Week 2: Extended Post Comm 3550
We visited Sachsenhausen this week. The holocaust undeniably was a crisis, and created a series of cascading crises for Germany, Europe, and the world over the following months and years. Thinking about the Guth reading, how does Sachsenhausen function as a response to that crisis? How does the organization utilize Sachsenhausen (and museums/memorials like it) to pursue healing, restoration, and a prospective vision for the future with the various publics affected by the holocaust? Make specific connections to both the Guth reading and the ECC (Effective Crisis Comm) reading - again, quotes are a good way to do this.
According to Guth 1995, there are three essential effects of a crisis. They are “threatening the legitimacy of an industry, reversing the strategic mission of an organization and disturbing the way people see the world and themselves” (125). The Holocaust was a crisis that created serious problems for Germany and the rest of the world.Â
Sachsenhausen, a concentration camp outside of Berlin, was one piece of the crisis. Today, the Sachsenhausen memorial and museum acts as a response to the three effects of a crisis. From the beginning of the Nazi regime to the end in 1945, Sachsenhausen saw over 200,000 people come through the camp. Victims included political opponents, targeted “inferior” groups, and people from occupied European states. The slogan of the camp was “Work shall set you free”. Many died due to extreme forced labor. In the later years Sachsenhausen became a place of systematic SS extermination in the from of hangings and shootings. Many guards killed prisoners for no reason. Ultimately, these acts of unimaginable horror created a major crisis for the reputation of Germany and humanity in general. The Sachsenhausen memorial and like places serve as areas people can come and learn, mourn, and remember. While some would like to erase Germany’s past, many recognize the need to talk about what happened.Â
First, Sachsenhausen seeks to improve “legitimacy of an industry”. The industry in this case being an entire country. Guth states that public relations is “a channel through which a real discussion of social issues can be facilitated. During this time of public disenchantment, public relations can help provide the catalyst for change that so many in and out of government are seeking” (134). The tour guide talked about many hard topics on the tour. She did not sugarcoat anything. The “social issues” surrounding the Holocaust were communicated clearly and effectively. In order to change the image people have of Germany, Sachsenhausen and similar places bluntly discuss issues surrounding the Holocaust. They condemn the actions, admit it was wrong, and show that Germany is a country that seeks to move far away from its 1930s/40s image. I was impressed with how the tour guide at Sachsenhausen told us the most horrific parts about the camp. I think this was a very effective way to improve “legitimacy of industry”. The ECC reading points out that crises can be “threatening enough to permanently destroy an organization” (8). Owning up to past mistakes is one reason Sachsenhausen is such a great response to the crisis. It improves the legitimacy of Germany as a whole.Â
Sachsenhausen memorial also seeks to “reverse the strategic mission” of Germany. The ideals and beliefs from Nazi Germany are far from what most people in the world consider good. Sachsenhausen serves a great opportunity to act as a place where loved ones and others effected by the holocaust can come and remember. A place that was once a place of death now serves as an educational and emotional experience. The statue that was built opposite of the guard gun tower is a great example of this “reversal”. The statue is a memorial to those who died and thank you to those that liberated the camp. This statue represents the good of humanity. The placement opposite of the guard tower shows Sachsenhausen’s drive to remember the past but look forward to a better future. This is another great example of combating the crisis.Â
The holocaust shook the world to its core. Even today people can’t believe such evil existed. It truly “disturbed the way people see themselves and the world”. My first question before entering the memorial was: How could so many people that lived close by not know what was going on? Why didn’t they try to do something? As the tour went on I could not understand how an entire political group could collectively want to kill so many people. Many Germans hate their past and are ashamed of what went on. Sachsenhausen works to bring encouragement to this dark time in German history by telling stories of survival and heroism. It highlights every group of people that went through the camp by giving them all the same amount of respect. My favorite part of the tour was the pictures of the men from all backgrounds that were killed in the camp. By recognizing and honoring those who were lost, Germany can begin to heal and recognize that they are a country today that refuses to be ruled by evil again. This effectively encourages the publics that were effected that these ideals of evil no longer widely exist.Â
