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The Holocaust
The Development of the Final Solution:
the answer to the Nazis’ “Jewish
Question”
“First they came for the Communists,
but I was not a Communist so I did not
speak out. Then they came for the
Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but
I was neither, so I did not speak out.
Then they came for the Jews, but I was
not a Jew so I did not speak out. And
when they came for me, there was no
one left to speak out for me.”
—Martin Niemoeller
“All that is required for evil to
prevail is for good men to do
nothing.”
--Edmund Burke
Anti-Semitism
• Hostility towards or prejudice against Jews
or Judaism
2. Pre-1930’s Roots
•
Historically, the Jews were considered
SCAPEGOATS* for
1. KILLING CHRIST
2. BLACK DEATH
And any other natural or economic problem ;
however, anti-Semitism generally only a
problem during poor economic times
*Left alone if they converted to Christianity
3. Then, World War One happened
• Germany BLAMED, have to PAY FOR WAR.
• Economy is in shambles, guess who is
blamed? The JEWS
• When the economy is down, racism goes up
• Propaganda helps incite hate towards Jews.
Anti-Semitism in Germany
• Hitler blamed Jews for German losses after WWI
and the economic depression that spread
thereafter
Examples of Propaganda Posters
-notice the dark colors, big nose, dark curly
hair and emphasis on money
Hitler takes over Germany and established
the “Jewish Question” (What is to be done
with Germany’s Jews?)
• 1933 HITLER elected to power, crushes all
opponents.
• 1934 BOYCOTT of Jewish Businesses
Hitler takes over continued
• 1935 NUREMBERG LAWS deprive Jews
of citizenship and therefore rights
• Jew = RACE (BLOOD) not RELIGION
(SO CONVERSION DOESN’T MATTER
NOW)
JEWISH = 1 JEWISH
GRANDPARENT
“The Jewish Question”
•
How do you get rid of 500 000 Jews?
•
Attempts:
1. MADAGASCAR PLAN
2. EVIAN CONFERENCE (US AND CANADA SAY NO!)
Jews randomly beat up all over Germany, 78 000 leave,
but over
400 000 stay. Why?
5. The Violence Escalates
AND JEWS CAN NO LONGER LEAVE…..
• 1934: Nazis already executing
MENTALLY HANDICAPPED in T4
EUTHANASIA program
• 1938: Kristallnacht “the NIGHT of the
broken glass. Jews arrested and thrown in
concentration camps, such as Dachau.
Krystallnacht – Nov 9th, 1938
• “Night of Broken Glass”
• Jewish homes and stores were ransacked
in a thousand German towns and cities
Dachau
• The first concentration camp was opened
in Germany in 1933
T-4 Euthanasia Program
• 60,000 Reichsmarks
is what this person
suffering from
hereditary defects
costs the People's
community during his
lifetime. Fellow
German, that is your
money too.
And then, World War II Breaks Out
• Nazis crush POLAND
• Now total of 2.5 million Jews under Nazi
control
7. Jews are moved to GHETTOS
• Until Germans can decide what to do
• Ghettos are:
1. CRAMPED (HUNDREDS OF 1000S IN
ONLY A COUPLE OF BLOCKS)
2. SUFFERING FROM STARVATION
3. FULL OF DISEASE AND DIRTY
The Ghettos
The Problem Gets Bigger…
• 8. The “Jewish” problems (Nazi perceived) compounded
by the invasion of the SOVIET UNION in the Spring of
1940. Now have 5 million Jews under their control.
• Their response?
1. EINSATZGRUPPEN (SPECIAL SQUAD)
2. GAS VANS (DISCOVERED ACCIDENTALLY)
Meanwhile…
• A new concentration camp called
AUSCHWITZ built to hold POLISH
political prisoners and Russian Prisoners
of WAR.
• Already using ZYKLON B in special gas
chambers. (first in a sealed off cabin)
10. Jan.1942 – “Wannsee
CONFERENCE”
Decide all Jews under German CONTROL
will be sent to DEATH camps.
Areas under German Control
• France, Denmark,
Holland, Italy, Czech
Republic,
Luxembourg, Channel
Islands, Belgium,
Poland, USSR,
Slovakia, Romania,
Hungary, Austria,
Lithuania, Norway
etc.
Operation Reinhardt
• Establishes 5 new “Death Camps” (no labor):
1. TREBLINKA
2. SOBIBOR
3. BELZEC
4. MAJDANEK
5. CHELMNO
And expands AUSCHWITZ BIRKENAU
Jews transported to camps by TRAINS (CATTLE
CARS)
Trains transported Jews to camps
Zyklon-B Gas Chambers
Auschwitz
Identifying the prisoners
• Jews were given 2 black and yellow triangles
• Together they formed the 6-pointed Star of
David
Identifying the prisoners
• Green = professional criminal
• Pink = homosexual
• Brown = gypsy
• Violet = Jehovah’s Witness
• Black = “a-social” (alcoholic or prostitute)
“Canada”
11. Then the Jews (and others)
Fight back, 1943-44
• 1. WARSAW GHETTO UPRISING (first
incident of resistance to Nazi rule
11. Resistance continued…
• 2. HUNGARIANS REFUSE TO GIVE UP
THEIR JEWS.
• 3. DENMARK FERRIES 8000 JEWS TO
SWEDEN
• 4. FRANCE HIDES CHILDREN IN
CONVENTS.
12. What the Allies knew…
• 1944, the ALLIES find out about
AUSCHWITZ.
• What do they do?
• NOTHING
• Most killed this year, 14 000
a day, crematoria could not
keep up and had to dig large
pits and burn bodies.
13. The End
•
•
•
•
•
1. Jan. 27, 1945 AUSHWITZ is liberated
2. April 1945, HITLER commits suicide
3. May, 1945 WAR is over in Europe
4. NUREMBERG Trials
However, 6 MILLION of Europe’s 11
MILLION Jews are dead.
Liberation - 1945
Nuremburg Trials – 1945 - 49