As early as 1923, Hitler was obsessed with the idea of establishing a “pure” and “superior” German race, which he called the Aryan race. Heinrich Himmler- head of Hitler’s Nazi elite guard, the SS, oversaw the construction and function of the concentration camps o Dachau (near Munich) was the first in most of its first prisoners were Communists Before the outbreak of war- working to build public opinion against the Jewish population- book burnings, rallies, etc. Nuremburg Laws in 1935 stipulated that if you had 3 or 4 Jewish grandparents, you were considered Jewish Began liquidating Jewish property and jobs Any Jews who could leave did, but few countries would take them in, including the United States

After Germany seized the western half of Poland in 1939, Nazis began reorganizing Polish Jews Tens of thousands of Jewish Poles were forced from their homes into ghettos where their property was confiscated o The ghettos were surrounded by barbed wire and governed by Jewish councils o Poverty, undernourishment and disease from overcrowding o Jews from all German conquered territories were brought to Poland

Between 1941 and 1942, Hitler initiated the “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem” o Every person designated a Jew in German held territory was marked with a yellow star o Starting in late 1941, mass deportations from the ghettos to the concentration camps  Auschwitz near Krakow- most well known

In 1942, the Franks (a Jewish family of 4) went into hiding in Amsterdam o Younger daughter Anne keeps a diary of their lives in the ‘Secret Annex’ where they hide for almost 3 years o In 1944, they are found and sent to concentration camps, where everyone except Otto (the father) perishes o Anne’s diary was later recovered and offers a unique view of Jewish life in fear of Nazi Germany

Filled with a variety of people- Jews, Gypsies, Russian POWs, the disabled, homosexuals, anyone deemed unworthy by Hitler’s regime Arrival at Auschwitz under the infamous banner “Work will make you free” o Divided upon entry- o The strong were kept for labor and medical experimentation- o The weak were told they were going to a disinfecting shower- in reality the gas chambers which were pumped full of Zyklon B, a pesticide- then burned Auschwitz killed 20,000 people a day, 1.6 million in all

Despite Nazi attempts to keep the camps secret, stories slipped out o In 1944, 4 prisoners escaped Auschwitz and begged the allied command to bomb the complex- they refused January 27, Russian troops liberated Auschwitz o 2 days later, US troops liberated Dachau Many Jews didn’t or couldn’t return home o Fear of another Holocaust; loss of families and friends Nuremberg Trials o 13 trials aimed at bringing Nazi war criminals to justice o Brought many of their atrocities to light Totals: Over 11 million people were killed between 1933 and 1945 o 5 million were disabled, political enemies, homosexuals, gypsies, etc. o 6 million were Jewish