Transcript The Holocaust

•
•
•
•
•
•
As early as 1923, Hitler was obsessed with the idea of establishing a “pure” and
“superior” German race, which he called the Aryan race.
Heinrich Himmler- head of Hitler’s Nazi elite guard, the SS, oversaw the
construction and function of the concentration camps
o Dachau (near Munich) was the first in 1933- most of its first prisoners were
Communists
Before the outbreak of war- working to build public opinion against the Jewish
population- book burnings, rallies, etc.
Nuremburg Laws in 1935 stipulated that if you had 3 or 4 Jewish grandparents,
you were considered Jewish
Began liquidating Jewish property and jobs
Any Jews who could leave did, but few countries would take them in, including
the United States
•
•
After Germany seized the western half of Poland in 1939, Nazis began
reorganizing Polish Jews
Tens of thousands of Jewish Poles were forced from their homes into ghettos
where their property was confiscated
o The ghettos were surrounded by barbed wire and governed by Jewish
councils
o Poverty, undernourishment and disease from overcrowding
o Jews from all German conquered territories were brought to Poland
•
Between 1941 and 1942, Hitler initiated the “Final Solution
to the Jewish Problem”
o Every person designated a Jew in German held territory
was marked with a yellow star
o Starting in late 1941, mass deportations from the
ghettos to the concentration camps
 Auschwitz near Krakow- most well known
•
In 1942, the Franks (a Jewish family of 4) went into hiding in
Amsterdam
o Younger daughter Anne keeps a diary of their lives in the
‘Secret Annex’ where they hide for almost 3 years
o In 1944, they are found and sent to concentration camps,
where everyone except Otto (the father) perishes
o Anne’s diary was later recovered and offers a unique
view of Jewish life in fear of Nazi Germany
•
•
•
Filled with a variety of people- Jews, Gypsies, Russian POWs, the
disabled, homosexuals, anyone deemed unworthy by Hitler’s regime
Arrival at Auschwitz under the infamous banner “Work will make you
free”
o Divided upon entryo The strong were kept for labor and medical experimentationo The weak were told they were going to a disinfecting shower- in
reality the gas chambers which were pumped full of Zyklon B, a
pesticide- then burned
Auschwitz killed 20,000 people a day, 1.6 million in all
•
•
•
•
•
Despite Nazi attempts to keep the camps secret, stories slipped out
o In 1944, 4 prisoners escaped Auschwitz and begged the allied command to bomb the
complex- they refused
January 27, 1945- Russian troops liberated Auschwitz
o 2 days later, US troops liberated Dachau
Many Jews didn’t or couldn’t return home
o Fear of another Holocaust; loss of families and friends
Nuremberg Trials 1945-1949
o 13 trials aimed at bringing Nazi war criminals to justice
o Brought many of their atrocities to light
Totals: Over 11 million people were killed between 1933 and 1945
o 5 million were disabled, political enemies, homosexuals, gypsies, etc.
o 6 million were Jewish