The Holocaust lasted 12 years. In 1933, when Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party gained power in Germany, some 9 million Jewish people lived in Europe. By 1945, when Hitler’s regime was defeated, two of every three of those people had been murdered along with anyone else Hitler deemed undesirable.

 Hitler blamed Jews for Germany’s failures  Scapegoat – fully blaming a group for a problem  Created Anti-Semitism propaganda – posters, radio, movie against Jews

 Wanted to make Germany racially “pure” - get rid of “bad blood” (Jewish) from society  Wanted to create the Aryan Race – Blond hair, blue eye, strong, tall

Because Jews were considered enemies of the state, radios, weapons, valuables, and basic civil rights were confiscated at the beginning of the war. All Jewish persons must wear a yellow star on their clothing to identify themselves.

Hunted like fugitives, subjected to death marches, even those found harboring or aiding them were sentenced to work camps or execution.

 Once prisoners arrived to a concentration camp, there was a “selection” process. They separated men and women/children, split families apart  They performed physical exams  The weak, sick, and old were pushed in one direction  The able bodied were pushed in the other…

Work Camps for the Healthy and Strong. Death Camps: Cremation Ovens Containing Remains of Those “Selected” to Die.

 Carbon monoxide gas is piped in from engines placed outside the chamber, but Zyklon-B will later be substituted. Bodies are burned ( cremated ) in open pits.  Auschwitz-Birkenau records its highest- ever daily number of persons gassed and burned at just over 9,000. Six huge pits are used to burn bodies, as the number exceeds the capacity of the crematories.

Though many prisoners in the concentration camps froze from lack of proper clothing, after the war, their liberators found storehouses filled with confiscated clothing and shoes.

Bails of Victim’s Hair

Estimated killings of:  6 million Jews  1.8 million Poles (Christian)  250, ,000 Gypsies  75, ,000 People with Intellectual or Physical Disabilities  10,000-25,000 Homosexuals  100,000 Communists  Additionally, Soviet POWs, Political Prisoners, etc. were Killed in Nazi-Run Concentration Camp. Many Jews who sought refuge in the USA were turned away due to the immigration quotas act. In 1943, going beyond the power of his office, President Roosevelt authorized an additional 1000 refugees to be brought to the US and kept at Fort Ontario.

 Soviet forces were the first to approach a major Nazi camp, reaching Majdanek near Lublin, Poland, in July Surprised by the rapid Soviet advance, the Germans attempted to hide the evidence of mass murder by demolishing the camp. Camp staff set fire to the large crematorium used to burn bodies of murdered prisoners, but in the hasty evacuation the gas chambers were left standing.

Definition: trials for Nazi leaders for atrocities, particularly the Holocaust. -Over 200 Nazi leaders were found guilty -12 were sentenced to death

Twelve prominent Nazis were sentenced to death. Most of the defendants admitted to the crimes of which they were accused, although most claimed that they were simply following the orders of a higher authority. Those individuals directly involved in the killing received the most severe sentences.

 Made precedent that soldiers cannot commit terrible crimes and claim, “I did it because I was told to…”

 A summary of the Holocaust  L-p_o L-p_o