Did German citizens support the idea of eradicating the Jews during WW2?

Most Germans didn't support eradication, even if they were behind the idea of imprisonment. Simply put, when the war was over many were told to see the fruits of their nation's labor and let's just say that there was a lot of nightmare fuel to be had. The idea that Germany did turn around and seek to pay pentence for their crimes rather soon and without complaint after WWII does show that the general populace not only didn't know about the practice but wouldn't have supported it anyway. Germany today is still rather hostile to pro-Nazi anything.

Still, a lot of survivors were distrustful of Germans for a long time since some think there was no way they couldn't have known what was up (for those living near) or that none of them should've been surprised given the climate.

No, most didn't know about it, German press and radio did a good job keeping all of Germany's lost battles and crimes away from the public eye. Even letters and such that were sent from the frontlines were read by the German postal service and they erased anything that mentioned crimes against humanity or anything that mentioned Germans were losing the war. German citizens saw the actions against the Jews in Germany during the early years but most assumed this was natural(Germans believed Jews were radical factions). Most German soldiers did not commit any crimes, majority of the crimes committed were done by the Nazi party's paramilitary organization, the Schutzstaffel.

No german citizens knew about the exterminations, but they definitely supported moving the Jews out of Germany. In the interwar years there was a civil war in Germany that was started by an upset Jewish sect, which is part of the reason Hitler had such an easy time swaying the public opinion

Evidence is evidence.... Meaning: If factually we can support the fact that ordinary Germans knew & admired the mass killings of Jews, than all the answers of "I believe... this or that" simply fall to the waste....

Anyone who read the famous book of Daniel Jonah Goldhager's "Hitler's willing executioners" will undoubtedly conclude, that indeed that is the case, that the ordinary Germans were not only well aware, but they ENTHUSIASTICALLY participated in the degradation & killing of the Jews.

Just some documented facts:

1) When allied soldiers conquered territory after territory in Germany, they found time & again on fridges & on living or bedroom walls, pictures- prominently displayed, of the boyfriend/husband/father's actions in the front, such as mass killings, hanging, humiliating, experimenting, torture of their Jewish victims.

This wasn't on one occasion, but on many-many....

2) The guards & active officers at concentration camps (over 20,000 known to us as of late), who were well documented by the meticulous Germans, are known to have been from ALL walks of German society, ordinary people, doctors, lawyers, professors, fathers, mothers, teachers etc. & they were constantly rotated & sent back home or to the front or retired.

They had no qualms on telling everyone around the "secret" of what was going on....

3) The German Wehrmacht, which many of it's members weren't Nazis at all, actively participated in all the atrocities committed both against the Jews & the civilian populations of where they occupied.

On April 6, 1997, a very remarkable exhibit came to an end.

After being shown in 16 German and Austrian cities, the exhibit "The War of Destruction

- Crimes of the German Army 1941 - 1944" came to a close in the City Hall of Munich,

"The City of the Movement" as it was called during the Nazi period. The exhibit was

organized by Hamburg's Institute for Social Research and it was shown within the

context of "Power and Destructiveness in the 20th Century," a project financed by

independent funds. For more than one year, four scholars extensively investigated the war

crimes of the regular German army in Eastern Europe. They were able to use the rich

material already in existence in Moscow, Russia, and Belgrade, Yugoslavia. The

executions of the civilian population were exemplified by tracing the campaign of the

German Sixth Army, which was eventually liquidated at Stalingrad; by presenting the

results of the German occupation of Belorussia, which lasted three years; and finally, by

showing the German occupation of Serbia. By the time the exhibit reached Munich, it has

been already shown, as mentioned before, in 16 German and Austrian cities and it was

viewed by more than 150,000 visitors. Most of the experts agreed with the findings of the

exhibit. For most of them, there was nothing new in the claim that also the average

soldier was used and often participated, voluntarily or involuntarily, in the massacres.

The well-known military historian, Manfred Messerschmidt, felt that the exhibit was

successful. The holocaust expert Götz Aly saw in this picture and document exhibit the

proof that the invasion of Russia in World War II was the worst example of a war of

conquest, enslavement, and destruction that the modern times witnessed.

Bottom line:

Yes, the vast majority of Germans actively & wholeheartedly agreed or participated in the atrocities committed by the vast citizenry's fathers, brothers, sons, uncles & cousins!

No only about 32% voted for Hitler and Probably once the Holocaust started only 10 % agreed with with what was Going on the SS Gestapo and Hitler Youth prevented anyone complaining

because Most of Hitlers enemies went to Dachau and many Roman Catholic Priests never left

when Rommel arrived in France he and his troops were Disgusted Rommel refused to round up Jews

The majority of German people knew about the rounding up of the Jewish population and believed they were going to 'work camps' or 'concentration camps'

It is well documented even the villagers near some of the 'biggest extermination camps were unaware of what actually was happening

It was Patton I believe forced nearby villagers to inspect the camps and they were totally shocked

http://www.scrapbookpages.com/Buchenwald/Exhibits....

Chetak

I think it probably was "passively" allowed. It would hard to believe that the average german didnt know that "something" was going on, but again the enviornment of the place didnt really allow for a whole lot of questions

Well, hardly anybody did jack-sh*t to stop it.