Download Notes - Anti-Semitism, Racism, and the Holocaust

Anti-Semitism, Racism, and
the Holocaust
Learning Targets
• I can explain the initial stages of the
Holocaust, including sterilization.
• I can explain why no countries
intervened to stop the Holocaust.
• I can identify groups targeted by the
Nazis in the Holocaust.
• I can define anti-Semitism.
Hitler Takes Over Germany
• Hitler was NOT a communist!!!
• He promoted “National Socialism” or Nazism, and
was a fascist and racist.
• Blamed the Jews, socialists, and communists for
Germany’s…
– Defeat in WWI
– Economic depression
– Lack of global power
• Took power in 1933 and turned Germany from a
republic to a dictatorship.
• That year, Nazis led a boycott against Jewish
businesses.
Sterilization Law
• Nazi Germany began sterilizing people
against their will in 1934.
– People with disabilities, mental illness,
epilepsy, deafness, blindness, schizophrenia,
etc.
• U.S. had been involuntarily sterilizing the
same groups for decades—plus Native
Americans and Blacks.
• By 1939, Hitler began killing these
groups instead of sterilizing them.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Racial Integrity Law of 1924
• Virginia began sterilizing people
deemed as “unfit.”
– Often labeled the lower class and minorities
as “unfit.”
• “The Germans are beating us at our own
game.”
• “I hope this work is complete and not
one has been missed.” (commenting on
Nazis sterilization of Blacks)
“Euthanasia” of Disabled
60000 RM
This is what this person
suffering from hereditary
defects costs the
Community of Germans
during his lifetime.
Fellow Citizen, that is your
money, too.
Read 'A New People'
The monthly magazines of
the Office for Race Politics of
the NSDAP
Nuremberg Laws
• Began with segregation of public places.
– “No Jews Allowed” signs were all over.
• In 1935, Nazis passed the Nuremberg Laws.
– Didn’t allow Jews to marry or have intercourse with
non-Jews.
– Took away citizenship rights of Jews
– Jews weren’t allowed to hire non-Jews to be maids
– Not allowed to wear national colors or have flag
– Also defined someone as being Jewish by their
ancestry—NOT based on religious beliefs!
Anti-Semitic Propaganda
“The Jews are
our misfortune.”
1936 Olympics
• Held in Berlin, under Nazi Germany.
• Hitler wanted to use Olympic Games to
provide superiority of “Aryan race.”
– Didn’t allow Jews or racial minorities to join
• American Jesse Owens won four gold medals!
Formation of Ghettos
• In 1939, Nazis began forcing Jews into
segregated neighborhoods called
Ghettos.
• Waited there to be taken to concentration
camps.
• Also began having to wear Star of David
to identify themselves as Jewish.
Warsaw Ghetto – 1943
Concentration & Death Camps
• Healthier  concentration camps
• Weaker  death camps
• Pack Jews into backs of trucks and let the truck fill
with exhaust.
• “Shower rooms”- Jews were told they were going to
take showers. Instead, they were locked in and
carbon monoxide was released into the room.
• All dead bodies were burned and buried.
• So many were burned that ashes in the air would
cover cars in nearby towns on a daily basis.
S. S. St. Louis
• A ship of over 900 Jewish refugees from
Germany tried getting U.S. visas.
• U.S. refused to let the boat dock in Miami
due to immigration quotas against Jews.
• Sent back to Europe where 600+ died.
Other Atrocities
• Performed sick medical experiments on
children, particularly twins.
– Injecting ink in eyes to try to change eye color.
– Seeing if twins could feel each other’s pain.
• Filled seat cushions and mattresses with human
hair of victims.
• Used the bones of victims as legs for coffee
tables.
• Used the skin of victims as lamp shades.
Roma Children as Victims of Medical Experiments
Who Were the Victims?
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Jews
Roma (Gypsies)
Disabled People
Homosexuals
Jehovah’s Witnesses
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Catholic Priests
Christian Pastors
Non-whites
Communists
Non-supporters
Total Death Count =
11 – 18 Million
“The road to Auschwitz was
built by hate, but paved with
indifference.”
-Ivan Kershaw, historian
Learning Targets
• I can explain the initial stages of the
Holocaust, including sterilization.
• I can explain why no countries
intervened to stop the Holocaust.
• I can identify groups targeted by the
Nazis in the Holocaust.
• I can define anti-Semitism.