analyze the motives of oskar schindler and why did he originally want the jews to work in his factory? how did this outlook change over time?why did this change occur? how was he able to coerce military officials so that he could get his way? give two specific examples.

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anonymous · Answer

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anonymous · Answer

Originally, Schindler needed cheap labor for his factories in Poland and through a Jewish contact, he brought in a large number of Jewish laborers because it was a cheap alternative (under the Third Reich, they were treated little better than slave labor) but none of those he brought into his factory were mistreated in any way. They were actually treated very well under Schindler making his factory something of a refuge. His outlook dramatically changed when he witnessed the Nazi crackdown on the Krakow Ghetto where Polish Jews were forced to live in squalid conditions or were killed outright. His factory was located in Poland which put him face to face with much of what the Nazis were doing to the Jews at the time. After seeing the brutality of the Nazis firsthand, he firmly resolved himself to defend those Jews that he could under the cover of having a need for laborers and to maintain his factory. It helped that his factory was considered "essential to the war effort" in supplying the military which gave him a lot of leeway in getting "specialists" for the work being done there. He was able to coerce military officials to look the other way, or acquiesce to his demands, through the use of bribes, gifts, and his own charisma. He supplied them with luxury goods when he could and in return, they were lenient in his requests for Jewish labor. As a result, he managed to save over a thousand Jews from being wiped out by the Nazis. You can read more at the United States Holocaust Museum site: http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/schindler/