It was prisoners in camps who build crematoria and operated infrastructure. Soldiers were drafted (involuntary) and would get shot for not following orders. Some guards in camp were even Jewish. Nobody pretended anything, they just wanted to live a bit longer.
Just compare it with US prisons or Gaza, everyone is fine with those today.
>It was prisoners in camps who build crematoria and operated infrastructure. Soldiers were drafted (involuntary) and would get shot for not following orders.
If only it was that clear cut.
Actually higher personel, as well as guards and soldiers were known to be extremely sadistic, from using women as sex slaves (the "joy divisions"), to cruel games with killing, maiming prisoners for fun, and everything in between.
It wasn't just "following orders". There was sadistic enjoyment, and sense of a higher race getting rid of unwanted parasites in lots of these people.
That some prisones built crematoria and operated infrastructure (under threat of death) is just a technical detail.
Also, the camps themselves were built by businessmen. Hitler had strong ties to German business. He gave many handouts to business over the years, including labor conscription.
Another perhaps little known to some fact is that tons of people, especially businessmen and politicians, viewed Hitler favorably in the US, until they entered the war. Including his views on Jews etc.
He was a kind of their mascot against "the reds" and against unruly workers and working classes in the US.
Also, contrary to some belief, before and even during the war, the US mostly could not care less about the plight of Jews at the time, even when it was known what was happening to them. E.g
Yes, there is absolutely a direct line running from systematically murdering over 11 million innocent people to incarcerating people or killing 2,000 people in a war.
The Nazis didn't cut roads or destroy infrastructure in the Holocaust, they methodically murdered a lot of people. I really don't see the comparison to the US prison system or to recent events in Gaza.
My point is that nobody can really blame individuals, who are protecting their ass, for participating on evil.
We probably both agree there is something wrong with overblown prison system. But we would hardly blame prison guard for participating. Also we would probably agree to punish prison guard who helps prisoner to escape.
Also some innocent civilians died in last Intifada, but nobody is demanding head of soldiers who killed those civilians.
You do realize that Hamas uses the infrastructure (schools, hospitals, etc...) for their attacks? It's safer for the IDF to shoot a rocket then perform a land operation.
Just compare it with US prisons or Gaza, everyone is fine with those today.