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TRIAL OF THE AVERAGE GERMAN483552538354000OBJECTIVE: To determine, through a trial, whether Alex Steiner should be held responsible for allowing the NAZI’s crimes against humanity to occur. The trial will be held in the newly created United Nations in March 1947. Note: Conviction of Alex Steiner does not effect whether or not other Germans will be triedStudents will be chosen by the teachers to play the following roles:Court Officials: Judge - Teacher Bailiff - Follows the judge’s bidding to maintain order in the court and to swear in witnesses. Defense Lawyers - Lead attorney will complete the opening and closing statements and lead questioning of chosen witnesses. The second attorney will lead questioning of other witnesses, and the paralegal must help the lawyers research the case and conduct cross-examination of one witness. Prosecution Attorneys - Lead attorney will complete the opening and closing statements and lead questioning of chosen witnesses. The second attorney will lead questioning of other witnesses, and the paralegal must help the lawyers research the case and conduct cross-examination of one witness. Accused: Alex Steiner: German shop owner who joins the NAZI party. He has mixed feelings about the mistreatment of the Jewish people. Witnesses: Prosecution: These witnesses may or may not like Alex, but should be used to help damn him (get a guilty verdict). Generally the prosecution will argue that Steiner was in a small group of Germans that actually joined the party, had a good idea of what was happening to the Jews, and did nothing to stand up to the Nazi atrocities when other Germans did.Max Vandenberg: A German Jew who goes into hiding in order to avoid being put in a concentration camp. Son of Erik Vandenburg, who served in the German military during WWI. Albert Speer: Reich minister of construction who worked with Hitler but attempted to raise conditions of the country’s forced laborers and evaded Hitler’s orders to use a scorched earth policy in the final months of the war.Erwin Rommel: One of Hitler’s top generals and led the Afrika Corps. His army was never accused of war crimes and he ignored orders to kill Jewish prisoners of war. Late in the war he was involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler.Liesel Meminger: A young girl growing up in Nazi Germany. She helps to hide Max and stands against the Nazis in a variety of ways.Hans Hubermann: A German painter who applies for membership in the Nazi party, but who attempts to rescind his application. He helps a variety of Jews throughout the course of the novel.Dwight Eisenhower: Chief of Allied Forces who ordered that every available American soldier and every single citizen of the local towns personally tour the camp and, after having done so, the mayor of Gotha and his wife went home and hanged themselves. Later on Ike wrote to Mamie, “I never dreamed that such cruelty, bestiality, and savagery could really exist in this world.” General Eisenhower understood that many people would be unable to comprehend the full scope of this horror. He also understood that any human deeds that were so utterly evil might eventually be challenged or even denied as being literally unbelievable.Oskar Schindler: was one of many who sought to profit from the German invasion of Poland in 1939 by hiring low cost forced Jewish Laborers. While witnessing a 1943 raid on the Kraków Ghetto, Schindler was appalled by the murder of of Jews who had been working for him. After the raid, increasingly used all of his skills to protect his Schindler's Jews", as they came to be called. In the factory itself, Jewish workers were treated civilly, with none of the "shouting, abuse and random killing" that was going on in the P?aszów camp next-door. The Jews were also able to pray daily.Defense: These witnesses will be called first by the defense and cross- examined by the prosecution. Note: Just because they are called by the defense doesn't mean that they would personally like to help the defense’s case. Generally the defense will argue that Steiner didn’t know the specifics of what was happening, was just joining the Nazi party to protect his family, and couldn’t really have done anything to stop the Nazi’s atrocities.Hermann Goering: German Chief Air Marshall during WW2. Goering gleefully went along with Hitler’s racial policies and believed that the Jews should be persecuted. He believed that the German people could be misled and forced into doing the NAZI party’s bidding. He noted, “Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.” He also noted that nobody disobeyed Hitler, “above ground” for fear that disobeying would lead to immediate death for them and their families.Rudy Steiner: Son of the accused; has a loving relationship with his father. Alex Steiner prevents the Nazis from enlisting Rudy in the military.Hans Hubermann Jr.: A dedicated Nazi who believes that his father, and many other German citizens, need to do much more to support the Nazi cause.Frau Diller: A German shop-owner who fervently supports the Nazi cause. Children need to heil Hitler in order to buy candy at her shop. Ilsa Hermann: Wife of the mayor of Molching. She develops a caring relationship with Liesel. Although her husband is clearly a Nazi, Ilsa does not actively do anything to support the Nazi cause.Written Assignment: International Tribunal Members (jury) - Members of this international body and its assigned foreman will determine the outcome of the trial. Jury members will not write a paper for this trial, since they will be responsible for presenting during the Genocide Convention.Attorneys and paralegals - You must turn in your research notes you took while examining the evidence along with a written introduction ( one page) mentioning the strategy you developed for your case. Witnesses- Must dress their part for the trial and complete a 2-3 page bibliographic paper or detailed character analysis of your subject (person). Make clear who your subject is, provide relevant details about their lives, their relationship to the Nazi’s, and how they might feel about the guilt or innocence of Alex Steiner. Predict questions that your character might be asked by the prosecution and the defense and write out answers that your character would give. Judge/Bailiff - You must write a 2-3 page position paper examining whether or not the trial verdict was justified. * All Papers must be typed and your sources cited. ................
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