The Holocaust

Holocaust State-sponsored, systemic persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between Series of restrictions aimed at social and political isolation, and economic hardship.

Who? Jewish people of Germany, Poland, and other occupied regions during WWII. Gypsies, handicapped, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Soviet POW’s.

Timeline of the Holocaust Sept 15 th, 1935: Nuremberg Laws. Nov 9 th, 1938: Kristallnacht. June 1939: SS St. Louis denied entrance in Cuba, US, and Canada : Resettlement and deportation. 1941: mass murder of Jews begins.

Warsaw Ghetto

Analyse Primary Source Documents Read the primary source documents provided and answer the questions that follow.

The Final Solution Name Nazi’s used to describe their program of mass murder directed against the Jews of Europe. How and why did they make this decision? How did they convince people to participate?

Result? Over 6 million Jewish people killed 200,000 handicapped 15,000 homosexuals 5,000 Jehovah's Witnesses 2-3 million Soviet POW’s

How? Propaganda used to stigmatize and slander Jewish people. Final Solution took place outside of Germany, therefore, easier to conceal. Carried out under the cover of war. In times of war no mercy. Deprivation of food would make them weak, separation would give them no hope, collective responsibility.

JAPANESE WAR CRIMES

Japanese War Crimes Refers to the war atrocities committed during the period of Japanese Imperialism  Second Sino-Japanese War and WWII ( ) Japanese military forces, Imperial Japanese Army, Imperial Japanese family (Emperor Hirohito) Includes: mass killings, human experimentation, biological warfare torture, comfort women

Nanjing Massacre

Nanjing Massacre

Comfort Women Massive number of rapes and brutality of attacks comes to the attention of military  want to keep sexual abuse hidden and controlled. Establish comfort sites at bases  use “volunteers” (Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese women) as sex slaves.

Comfort Women Women in stations “serviced” men per day. Up to 60 men/day during busy times. Resulting inflammation, tearing and swelling usually meant a day’s rest after. Sometimes given relief during menstruation, other times had to insert cotton balls and continue. Refusal or attempted escape usually led to violence. Pregnancies usually led to miscarriages or abortions.

Biological Warfare Special Japanese military units conducted experiments on civilians and POWs in China. Most infamous: Unit 731  victims were subject to experiments including amputations, spread of bubonic plague, cholera, and other diseases.

Genocide Term did not exist before 1944 referring to violent crimes committed against groups with the intent to destroy the existence of the group Legal definition is defined by the United Nations (founded in 1945)

Genocide [G]enocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.