1. The Jews 1940 - 1945 The Holocaust
This PowerPoint presentation was designed for use with my Year 11 students studying GCSE history. They were writing an essay on: What was meant by the term ‘Final Solution’ and how was it organised?

2. Why was it easy for Hitler to target the Jews?
Small population of Jews in Germany
History of anti-Semitism in Europe: pogroms in Russia.

3. History of Anti Semitism
Church decrees against intermarrying of Christians and Jews
Christians could not be treated by Jewish doctors
Justinian’s code had Anti Semitic elements
Blood Libel in London
Martin Luther called Jews half devils

4. Anti -Semitism Hatred of the Jewish People 1879/Germany
Why were Jews seen as different?
Strict dietary Laws
Jews could not work on the Sabbath/Saturday not Sunday
Not allowed to marry outside their faith
Traditional dress
Refused to worship other gods

5. Christian Anti-Semitism
Justinian’s Code:could not build synagogues, read the Bible in Hebrew, gather in public places, celebrate Passover before Easter, give evidence in a judicial case in which a Christian was party.

6. Decrees by Catholic Church
Prohibited intermarriage and sexual intercourse between Jews and Christians
Not allowed to eat together
Forbade the conversion of Christians to Judaism.
Prohibited Christians from being treated by Jewish doctors
Required Jews to pay taxes to support the Church
Forbade Jews to attend universities.
Special clothing

7. Christian Anti-Semitism
Crusades: massacred all infidels
Blood Libel and the Black Death
Blood Libel
1144 England
Killing of Christian Children
Used blood to make Passover unleavened bread

8. Anti-Semitism Black Death/Jews blamed for it.
The Inquisition/conversion of non Christians
Martin Luther: Jews were worst than devils, poisoners, ritual murderers, parasites. Burn down synagogues

9. Nuremberg Laws: Sept. 15, 1935
Marriages between Jews and Non-Jews are illegal and invalid
Jews cannot display the German flag
Jews may not be citizens
Non German citizens may not hold political rights
Jews may not attend public schools, go to theaters, reside or even walk in certain areas of German cities
Jews are required to wear arm bands or badges bearing the Star of David to publicly identify them as Jewish

10. Prelude to the Final Solution
When Hitler seized power in 1933 he used his new powers under the ‘Enabling Law’ to begin his attack on the Jews.
The Nuremberg Laws on Citizenship and Race: September 15, 1935.
In 1938, the Nazi attack on the Jews changed and became more violent with Himmler launching Kristallnacht on 11th November 1938.
By 1939, half of Germany’s 500,000 Jews had emigrated to escape Nazi persecution.

11. Timeline May 31, 1935: Jews barred from serving in the military
Summer 1935 Juden Verboten (No Jews) signs appear in public places
Sept. 15,1935: Nuremburg laws
Nov.15, 1935 Germans define what a Jew is.
1936: Jews not allowed to practice medicine
1938 Jewish ID cards issues/Passports marked with J
Nov.9, 1938 Kristallnacht

12. HITLER BEGINS HIS PROPAGANDA OF ANTI-SEMITISM
Sign reads: "City of Hersbruck. This lovely city of Hersbruck, this glorious spot of earth, was created only for Germans and not for Jews. Jews are therefore not welcome." Hersbruck, Germany, May 4, 1935.
Illustration from an anti-Semitic children's primer. The sign reads "Jews are not wanted here." Germany, 1936.

13. Jews killed Under Nazi Rule
Country
Original Jewish Population
Jews Killed
Percent Surviving
Poland
3,300,000
3,000,000
10%
Soviet Union
2,850,000
1,252,000
56%
Hungary
650,000
450,000
30%
Romania
600,000
300,000
50%
Germany
240,000
200,000
16 2/3%

14. Nazi Eugenics
Eugenics: Science dealing with the improvement of heredity
Scientists studied heredity for fitness & disease
Concerned with mental illness
Encouraged women to not “Go blindly into marriage”
Know the genetic make-up of their partner

15. Hereditary Improvement
Hitler looked to improve the genetic make-up of the country
Studied:
Twins
Cancer
Mental illness
Retardation
Began to support sterilization (U.S. States)
Felt people were a burden to society

16. Public Health Programs
Hitler created public health programs and campaigns
Promoted large families
Educated people on “Genetic Poisons”
Alcohol
Nicotine
Sexually transmitted diseases

17. Sterilization Program
Between
400,000 Germans sterilized
Those considered to be feeble-minded
Did not want to pass along poor genetics
Retardation
Deformities (all types)
Deaf
Blindness
Included children’s euthanasia

18. Eugenics to Racism Mixed races = unacceptable
Highlighted problems of genetics
No mixed races
Jews were considered their own race
This leads to the systematic extermination of the Jewish population of Eastern Europe

19. Camp Conditions
Thousands died from starvation, exhaustion, medical experiments
Some were given a reprieve if you volunteered for the medical experiments
(Right)
A prisoner being deprived of oxygen as a test for pilots flying at high altitudes

20. Experiments (Above) (Below)
Prisoner placed in icy water to test hypothermia
(Below)
Tuberculosis test – often used on children

21. 1940 HITLER’S NEXT STEP WAS TO ISSUE IDENTIFICATION CARDS TO ALL PEOPLE LIVING IN GERMAN TERRITORIES. JEWISH CARDS HAD A YELLOW STAR TO EASILY IDENTIFY THEM.
HITLER THEN MADE JEWS WEAR THE YELLOW STAR EVERY TIME THEY LEFT THEIR HOMES

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

23. Change of Tactics: Einsatzgruppen

24. The ‘Final Solution’
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.

25. How did the Nazi decide who was Jewish?
At the Wannsee conference it was decided that if one of 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. .
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!

26. JEWS ARE ROUNDED UP AND DEPORTED TO EXTERMINATION CAMPS
MAP FROM UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM

27. Where were the Death Camps built?
The work of the Einsatzgruppen
Why do you think that they located them here?
Remember that the black dots represent the work of the Einsatzgruppen

28. What tactics did the Nazis use to get the Jews to leave the Ghettos?
New arrivals at the Death camps were given postcards to send to their friends.
Starvation
Deception
The Jews were told tthat 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 publicly shot people for smuggling food or for any act of resistance
Hungry people are easier to control

29. Children Dying of Starvation in the Warsaw Ghetto
Evil is when a few good men decide to do nothing.

30. JEWS REBEL IN THE WARSAW GHETTO IN POLAND
THERE WERE SEVERAL INSTANCES OF JEWISH RESISTANCE TO THE NAZI’S PLAN OF EXTERMINATION. THE MOST IMPORTANT WAS IN WARSAW, POLAND AT THE JEWISH GHETTO.
WARSAW GHETTO

31. 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.

32. DEATH CAME IN MANY FORMS
GAS CHAMBER
ZYKLON B POISON GAS
STARVATION
EINSATZGRUPPEN

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

34. Auschwitz Orchestra

35. Notice how the Death camp is set out like a factory complex
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
It is important t emphasis that the Death Camps were basically factories

36. The SS would try and pack up to 2000 people into this gas chamber
The Gas Chambers
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

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

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

39. The Ovens at Dachau

40. Dead bodies waiting to be processed

41. Shoes waiting to be processed by the sonderkommando
Taken inside a huge glass case in the Auschwitz Museum. This represents one day's collection at the peak of the gassings, about twenty five thousand pairs.

42. Destruction Through Work
This photo was taken by the Nazis to show just how you could quite literally work the fat of the Jews by feeding them 200 calories a day

43. Destruction Through Work
Same group of Jews 6 weeks later

44. Nuremberg Trials
The International Military Tribunal was opened on 18 October 1945, in the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg.
The prosecution entered indictments against 24 major war criminals and six criminal organizations.
The indictments were for:
Participation in a common plan or conspiracy for the accomplishment of crime against peace
Planning, initiating and waging wars of aggression and other crimes against peace
War crimes
Crimes against humanity

45. Verdicts of the Trials
Of the twelve defendants sentenced to death by hanging, two were not hanged: Hermann Göring committed suicide the night before the execution and Martin Bormann was not present when convicted. The remaining ten defendants sentenced to death were hanged.

46. Effects of the Holocaust and the Nuremberg Trials
The definition of what constitutes a war crime is described by the Nuremberg Principles, a document which was created as a result of the trial. The medical experiments conducted by German doctors and prosecuted in the so-called Doctors' Trial led to the creation of the Nuremberg Code to control future trials involving human subjects.
Drawing up of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Genocide Convention
Founding of the State of Israel