Good Morning! Intro to the Holocaust Perpetrators of the Holocaust Essential Question: How did ordinary Germans become perpetrators of the Holocaust?

Poland: September 1939

Liberating Europe: July 1944-April 1945

The Holocaust "There we found sights, sounds, and stenches horrible beyond belief, cruelties so enormous as to be incomprehensible to the normal mind”—Colonel William Quinn, at Dachau

Legacy of the Holocaust 14 Million people killed in a Genocide 6 million Jews Genocide: the intentional annihilation of an entire racial, ethnic, or national group “Genocide is an attempt to exterminate a people, not to conquer them.”– Jack Schwartz 

Why perpetrators? Love! Your girlfriend/boyfriend wants you to do something that is wrong You are forced by the government paid to do it Pressure from people to do it do it to be “cool” If the whole group thinks its good, you will follow the group Revenge against others To hide something or cover up a secret People had a bad experience in the past Blackmailed to do it  threatened into doing it Don’t realize that they are doing something bad don’t know the truth were lied to, don’t understand their behavior, other people are doing it too so its normal, people choose to forget that it is bad, force themselves to believe the wrong thing, EDUCATION! Bored or trying to get attention

Perpetrators of the Holocaust Why did ordinary Germans become perpetrators of the Holocaust? Circle words you don’t know! Highlight or underline parts that relate to why Germans became perpetrators!

Document A Words We Don’t Know Main Idea Anti-Semitism: belief of hating Jews Hate: someone that you don’t like because you see them as your enemy! Annihilation: completely destroy until there is no more, eliminate Brutalize: brutal, attack people in a really hard or bad way Willingness: when you are willing or want to do something Morality: your values, what you think is right in the world Hardship: difficulties Defenseless: when you don’t have the power to protect yourself “Ordinary Germans were encouraged by anti-semitism that led them to believe Jews should die.” Germans had the same beliefs as Hitler! It was anti-Semitic ideas about Jews that were popular in Germany and had been for decades before!  think killing Jews is okay, ideas grew over time! Perpetrators consulted own beliefs on morality and judged the annihilation of Jews to be right

Document B Words We Don’t Know Main Idea

Document C Words We Don’t Know Main Idea