The Film, Radical Evil, By Stefan Ruzowitzky - 1275 Words

The film, Radical Evil, by Stefan Ruzowitzky, argues that there is genocidal potential in each of us. Personal responsibility is not lost, but rather shown through the courage to step out or the willingness to conform. Radical Evil attempts to explain conformity through a series of psychological tests such as the Milgram Experiment and the Asch Conformity Test. Through psychologists, sociologists, historians, and primary sources, the film suggests that everyone is capable of murder or genocide given the right environment such as military orders or the atmosphere of war. Essentially, the perpetrator becomes the victim of their own psyche and circumstances. However, allowing the Einsatzgruppen, or any other Nazi affiliated group, to assume†¦show more content†¦Genocide was not new in WWII, nor was it an isolated incident, but the ease with which the Nazi’s were able to significantly reduce the Jewish population was only the beginning of a new era in warfare. Personal re sponsibility would take a back seat to nationality, patriotism, and advancing technology. The Cold War: Skepticism of Technology After World War II, a new enemy was in the horizon: technology. In the 1940’s, the United States was the leader of the â€Å"Free World† paving a path and setting an example for the rest of the world to follow (Maland 191). Americans believed the misconception that â€Å"American society was sound, and that communism was a clear danger to the survival of the United States and its allies† (Maland 191). The U.S. maintained a policy of containment by fighting communism wherever it may be, and in a show of might in 1952, they detonated the first hydrogen bomb (Maland 192). Only a short year later, the mighty Soviet Union announced that they too had the Atom bomb (Maland 192). And, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik in 1957, the United States became alarmed that they were falling behind in science and technology. Because the Soviets had the same capability to annihilate the world with the bomb as the United States, tensions b etween the two countries increase daily. But, this new war tactic brought into question man’s ability to make decisions of nuclear proportions with