Question

-semitism
in 1946, an american military court tried german doctors and administrators for their participation in war crimes and crimes against humanity. this is one of the criminal charges against them.
between september 1939 and april 1945 all of the defendants karl brandt, blome, brack, and hoven unlawfully, willfully, and knowingly committed war crimes... in that they... ordered, abetted, took a consenting part in, and were connected with plans and enterprises involving the execution of the so - called \euthanasia\ program of the german reich in the course of which the defendants herein murdered hundreds of thousands of human beings... this program involved the systematic and secret execution of the aged, insane, incurably ill, of deformed children, and other persons, by gas, lethal injections... in nursing homes, hospitals, and asylums. such persons were regarded as \useless eaters\ and a burden to the german war machine. the relatives of these victims were informed that they died from natural causes, such as heart failure. german doctors involved in the \euthanasia\ program were also sent to eastern occupied countries to assist in the mass extermination of jews.
according to the passage, why did the nazis feel justified in murdering people with disabilities?
they knew they were likely to die of heart failure anyway
they suspected they had committed war crimes.
they discovered that most of them were jewish.
they felt they were a burden to society.

Explanation:

To answer this, we analyze the passage. The passage states that the victims (people with disabilities) were regarded as "useless eaters" and a burden to the German war machine. Let's evaluate each option:

• "They knew they were likely to die of heart failure anyway": The passage says relatives were told this as a cover - up, not the real reason the Nazis used to justify the murders. Eliminate this.
• "They suspected they had committed war crimes": There's no indication in the passage that people with disabilities were suspected of war crimes. Eliminate this.
• "They discovered that most of them were Jewish": The passage's focus is on people with disabilities being seen as a burden, not their religious identity. Also, the program for people with disabilities and the extermination of Jews are separate (though some doctors were involved in both). Eliminate this.
• "They felt they were a burden to society": The passage directly says the victims were regarded as "useless eaters" and a burden to the German war machine (part of society's war effort), so this matches the Nazis' justification.

Answer:

The correct option is: They felt they were a burden to society.