What was it? And why did it happen? The Holocaust What was it? And why did it happen?

What is the Holocaust? The Holocaust was the systematic annihilation of 6 million Jewish people during the Nazi genocide.

Events that led up to the Holocaust Germany’s defeat in World War I left them with a broken government and a severely limited military The Treaty of Versailles *Germany had to accept responsible for WWI *Pay for the damages caused by the war *Disarmament (gun control) *Territorial Clauses – Germany had to give back land This left many Germens angry, humiliated and demoralized. Hitler used this to get power. He promised to restore German pride and rip up the Treaty of Versailles.

Events that led up to the Holocaust Hyperinflation – inflation growing at a very high rate in a very short time *ruined the middle class and people *people in Germany were broke and didn’t have money to buy food *they began listening to Hitler Hitler was a great speaker and people were listening to him. Many people felt it was time for a new government. This is why many Germans began joining the Nazis Party. Hitler blamed the Jews for the situation the Germany was in.

Events that led up to the Holocaust Wall Street Crashed in 1929 Americans lent Germany money after WWI to stabilize the economy They called back the money they lent Germany was Broke: people didn’t even have money to buy food to feed their children

Unemployed Germans Turn to Hitler Year Unemployed Germans 1920 1,320,000 1930 3,000,000 1931 4,350,000 1932 5,102,000 1933 6,100,000 With the unemployment rate growing the Germans turned to the Nazis, (Hitler) a new political party

Hitler Begins His Genocide Genocide: What is it? The term "genocide" did not exist before 1944. It is a very specific term, referring to violent crimes committed against groups with the intent to destroy the existence of the group. People did not know what Hitler was planning to do when they chose to follow him. Hitler’s goal was to achieve German racial “purity” He not only imprisoned Jews, but Gypsies, people with handicaps, and homosexuals

Hitler’s Steps to genocide the Jews: 1930 World Wide Depression Hit Germany (Hitler makes promise to rid Germany of all Jew’s and Communist) 1933 The Nazi Party takes power in Germany, Hitler becomes Chancellor. 1933 Jewish people were banished from government jobs, universities, and a boycott against Jewish shops (A boycott is the act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest) 1935 Nuremberg Laws: *Jewish people were seen as German “subjects” not citizens *Inter-marriage was outlawed *More professions were closed to Jewish people *Most shops displayed signs reading “No Jews Allowed”

Hitler’s Steps to genocide the Jews: 1938: Nazis attack Jews throughout Germany: 30,000 Jews arrested, 91 Jews killed, and 500 shops and businesses destroyed More than 1,000 synagogues were set on fire 1938: Jewish children are expelled from public schools 1938: Nazis seize control of Jewish owned businesses 1939 Germany invades Poland World War II Begins 1939 Nazis order Polish Jews into restricted ghettos and force them into slave labor

The Ghettos were established in 1939 The Ghettos were the slum areas of towns that the Jewish people of Germany were forced to live and were walled off from the rest of the town. Jews from wide areas were rounded up and forced to live in unbearable conditions in cramped ghettos with no sanitation and if you were unable to work you didn’t eat.

Many starved to death in the Ghettos Because many children were not able to work, they were denied food and died from starvation

How did something like this happen?

Could something this horrific happen today?

Map Showing Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camps Slave Camps and Holding Centers

Vocabulary To Know Synagogue: house of Jewish worship Kaddish: Jewish prayer for the dead Aryan: non-Jewish Caucasian Rabbi: a Jewish teacher Gestapo: Nazi secret police (part of the SS) Anti-Semite: Jew- hatred; it is more than just prejudice; all forms of hostility manifested toward Jewish people Pestilential (pes’te len’ shel): filled with disease; contagious

Vocabulary To Know Rosh Hashanah: the Jewish New Year and usually occurs in September Yom Kippur: comes 10 days after Rosh Hashanah and is a day of fasting and atonement Emaciated: marked by abnormal thinness caused by starvation or disease Queue (ku): waiting line