Starter: Can you remember what the sign above the gate means? Nazi Persecution of Minorities LO: by end of lesson – be able to explain why and how the Nazis got away with genocide

The persecution of minorities The Nazis persecuted any group that they thought challenged Nazi ideals  Homosexuals – were a threat to family life  Mentally handicapped – were a threat to idea of a perfect master race  Gypsies – were an “inferior people” Sterilisation and murder were used to rid Germany of these undesirables, along with others including alcoholics, the homeless, prostitutes and beggars

Prelude to the “Holocaust / Final Solution”  When Hitler seized power in 1933 he used his new powers under the ‘Enabling Law’ to begin his attack on the Jews  In 1938, the Nazi attack on the Jews became more violent with Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass) on 7-8 November 1938 – about 100 Jews were killed and 20,000 were sent to concentration camps  By 1939, half of Germany’s 500,000 Jews had emigrated to escape Nazi persecution

Prelude to the Final Solution  In 1939, Germany invaded Poland which had a population of 3 million Jews  In 1941, Germany invaded Russia which had a population of 5 million Jews

Change of Tactics: Einsatzgruppen

Einsatzgruppen  Himmler sent specially trained SS units called “Einsatzgruppen” into German occupied territory; these killed at least 1 million Jews.  Victims were taken to deserted areas and shot.  When the SS ran out of bullets they sometimes killed their victims using flame throwers.

The ‘Final Solution’  In January 1942 Himmler called a special conference at Wannsee in Germany.  At this conference it was decided that the existing methods for killing “undesirables” were too inefficient and that a new ‘Final Solution’ was necessary

Wannsee Conference - decisions How was the Final Solution going to be organised? Shooting was too inefficient as the bullets were needed for the war effort Jews were to be rounded up and put into transit camps called Ghettos The Jews living in these Ghettos were to be used as a cheap source of labour Conditions in the Ghettos were designed to be so bad that many died whilst the rest would be willing to leave these areas in the hope of better conditions On arrival the Jews would go through a process called ‘selection’ The remaining Jews were sent to ‘resettlement areas’ in the East Women, children, the old & the sick were to be sent for ‘special treatment’ The young and fit would go through a process called ‘destruction through work’

How did the Nazis decide who was Jewish?  At the Wannsee conference it was decided that if one of person’s parents was Jewish, then they were Jewish.  However, if only one of their grandparents had been Jewish then they could be classified as being German

Where were the Death Camps built? Why do you think that they located them here? The work of the Einsatzgruppen

How did the Nazis use to get the Jews to leave the Ghettos ? Tactics Starvation The Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto were only fed under 1000 calories a day A person needs 2400 calories a day to maintain their weight Terror The SS publicly shot people for smuggling food or for any act of resistance Deception The Jews were told that they were going to ‘resettlement areas’ in the East They were told to bring the tools of their trade and pots and pans Hungry people are easier to control New arrivals were given postcards to send to their friends

SS Tactics: Dehumanisation  The SS guards who murdered the Jews were brainwashed with Anti-Semitic propaganda  The Jews were transported in cattle cars in terrible conditions  Naked, dirty and half starved people look like animals, which helped to reinforce the Nazi propaganda  The SS used to train their new guards by encouraging them to set fire to a pit full of live victims – usually children

What happened to new arrivals? Deception & Selection At Auschwitz the trains pulled into a mock up of a normal station The Jews were helped off the cattle trucks by Jews who were specially selected to help the Nazis At some death camps the Nazis would play records of classical music to help calm down the new arrivals At Auschwitz the new arrivals were calmed down by a Jewish orchestra playing classical music All new arrivals went through a process known as ‘selection’ Mothers, children, the old & sick were sent straight to the ‘showers’ which were really the gas chambers The able bodied were sent to work camp were they were killed through a process known as ‘destruction through work’

Entrance to Auschwitz Notice how it has been built to resemble a railway station

Auschwitz Orchestra

Auschwitz from the air Notice how the Death camp is set out like a factory complex The Nazis used industrial methods to murder the Jews and process their dead bodies

The Gas Chambers  The Nazis would force large groups of prisoners into small cement rooms and drop canisters of Zyklon B through small holes in the roof  These gas chambers were sometimes disguised as showers or bathing houses The SS would try and pack up to 2,000 people into this gas chamber

Processing the bodies  Specially selected Jews known as the Sonderkommando were used to remove the gold fillings and hair of people who had been gassed  The Sonderkommando Jews were also forced to feed the dead bodies into the crematorium This pile represents one day’s collection of shoes at the peak of the gassings – about 25,000 pairs

Timeline of Persecution  Use the handout to fill in the gaps on your timeline  Then answer the questions on the sheet  EXTENSION: What do you think is meant by ‘cumulative radicalisation’ – how is this relevant to understanding how the Holocaust happened?

England Footballers visit Auschwitz As you watch the clip think about the following questions: 1. What was life like for Jewish people in Europe prior to the Second World War? 2. Who was responsible for the Holocaust? 3. Why did the England Football squad visit Auschwitz?

How was the Holocaust allowed to happen? In your group, discuss why you think your group of people did not/were not able to stop it: 1. Nazi leaders 2. German people 3. Jewish people 4. Foreign Allies 5. Church elite 6. Army Write a short answer to the title question, making sure you explain your points