David's history teacher asked him why so many German people complied with Hitler's orders to systematically slaughter millions of innocent Jews. David suggested that the atrocities were committed because the Germans had become unusually cruel,sadistic people with abnormal and twisted personalities. Use your knowledge of the fundamental attribution error and Milgram's research on obedience to highlight the weaknesses of David's explanation.

David's explanation for why so many German people complied with Hitler's orders to systematically slaughter millions of innocent Jews is problematic for several reasons. Firstly, his suggestion that the Germans had become unusually cruel, sadistic people with abnormal and twisted personalities is an example of the fundamental attribution error. This error occurs when individuals attribute the behavior of others to internal, dispositional factors (such as personality traits) rather than considering external, situational factors. In this case, David is overlooking the powerful influence of the social and political context in which the Germans found themselves during the Nazi regime.

Milgram's research on obedience also highlights the weaknesses of David's explanation. Milgram's experiments demonstrated that ordinary individuals could be influenced to commit harmful actions under the authority of a perceived legitimate figure. This suggests that obedience to authority figures and the influence of situational factors played a significant role in the compliance of Germans with Hitler's orders, rather than solely attributing it to their individual personalities.

Therefore, David's explanation fails to consider the broader social, political, and situational factors that contributed to the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. It is important to recognize the complex interplay of individual and situational factors in understanding human behavior, rather than simplistically attributing it to inherent traits of a particular group of people.