Anne Frank: Leadership as a Legacy

Anne Frank was born on June 12, 1929 in Frankfurt, Germany and lived in Amsterdam during World War II. Fleeing the Nazis genocide actions towards Jews, her family went into hiding for two years. During those two years, she kept a diary where she recorded her deepest feelings and thoughts. She was fifteen when the Frank family was found. Anne died seven months later at Bergen-Belsen, a concentration camp, from a disease called typhus. Her book, The Diary of Anne Frank, has since been read by millions of people all over the world. Anne Frank grew up in an average German-Jewish family. Her father, Otto Frank, was a lieutenant in World War 1 and later became a businessman in Germany, and her mother, Edith Frank, stayed at home. Anne also had a sister named Margot who was three years older than her. Soon after Anne was born, the anti-Semitic National German Socialist Workers Party (Nazi Party) led by Adolph Hitler became Germany's leading political force, winning control of the government in 1933. Otto Frank said,”I can remember that as early as 1932, groups of Storm Troopers came marching by, singing, 'When Jewish blood splatters from the knife.” It was then the Frank family decided it was time to leave. They fled to Amsterdam, Netherlands in 1933. After Otto and his family left he said,”Though this did hurt me deeply, I realized that Germany was not the world, and I left my country forever.” On June 12, 1942, Anne's parents gave her a red checkered diary for her 13th birthday. Immediately, she started placing her thoughts and feelings in this diary. Weeks later on July 5, 1942 Margot was told to go to a concentration camp. The next day the family went into hiding in makeshift quarters in an empty space at the back of Otto Frank's company building, which they referred to as the Secret Annex. While the Frank family was hiding Anne was constantly writing in her diary. Sometimes she wrote all of her melancholy thoughts in her diary. On February 3, 1944 she wrote, “I've reached the point where I hardly care whether I live or die. The world will keep on turning without me, and I can't do anything to change events anyway." After two years of hiding, the Frank family finally got busted. A German secret police officer accompanied by four Nazis stormed into the secret annex and arrested everyone hiding there. They had been betrayed by an anonymous tip, the identity of the betrayer still remains unknown. They were taken to Camp Westerbork, a concentration camp in the northeastern Netherlands, on August 8, 1944. They were transferred to Auschwitz death camp in Poland on September 3, 1944. Upon arriving at Auschwitz, the men and women were separated. Otto Frank would never see his wife or daughters again. At Auschwitz, Anne and Margot had the task of hauling heavy stones and grass mats. After several months of this heavy workload, Anne and Margot were transferred again to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany. At Bergen-Belsen, food was scarce, sanitation was awful and disease ran rampant. A few months after getting to Bergen-Belsen Anne and her sister got typhus. Anne died sometime in March 1945. Less then a month later the camp was liberated by British soldiers. Anne was one of the most inspiring young women of the twentieth century. She demonstrated perseverance by pushing through the challenging situations she faced. Anne was optimistic by being positive despite the horrific experiences she went through. Finally, she was brave by not being frightened by everything that could happen. Anne Frank will forever be remembered for her leadership for generations to come.