Transcript Mary Buechter

The Holocaust
American History, 9th Grade
World War II
Mary Ellen Buechter
Ed 439 Professor Helms Feb. 6, 2002
Objectives
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At the end of this section you will
1. Have a general understanding of the Holocaust
2. Learn factual information about the Holocaust
3. Know where to look for further information about the
Holocaust
4. Be aware of societal circumstances that led to the
Holocaust
5. Be able to discuss our prejudices in today’s society
6. Discuss and learn how to prevent tragedies like the
Holocaust
7. Learn how to work together to make the world a better
place
Materials Needed
Computer, projector, screen
 Computers for students with internet access,
printers and word processing software
 Textbook
 Story from Reader’s Digest
 40 copies of the Newspaper Supplement
“The Holocaust” (Dayton Daily News)
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Holocaust in Pictures
 Review
these sites
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http://www.remember.org/camps/
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http://www.remember.org/witness/
Definition
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The Holocaust was a Nazi effort before and during
World War II to murder anyone considered
undesirable under the program of Adolf Hitler.
The chief target of this hatred and destruction
were the Jews of Europe, and during the Nazi
years about 6 million people were killed in slave
camps or gas chambers.
Nazi philosophy sought to create a master race
dominated by blond, blue-eyed Aryan features and
also sought to eliminate the mentally or physically
handicapped, gypsies, Slavs and homosexuals.
Vocabulary
Jews
Nazis
Anti-Semistism
Einsatzgruppen
Gestapo
Synagogues Nuremburg
Trials
Concentration
Camps
Epidemic
Auschwitz
Genocide
Hitler
Axis
Deportation
Third Reich
Poison gas
Berlin
Munich
Ghettoization
Death Camps
Holocaust
Kristallnacht
Eichmann
Final Solution
Poland
Vocabulary Review
(Group work activity)
Write each vocabulary word on paper.
 Define each word using the text, dictionary
or computer.
 Make a puzzle with the words on
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http://puzzlemaker.com/
Hitler
Hitler, it can be said with all objectivity, was a failure as a boy and young man. He was
unable to demonstrate conviction or industry of any sort. He never completed high
school, and he barely survived by doing odd jobs. His negative attitude was formed
early in life. He blamed his lack of success on everyone but himself. He had a hatred,
totally unfounded, of Jews whom he blamed for his lack of success. But Jews were not
his only hatred. He had no use for democracy or democratic procedures, and he
particularly hated anyone who disagreed with him. He would become hysterically
enraged at any opposition to his opinions.
Hitler was an Austrian by birth and a German by choice. In 1914 he moved to Germany.
When WWI broke out in 1914, he joined the German army. In the army, Hitler “found”
himself and developed qualities of leadership.
After the war, Germany was in chaos. People were poor, hungry, jobless, and disillusioned.
Hitler capitalized on German discontent and, with others, formed a new political party,
the members of which were called Nazis. The charismatic Hitler led the party to
eventual domination of Germany.
Hitler’s rise to power was marked by ruthless persecution of all who opposed him. His
particular targets were the Jews of Germany and of other countries his armies
conquered. He picked on the weak and the helpless and in the process had millions of
Jewish children and adults murdered by his storm troopers.
How he conducted the war is another story, but in the end he lost. Finally, he killed himself
as the Russians and Americans were storming the last bastion of his empire---Berlin.
Hitler’s Goals
Eliminate any power the Jews possess
 Eliminate citizenship for the Jews
 Eliminate the Jewish population
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Eichmann
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October, 1939
Deportations
Ghettos
December, 1939
Lodz
Labor Camps
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Soviet Union
Gas chambers
Wannsee Conference
Final Solution
End of the War
http://www.pbs.org/eichmann/study2.htm/
Activity: Print the story of Eichmann on the web
address and highlight the dates/words listed
above. What sentence would you give him for his
war crimes?
Attitudes Then/Today
Prejudice
 Resentment
 Mistrust
 Jealousy
 Fear
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Class Discussion:
What attitudes do we (society)
have today that reflect these
same attitudes the Nazis had
toward the Jews?
How can we as a society
overcome these attitudes?
Have attitudes in society
improved since WWII?
How and why?
Attitude Activity
Write one attitude you have that affects how
you act/react to others.
 Do not put your name on the paper.
 The teacher will read the attitudes and the
students will list suggestions for changing
that attitude.
 Discuss how to make changes in your life
one day at a time.
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Nuremberg Laws
Sept. 15, 1935
•Marriage between Jews and non-Jewish Germans are forbidden. Marriages performed in
violation of this law are invalid, even if the marriage was entered into outside of Germany.
•Relationships between male and female, Jews and Germans, are prohibited.
•Jews must not employ German maids in their homes who are under 45 years of age.
•Jews cannot display the German flag.
•Only a person who is of German ancestry can be a citizen. Jews are subjects, but not
citizens, of Germany
•The Reich (German) citizen, a person of German blood, is the only holder of full political
rights.
•A Jew cannot be a citizen of the Reich (Germany), cannot vote and cannot hold public
office.
•Jews cannot attend public schools, go to theaters, vacation at resorts, or reside or even walk
in certain sections of German cities.
•Jews are required to wear arm bands or badges bearing the six-pointed Star of David to
publicly identify themselves as Jewish.
Kristallnacht and After
Read page 6 of the newspaper and answer
the questions on a separate piece of paper.
 Click below and read about the activities of
those two days.
 http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/hol
ocaust/h-knacht.htm
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Timeline
Review the timeline of the Holocaust through this link.
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/holocaust/timeline.html
Activity:
Make your own timeline.
List at least 10 items on your timeline, include month, day and year of
activity and draw a picture/diagram with each item.
Death Camps
Review pages 8 and 9 of your newspaper.
 Read the information about the death camps.
 Review the maps on the pages and answer the
questions about the concentration and death
camps.
 Review the site below.
http://www.nizkor.org/faqs/auschwitz/auschwitz-faq03.html
If you were in the Nazi army and assigned to a death
camp, what would you do when you were told to
kill? Write 1 paragraph.
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Death Tolls
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Make a graph of the following death tolls using
your text book and the internet.
1. Total murdered in each camp location.
2. Total murdered by nationality.
3. Total murdered by sex and age.
4. Total murdered by direct killing and those who
died by disease/starvation.
This site will assist you:
http://www.vho.org/GB/Journals/JHR/11/3/Nordling33
5-344.html
How Could This Happen?
List on the board the events leading up to
the Holocaust.
 Make stop signs along the way and each
time explain how the Holocaust could have
been stopped? Include by whom, where,
and when.
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Our Freedoms
What document guarantees our freedoms?
 Using your textbook, list and explain the
first ten amendments.
 Write a brief summary of how two of those
amendments, if they were in place in Nazi
Germany in 1930, could have prevented the
Holocaust.
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Liberation
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Review the following web site.
http://www.remember.org/mooney/full_version.ht
ml
Class discussion
1. Why did the allies wait so long for the
liberation of the death camps?
2. Who liberated which camps?
3. What did the soldiers find when they arrived?
4. Was that the end to the problem? What
happened next?
In My Hands
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Listen to the Reader’s Digest version of the book.
Activity:
Write a short book report on the story.
Images
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Review the web site below and print three
images from the Holocaust. Write a short
explanation of your image. Include the date
of the photo.
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http://remember.org/image/index.html
Holocaust National Museum
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The greatest tribute to the Holocaust.
Visit the Museum in Washington, D.C.
Review this site, discuss location, travel distance,
time and cost.
http://www.ushmm.org/