Transcript World War II and the Holocaust

World War II and the
Holocaust
A Timeline
1918
World War I ends—
Germany suffers a
terrible defeat and
much of German
territory is divided
among the Allied
powers (France,
Poland, etc.).
Germany is forced to
pay a huge sum (war
reparations) for all
the damage of the
war.
Adolf Hitler (shown left-under x) during World War I with fellow German
soldiers. The dog had the name Fuchsl and was actually Hitler's pet
during the war until it was stolen from him. (Photo credit: U.S. National
Archives)
1919
Hitler begins his
campaign for power.
He becomes one of
the leaders of the
Nationalsozialistische
Deutsche Arbeiterparti
(National Socialist
German Worker
Party), generally called
the Nazi party.
1923
Inflation creates an
economic crisis in
Germany. (Before
WWI a little more
than 4 German
Marks = $1. In 1923
5,000,000,000 = $1.)
Many Germans are
without work and/or
food.
Upon being paid, workers would rush to stores to buy
anything they could get, as they knew the prices would be
higher in a matter of hours
1932
The Nazi party is the most
powerful party in Germany
Nazi party rally in city of Nürnberg
in 1927
Nazi SS troopers hold back an
enthusiastic crowd as they salute Hitler
at 1938 rally
Jan. 1933
Adolf Hitler is appointed to be chancellor of
Germany.
Feb. 1933
The Reichstag,
the German
parliament
building, was set
on fire.
Emergency
powers granted to
Hitler as a result
of the fire.
May 1933
Burning of books
throughout Germany.
“Where books are burned, human
beings are also destined to be burned.”
--Heinrich Heine, poet 1820
June 1934
“Night of
Long Knives”
Many of the
SA (storm
trooper)
leadership are
killed.
Aug. 1934
German
President von
Hindenburg
dies. Hitler
becomes
Fuhrer
(Leader).
Sep. 1935
Nuremberg Race Laws
against Jews decreed.
Mar. 1936
Nazis occupy the Rhineland
Mar. 1938
Nazi troops enter Vienna. Hitler announces
Anschluss (union) with Austria.
Sep. 1938
Jews are prohibited from all legal practices.
A Nazi boot-boy enjoys holding a sign as he
pickets outside the Jewish shop Tietz in
Berlin.
This is a picture of
the "ideal German."
Oct. 1938
Nazi troops occupy the Sudentenland.
Nov. 1938
Kristallnacht—The
Night of the Broken
Glass. Many thousands
of Jewish-owned stores
and businesses are
broken into and robbed.
Synagogues are burned.
Jews are arrested and
degraded. Some are
killed.
Sep. 1939
Nazis invade Poland
(largest Jewish
population in Europe).
Jews in Germany are
forbidden to be out
after 8pm in winter and
9pm in summer.
England and France
declare war on
Germany.
German troops stage a victory parade through the streets of
Warsaw, Poland. September 1939.
Sep. 1939
Instructions are
issued to the SS in
Poland stating
that Jews are to
be gathered into
ghettos near
railroads for the
future “final
goal.”
Starving Jewish boy in the
Warsaw ghetto, probably
1942.
Quarantine against
typhus was enforced
vigorously in the ghetto,
victims and contacts
being locked into their
apartments.
Nov. 1939
Yellow stars required to be worn by Polish
Jews over age 10.
Wedding of Sallie Schryver and Flora Mendel, Amsterdam,
1942. This photo shows the star being worn by the bride
and groom.
Feb. 1940
Krakow Ghetto
(70,000 Jews) and
Warsaw Ghetto
(400,000 Jews) are
sealed off.
Close-up of a group of Jewish children,
who pose on the street in the Warsaw ghetto.
Photo and text, USHMM Archives.
A group of
Jews chop
up furniture
to use as
fuel in the
Krakow
ghetto.
Photograph
and text,
USHMM
Archives.
Jews were forced to do manual labor in
the ghetto
June 1941
Hitler orders the Final
Solution to the Jewish
question. Auschwitz is chosen
as an extermination camp.
Beds in the wooden barracks where prisoners
shared 4 to a bunk.
Jan. 1942
Mass killings of Jews using Zyklon-B begin
at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Mar. 1942
Jews from Lublin, Slovak Jews, and French
Jews are deported to Belzec and Auschwitz.
Jews from the Lodz ghetto board trains for the death camp at Chelmno.
June 1942
SS report 97,000 persons have been
“processed” in mobile gas vans.
These grey buses transported the patients from Eichberg to
Hadamar, where they were put to death as part of the Nazi
euthanasia program.
Sep. 1942
Reduction of food rations for Jews in
Germany.
This formidable page of a
German rationing book
seems rather complicated. It
was issued in Strassburg
during November 1944. The
title Reichseierkarte means
"egg coupons of the Reich"
Everything had a patriotic
name. Eggs were not just
eggs, but "Reich eggs". A
larger version is available by
clicking on the image.
Apparently the Germans had
large rationing books with
pages like this for every
major rationed food item.
SS begins cashing in possessions and valuables
of Jews from Auschwitz and Majdanek. By Feb.
1943, over 800 boxcars of confiscated goods will
have left Auschwitz.
After liberation, an Allied
soldier displays a stash of
gold wedding rings taken
from victims at Buchenwald.
An enormous pile of
clothing taken from
children who were
gassed at Auschwitz
Bales of hair shaven
from women at
Auschwitz, used to
make felt-yarn.
Jan. 1943
First resistance by Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto
One of the most famous photos taken during the Holocaust shows Jewish families arrested by Nazis during the destruction of
the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland, and sent to be gassed at Treblinka extermination camp. This picture and over 50 others were
taken by the Nazis to chronicle the successful destruction of the Ghetto.
June 1943
Krakow Ghetto is liquidated.
German soldiers tormenting Jews, Olkusz,
southern Poland, July 31, 1940.
Liquidation of the ghetto in Krakow,
Poland, with belongings of deported
Jews strewn about the streets,
March 1943
Sep 1943
Newly built gas
chamber opens
at Auschwitz.
With its
completion, the
four new
crematories at
Auschwitz have
a daily capacity
of 4,756 bodies.
Jan 1944
Soviet troops reach former Polish border
May 1944
Jews from Hungary arrive at Auschwitz. By
May 24 (8 days after they arrived), an
estimated 100,000 have been gassed. Between
May 16 and May 31, the SS report collecting
88 pounds of gold and white metal
from the teeth of those gassed.
Oct. 1944
Last use of gas chambers at Auschwitz
Door to an
Auschwitz gas
chamber. The sign
reads, "Harmful
gas! Entering
endangers your
life."
Nov. 1944
Crematories are destroyed at Auschwitz.
Death marches begin.
The ruins of crematory II at Auschwitz-Birkenau, destroyed
by the SS using explosives on January 20, 1945, along with
crematory III, just seven days before the death camp was
liberated by the Soviets. Crematory IV had been destroyed
by inmates during a revolt on October 7, 1944. Crematory
V was blown up by the SS on January 26, 1945, as the
Soviets were approaching.
Prisoners being evacuated from Dachau concentration
camp walk along a street in Gruenwald on a forced march
to an unknown destination.
Jan. 1945
Soviet troops liberate Auschwitz
A roomful of shoes confiscated from murdered
prisoners.
Photo credit: Copyright ©1995 Philip Trauring
Auschwitz prisoners greet Soviet troops
during liberation in January, 1945.
April 1945
Hitler commits suicide in his Berlin Bunker.
May 1945
Germany surrenders to the Allies.
General Alfred Jodl, Chief of the Operations Staff in the
German High Command, signs the document of
unconditional German surrender at General
Eisenhower's Headquarters in Reims, France, May 7,
1945. On Jodl's left is Admiral Von Friedeburg of the
German Navy, and on his right is Major Wilhelm
Oxenius of the German General Staff.
Nov. 1945
Nuremberg Trials of Nazis begin.
The former leaders of Hitler's Third Reich on trial in Nuremberg, Germany.
Country
Initial Jewish
Population
Estimated
% Killed
Estimated
Killed
Number of
Survivors
POLAND
3,300,000
91%
3,000,000
300,000
USSR
3,020,000
36%
1,100,000
1,920,000
HUNGARY
800,000
74%
596,000
204,000
GERMANY
566,000
36%
200,000
366,000
FRANCE
350,000
22%
77,320
272,680
ROMANIA
342,000
84%
287,000
55,000
AUSTRIA
185,000
35%
65,000
120,000
LITHUANIA
168,000
85%
143,000
25,000
NETHERLANDS
140,000
71%
100,000
40,000
BOHEMIA MORAV
118,310
IA
60%
71,150
47,160
LATVIA
84%
80,000
15,000
95,000
Initial Jewish
Population
Estimated
% Killed
Estimated
Killed
Number of
Survivors
SLOVAKIA
88,950
80%
71,000
17,950
YUGOSLAVIA
78,000
81%
63,300
14,700
GREECE
77,380
87%
67,000
10,380
BELGIUM
65,700
45%
28,900
36,800
ITALY
44,500
17%
7,680
36,820
BULGARIA
50,000
0%
DENMARK
7,800
.8%
60
7,740
ESTONIA
4,500
44%
2,000
2,500
LUXEMBOURG
3,500
55%
1,950
1,550
FINLAND
2,000
.03%
7
1,993
NORWAY
1,700
45%
762
938
TOTAL
9,508,340
63%
5,962,129
3,546,211
Country
50,000
What will you remember?