A Brief History of the Holocaust

Holocaust “Holocaust” is used to refer to the systematic and government-sponsored killings of Jewish people “Holocaust” also means “sacrifice by fire”

Holocaust con’t During WW II Nazi Germany murdered 6,000,000 Jews about 2/3 of the entire European Jewish population 11,000,000 people altogether including homosexuals disabled people Polish people Russians gypsies Jehovah’s Witnesses Communists Socialists

Genocide “Geno” is the Greek term for race “cide” is the Latin term for killing “Genocide” became a word in 1944 to describe the mass killings of the Jewish race

The Rise of Hitler Hitler fought in World War I, stayed in politics, and transformed the German Workers Party into the National Sozialismus Party (or NAZI Party) The Wall Street Crash in 1929 greatly affected Germany and Hitler blamed Jews and Communists for Germany’s struggles Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933 and President in 1934

NAZI Beliefs Germany should rearm (after WWI) and take back what it had lost at Versailles The German race (blond-haired, blue-eyed Aryans) were a superior race. Anyone else was racially impure and should be removed from Germany. Hitler called the Germans the “master race.” The master race needed more living space.

Propaganda To convince Germans that Jews were inferior, Hitler began a massive propaganda campaign as early as 1930

Anti-Jewish Laws 1933: Jews were deemed unfit for state service, and could no longer be employed by the state The number of Jewish students allowed in German universities is restricted 1935: Jews are not allowed to have sexual relations with those of German blood Jews lose their political rights Even if people did not practice Judaism, or identify themselves as Jewish, if they had three or four Jewish grandparents they were also considered Jewish

Anti-Jewish Laws con’t 1937-1938: Jews must register their property Jews who own businesses are forced to sell them for next to nothing to Germans Jewish doctors can no longer treat non-Jews; Jewish lawyers can no longer practice law Jews barred from cinemas, theaters, sports facilities, universities, and places designated as “Aryan” 1939: Jews without Jewish first names are required to change their names Jews must carry identity cards Jews’ passports must be stamped with a “J”

Jewish Ghettos Nazis forced Jews to live in ghettos—enclosed areas Ghettos isolated Jews from the non-Jewish population and from other Jewish communities Ghettos were closed off by barbed wire or wood fences. Often Jews were killed if they tried to leave their ghetto Ghettos were unsanitary and extremely crowded. Inhabitants suffered from lack of food, clothing, medicine, and starvation. The largest ghetto was in Poland. About 450,000 Jews were forced to live in a 1.3 mile area.

The Final Solution In 1941: a plan to murder all European Jews Euphemisms Nazis began destroying the 800 ghettos, killing Jews in the ghettos, or transporting them to killing centers or concentration camps

Transportation to Concentration Camps Jews and others were forced into large railway cars to be transported to concentration camps. several days standing room only no food or water People who were crushed to death or died in transport were left in the cars with the living.

Concentration Camps harsh conditions with no regard to the legal norms of arrest and imprisonment little food and clothing Eventually all known Jews were sent to concentration camps Gas chambers were built at four camps (although never used at Dachau) as a means of killing Jews; crematoriums or incinerators were also used

Gas Chambers In 1939, Nazis began experimenting killing disabled people with gas using carbon monoxide Nazis began using gas chambers after guards began suffering from fatigue and mental anguish from mass killings; gas chambers was also less costly than using ammunition, and a more efficient way of achieving the “Final Solution” In 1942, permanent buildings were raised in camps.

Concentration Camps, Con’t. During 1942-1944, the Nazi party needed money and began creating sub-camps for each of the major concentration camps Sub-camps used to make money to support the Nazi campaign Those who were not able to work, such as the elderly, infirm, and children were immediately sent to the gas chambers or the crematoriums

Concentration Camps, Con’t. Concentration camps were also the sites of medical experiments that were not safe enough to be performed on “people” Doctors performed these experiments on prisoners against their will

Concentration Camps, Con’t. Marking system: Political prisoners wore red inverted triangles gays wore pink triangles Jehovah’s Witnesses wore purple triangles, Poles wore blue triangles Criminals wore green triangles Jews wore gold stars. If a person was a gay Jew, he or she would wear a yellow triangle with a pink one over it to create the star of David.

Anne Frank Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who grew up during the Holocaust in Germany When anti-Semitic laws began being passed her father mover her family to Amsterdam In July of 1942, Anne’s sister Margot was ordered to report to a work camp, so her entire family went into hiding. Anne was 13. For 25 months, Anne, her family, and a few others lived in a small space above her father’s office.

Elie Weisel In 1944, Elie and all the inhabitants of his town (Sighet in Hungary) were forced into a ghetto May 16, 1944: transported to Auschwitz, the worst of the death camps April 11, 1945: liberated from camp

Why study the Holocaust?

Recent Occurences of Genocide Bosnia-Herzegovina: 1992-1995 - 200,000 deaths Rwanda: 1994 - Hutus killed 800,000 Tutsis in 100 days Darfur (2003-present)