Minority Groups in Nazi Germany

Persecution of Minorities The Nazis believed in the superiority of the Aryan race. Through their 12 years in power they persecuted members of other races, and many minority groups such as gypsies, homosexuals and mentally handicapped people They persecuted any group that they thought challenged Nazi ideas: Homosexuals were a threat to Nazi ideas about family life The mentally handicapped were a threat to Nazi ideas about Germans being a perfect master race Gypsies were thought to be an inferior people Persecution of Minorities The persecution of such minorities varied. In families where there were hereditary illnesses, sterilisation was enforced. Over 300,000 men and women were compulsorily sterilised between 1934 and 1945. A so-called ‘euthanasia programme’ was begun in 1939. At least 5000 severely mentally handicapped babies and children were killed between 1939 and 1945 either by injection or by starvation. Between 1939 and 1945, 72,000 mentally ill patients were gassed before a public outcry in Germany itself ended in extermination. The extermination of gypsies, on the other hand, did not cause an outcry. Five out of six gypsies living in Germany in 1939 were killed by the Nazis. Similarly, there was little or no complaint about the treatment of so-called ‘asocials’ – homosexuals, alcoholics, the homeless, prostitutes, habitual criminals and beggars – who were rounded up off the streets and sent to concentration camps.

Why the Jews? Anti-Semitism means hatred of Jews. Examples of this hatred can be traced back to ancient and medieval times One reason for this persecution was religious, in that Jews were blamed for the death of Jesus Christ. Also Jews tended to be well educated and therefore held well-paid professional jobs or ran successful stores and businesses Why the Jews?

There are examples of anti-Jewish sentiment in German politics since the 1800s An 1879 pamphlet claimed that the newly-founded German state was at war with Jews living in its borders – and that one would not survive unless the other was destroyed Anti-Semitic conspiracies continued in Germany during and after World War One Regularly blamed for sabotaging the war effort Scapegoatism flourished during the desperate 1920s Why the Jews?

Why the Jews? Hitler hated the Jews intensely. In his years of poverty in Vienna, he became obsessed by the fact that Jews ran many of the most successful businesses, particularly the large department stores. This offended his idea of superiority of Aryans Hitler also blamed Jewish businessmen and bankers for Germany’s defeat in the First World War. He thought they had forced the surrender of the German army ‘To read the pages [of Hitler’s Mein Kampf] is to enter a world peopled by hideous and distorted shadows. The Jew is no longer a human being, he has become a mystical figure, a grimacing leering devil invested with infernal powers, the incarnation of evil.’ Why the Jews?

Attacks on the rights of Jews (1933-1939) This was a gradual process with the aim of removing all Jewish rights. For the first two years of Nazi rule there was little organised persecution of the Jews. Hitler was setting up his dictatorship and using anti-Jewish propaganda to turn Germans in favour of his policies Attacks on the rights of Jews (1933-1939)

Attacks on the rights of the Jews (1933-1939) Hitler ordered a boycott of Jewish shops and businesses A new law excluded Jews from government jobs Thousands of Jewish civil servants, lawyers and university teachers were sacked 1934 Anti-Jewish propaganda increased Local councils banned Jews from public spaces such as parks, playing fields and swimming pools 1935 Nazi party began to step up their campaign Jews were forbidden to join the army Nuremberg Laws were introduced on 15th September 1935 Attacks on the rights of the Jews (1933-1939)

Attacks on the rights of Jews (1933-1939) 1936 Lull in anti-Jewish propaganda due to Germany holding the Berlin Olympic Games. Professional activities of Jews banned or restricted – this included vets, dentists, accountants, surveyors, teachers and nurses 1937 For the first time in two years Hitler made an outspoken attack on the Jews The Aryanisation of business was stepped up. More Jewish businesses were taken over Attacks on the rights of Jews (1933-1939)

Attacks on the rights of Jews (1933-1939) 1938 There was a serious increase in anti-Jewish policies: Jews had to register their property, making it easier to confiscate Jewish doctors, dentists and lawyers were forbidden to treat Aryans Jewish children were excluded from German school and universities Jews with non-Jewish first names had to add and use the name ‘Israel’ for males or ‘Sarah’ for female Jews had to have a red letter ‘J’ stamped on their passports Attacks on the rights of Jews (1933-1939)

Attacks on the rights of Jews (1933-1939) Jews were no longer allowed to run shops or businesses Jews were forbidden to own radio or to buy cakes and chocolates Attacks on the rights of Jews (1933-1939)

Kristallnacht Also known as ‘The Night of Broken Glass’ In November 1938, a young Jew killed a German diplomat in Paris The Nazi’s used this as an excuse to launch a violent revenge on Jews. Plain-clothes SS troopers were issued with pickaxes and hammers and the addresses of Jewish businesses. 91 Jews were murdered Hundreds of synagogues were burned Twenty thousand Jews were taken to concentration camps The Nazi-controlled press presented Kristallnacht as the spontaneous reaction of ordinary Germans against the Jews. Kristallnacht

The persecution developed in intensity after the outbreak of war in 1939. After defeating Poland in 1939, the Nazis set about ‘Germanising’ western Poland. This mean transporting Poles from their homes and replacing them with German settlers. Almost one in five Poles died in the fighting and as a result of racial policies of 1939-45. Polish Jews were rounded up and transported to the major cities. Here they were herded into sealed areas, called ghettos. The ale-bodied Jews were used for slave labour but the young, the old and the sick were simply left to die form hunger and disease. ‘The Ghettos’

Prelude to the Final Solution In 1941 Germany invaded the USSR. The invasion was a success and the Nazis found themselves in control of 3 million Russian Jews This was in addition to the Jews in all the other countries that they had invaded Prelude to the Final Solution

German forces had orders to round up and shoot Communist Party activists and their Jewish supportes. The shooting was carried out by special SS units called Einsatzgruppen. By the autumn of 1941, mass shootings were taking place all over occupied eastern Europe. In Germany, all Jews were ordered to wear the Star of David on their clothing to mark them out. Mass Murder

In January 1942, Himmler decided to change tactics once again and called a special conference at Wannsee. At this conference it was decided that the existing methods were too inefficient and that a new ‘Final Solution’ was necessary. The ‘Final Solution’

Reinhard Heydrich Nicknamed “The Blond Beast” and “Hangman Heydrich” Second in command of the Gestapo and SS Principle planner of the Final Solution Reinhard Heydrich

Heydrich was ordered by Hermann Goering to prepare a ‘final solution’ to the Jewish question Heydrich organised a meeting with 15 top Nazi officals in Berlin on January 20, 1942 Nazis would attempt to exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe, an estimated 11 million persons. Wannsee Conference

Wannsee Conference How was the Final Solution going to be organised? 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.’ Shooting was too inefficient as the bullets were needed for the war effort On arrival the Jews would go through a process called ‘selection.’ How was the Final Solution going to be organised? Jews were to be rounded up and put into transit camps called Ghettoes The remaining Jews were to be shipped to ‘resettlement areas’ in the East. 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 die whilst the rest would be willing to leave these areas in the hope of better conditions Wannsee Conference

How did the Nazis decide who was Jewish? At the Wannsee conference it was decided that if one of a 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. How did the Nazis decide who was Jewish? Some historians believe that Hitler’s grandfather was Jewish. His Grandmother used to work for a rich Jewish landowner in Austria and it is believed that she had an affair whilst she worked as his house keeper. He later helped his son get a job as a civil servant. Some Psychologist but this down as being one of the possible reasons why Hitler hated Jews. However, it is interesting to note that the Jewish doctor who helped his mother whilst she was dying of cancer was dropped off at the Swiss boarder by the SS in 1940!

Heydrich and Final Solution “Europe would be combed of Jews from East to West” Ordered Einsatzs to round up and kill Jews in occupied countries. Heydrich and Final Solution

“Now judgement has begun and it will reach its conclusion only when the knowledge of Jews has been erased from the Earth!” – Nazi Newspaper There were three phases of the Nazi plan to wipe out the Jewish population of Europe Final Solution

Phase 1 = Shooting: Einsatzgruppen Himmler sent four specially trained SS units called “Einsatzgruppen battalions” into German occupied territory and shot at least 1 million Jews Victims were told they were being relocated then taken to deserted areas where they were made to dig their own graves and then shot one by one. When the SS ran out of bullets they sometimes killed their victims using flame throwers. Phase 1 = Shooting: Einsatzgruppen

Phase 1 = Shooting: Einsatzgruppen

Phase 2 – Gas Vans 700,000 Jews killed in Vans Again, Jews were rounded up and told they were to be relocated in vans The vans were equipped so that the van’s exhaust was piped into the back of the van 700,000 Jews killed in Vans Phase 2 – Gas Vans

The Nazis encountered several problems with the executions and gas vans First, they were both taking too much time Second, resources such as gas and munitions were becoming scarce Third, soldiers involved were beginning to have psychological problems with what they were doing. Problems with Phases 1 & 2

Nazi leaders decided to drastically speed up the Final Solution There were two different types of camps: Concentration Camps Extermination Camps Jews from all over occupied Europe were to be brought here. Phase 3 - Camps

Location of Death Camps The work of the Einsatzgruppen Location of Death Camps Why do you think that they located them here? Remember that the black dots represent the work of the Einsatzgruppen

Concentration Camps 100 of these in Nazi-occupied Europe Prisoners used for forced labour Prisoners usually lasted less than half a year Jews, communists, homosexuals, criminals, social-democrats, artists, gypsies, blacks, religious fanatics First camp was opened in 1933, right after Nazis came to power Concentration Camps

Auschwitz Started operations in January 1940 (Poland) Himmler chose Auschwitz as the place for the Final Solution Had 4 gas chambers/crematories by 1943 Mass killings with Zyklon B gas Commanded by Rudolph Hoess Recorded 12,000 kills in one day Auschwitz

The SS were ordered to take all possessions form Jews TEETH WITH GOLD The SS at Auschwitz PILES OF GLASSES

Dr. Josef Mengele “ANGEL OF DEATH” Arrived in Auschwitz in May of 1943 SS Doctor who had power of life & death Performed medical experiments on Jewish children Interested in studying why Germans were the ‘master race’. What is it inside them that elevates them? “ANGEL OF DEATH” Dr. Josef Mengele

Medical Experiments Sterlisation of men and women Endurance of pain to high and low temperatures and pressure Experiments on twins to increase number of multiple births to Aryan women Injections of phenol to kill patients Dr. Mengele attempted to sew children together to make Siamese twins Medical Experiments

Camp totals

What tactics did the Nazis use to get the Jews to leave the Ghettos? Deception New arrivals at the Death camps were given postcards to send to their friends. Starvation The Jews were told that they were going to ‘resettlement areas’ in the East. The Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto were only fed a 1000 calories a day . Tactics In some Ghettos the Jews had to purchase their own train tickets. A human being needs 2400 calories a day to maintain their weight Terror They were told to bring the tools of their trade and pots and pans. The SS publically shot people for smuggling food or for any act of resistance Hungry people are easier to control

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. SS Tactics: Dehumanisation

Tactics: What happened to new arrivals? All new arrivals went through a process known as ‘selection.’ At Auschwitz the trains pulled into a mock up of a normal station. Mothers, children, the old & sick were sent straight to the ‘showers’ which were really the gas chambers. The Jews were helped off the cattle trucks by Jews who were specially selected to help the Nazis Deception & Selection The able bodied were sent to work camp where they were killed through a process known as ‘destruction through work.’ 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.

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

Map of Auschwitz New Arrivals ‘Showers’ ‘Destruction Through Work’

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 Death camps were basically factories

The Nazis would force large groups of prisoners into small cement rooms and drop canisters of Zyklon B, or prussic acid, in its crystal form 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 2000 people into this gas chamber The Gas Chambers

The outside of the Gas Chamber Notice the Ovens easy located near the Gas Chambers

Specially selected Jews known as the sonderkommando were used to 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. Processing the bodies

Destruction through work This photo was taken by the Nazis to show just how you could quite literally work the fat off the Jews by feeding them 200 calories a day Destruction through work

Destruction Through Work Same group of Jews 6 weeks later