long period of time. People that believe the connection between the Milgram experiment and the Holocaust believe that the process provides important understanding of obedience and bureaucratic involvement, while critics underline the various historical and psychological aspects of the Holocaust. This essay explores this debate by analysing whether the Milgram experiment offers a thorough understanding of the structure behind the Holocaust.

Sabini and Silver (1980) argued that obedience to authority was one of the main reasons why the Holocaust occurred on the large scale that it did. The
…show more content…
Eichmann’s involvement with organizing the logistics of the Holocaust, as shown by documentary proof from his trial and later publications, implies that his actions were motivated by a sincere desire to cause harm to Jews. This claim raises scepticism on the idea that the Holocaust was solely caused by bureaucratic participation or compliance, emphasizing the significance of personal action and ideological determination. The Nazis gave people a platform to voice their hostility toward Jews. In contrast to the controlled environment of Milgram’s study, in which participants were progressively persuaded to provide shocks, those who experienced the Holocaust were not helpless, forced into obedience. Most of them were willing participants in the Holocaust, actively handling responsibilities and work-like situations, like processing paperwork, producing gas, and transporting