Download Intro to Holocaust Notes

The Holocaust
Why do we learn about it?
•To learn about Adolf Hitler, Nazi
Europe, The Third Reich, The Final
Solution, and the event called “The
Holocaust”
•To learn about the consequences of
prejudice, racism, and stereotyping in
any society.
•To learn to become tolerant or
understanding of different cultures.
•To learn NOT to be silent, unfeeling, or
indifferent in the face of another’s
oppression.
•To speak out in the face of AntiSemitism, prejudice, and racism.
•To never allow genocide to happen
again!
Terms to know!
• Prejudice - to judge or hate any group without
any just reason
• Racism - a belief that one group is superior
over another group
• Oppression - to control by cruel force; to hold
back by means of pain and suffering
• Anti-Semitism - To hate or discriminate against
those who are Jewish
• Genocide - the deliberate killing of ONE
nationality or ethnicity
• Scapegoating – placing illogical blame on a
group of people for your or your country’s
problems. Can you think of any examples?
Terms to know!
• Nazi - a member of the National Socialist German
Worker’s Party…controlled by Adolf Hilter.
• Third Reich - Germany during the control of
the Nazis
• Communism - form of government in which all
property is shared by the whole community or
government.
• Holocaust - Great destruction by fire
Terms to know!
• Passover - Jewish holiday celebrated in March or April
celebrating the liberation of the Hebrews from Egypt
• Seder - Jewish meal that follows a particular order
• Yiddish - German language spoken by those who are
Jewish…Hebrew + German
• Haggadeh - the Jewish Prayer book…where rituals are
written about
• Unleavened Bread - bread w/out yeast. Matzo
• Yahrzeit - prayer for the dead and the living
• Afikoman - rag used in a game played at the Seder
History of Anti-Semitism
• The feelings of hatred can be traced to
Ancient Rome
• The Romans worshipped more than one
God and Hebrews only one
• Jews believed differently than
Christianity…causing further conflict
History of Anti-Semitism
• In the Middle Ages, laws were passed to keep Jews
living in certain areas and limited their interaction
(economic and socially) with non-Jews
– Blamed for unexplainable events…black death
– Lived in ghettos (different terminology than what we know)
• 19th Century—governments encouraged violence
against Jewish businesses and Jews
• After WWI, Germany’s political leaders blamed
Germany’s economic problems on Jews…causing
more hatred
• Once Hitler took control, he easily convinced an angry
country that the Jews are the cause of all of their
problems.
• **SCAPEGOATING = Blaming a group of people for
the country’s problems
Anti-Semitic sign reading, "Juden
sind hier unerwunscht" (Jews Are
Unwanted Here).
ADOLF HITLER
Childhood
• Born April 20, 1889
• Father: Alois Hitler
• Mother: Klara Hitler
– She was very close to Hitler
– Died at 47 due to
cancer….doctor was
Jewish…not blamed
ADOLF HITLER
• Was a corporal during WWI
– Injured on a mail run…could have changed history
had he not lived
• Very charming and well-liked
• Founded the German Workers’ Party (AKA:
Nazi Party…German for GWP)
• 1929 flocked to rallies to overthrow
government
• Thrown into prison for involvement in rallies
– Held for 9 months, but released because of his
personality
– Wrote Mein Kempf while in prison
ADOLF HITLER
• Although did not do well in school, he
was very smart…decided to run for
political office
• Only excelled in art and P.E.
• Only received 36% of vote, but declared
himself “Fuhrer” when President
Hildenburg died.
– Appointed Reich Chancellor January 30,
1933
– He used a radio to reach the public…He was
a very good speaker!
The Third Reich and Hitler’s
Reign
• Reich=Empire
• Hitler called his time of ruling as the Third Reich
• Used Jews as a “scapegoat” for placing blame
regarding Germany’s failing economy.
• Hitler despised those who were medically
inferior…this included those born with birth
defects (mental retardation, missing limbs, deaf,
blind, mute..etc).
• Rumored to favor those with blond hair and blue
eyes… “racial purity”
Germans attend a class in racial theory.
Germany, date uncertain.
Hitler’s Reign
• 1st plan of action was to get rid of Germany’s Jews
• This all took place in several stages
– Propaganda: persuading all Germans Jews are bad
– Taking away professional rights and civil liberties
– Murder
• Sent many Jews to other countries
– Singapore accepted many of the Jews kicked out of
Germany.
– U.S. would NOT accept Germany’s Jews
• Next, was to rid Germany of those with severe illnesses
or mental illnesses. (Death)
• Hitler started taking over other countries, causing
WWII
WWII Defined
• World War II (1939-1945).
• He took over 6 countries in only 44 days
– France
– Denmark
– Luxembourg
– Holland
– Belgium
– Poland—hardest hit. All intellectuals, leaders,
artists, musicians, doctors, priests, and politicians
were murdered. Why??
• Germany, Italy, and Japan were the Axis Powers
• England, United States (1942), Russia, and many other
European countries were the Allied Powers.
Holocaust
• Once Hitler took over the other countries, he
also acquired more Jewish people
• Developed “Concentration camps”
– Holding/work centers for those of Jewish ancestry
– There were hundreds of concentration camps
throughout occupied Europe
– Problem…too many people and too expensive to
German government
• Created “Final Solution” = mass extermination
to rid Germany of Jews
Deportation of Jewish women from the Warsaw ghetto.
Poland, 1942-1943.
Holocaust
• To determine who was a Jew, all
Jews were required to wear a label
that stated they were Jewish.
– Poland= yellow Star of David
• The Germans (Nazis) then took over
Jewish businesses and properties
– November 10, 1938
“Kristalnact”…Night of broken
glass
– Millions of dollars in damage
done by Nazis…forced Jews to
pay for damages
– 200+ synagogues were burned to
the ground
Holocaust
• Many Jews were then sent to live in ghettos
– Overcrowded…sometimes 3-4 families per
apartment
– Starvation, extreme cold, unsanitary conditions, and
disease killed thousands of people
• The ghettos were eventually liquidated…occupants
were sent to both concentration camps or death camps
• All together roughly 12 million people were killed from
1939-1945
– 6 million were Jews
– 6 million were gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah
Witnesses, freemasons, Polish, political prisoners,
resistance fighters
View of the railcar on display in the Permanent Exhibition of the United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum #n00090
Concentration vs. Death Camps
Concentration Camps
• A concentration camp is similar to a prison
• Treated the inmates in a very inhumane manner.
• Men, women, and children were all held in
concentration camps
Death/Extermination Camps
• In Nazi Death Camps, the main purpose was to
exterminate life.
• They used many ways including gas chambers (Zyclon
B or Carbon Monoxide), shootings, poisonous
injections, to name a few.
Zyklon B pellets found at the
liberation of the Majdanek camp.
Poland, after July 1944.
Holocaust
• Poland had ALL 6 of the death camps
– Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Chelmo, Majdanek, and
Auschwitz-Birkenau (largest)
• Victims were delivered by freight trains from ghettos
– Were told they were being relocated
• Men, women, and children were all subjected to horrible
conditions on trains
– No food, water, or facilities for several days and nights
– Freezing conditions at night and extreme heat during
day
– Many died on journey to camps
• Separated once arrived to camps
Jews being deported from the Warsaw ghetto board a
freight train. Warsaw, Poland, July-September 1942.
Jewish deportees from the Lodz ghetto who are being
taken to the Chelmno death camp, are transferred from a
closed passenger train to a train of open cars at the Kolo
train station.
Holocaust
• Those under 14 years of age, mothers
with small children, over 35 years of age,
ill, or weak were sent to one side
(undesirables) …healthy men, women,
and teens were sent to the other side
• Those that were undesirable were sent to
the showers…essentially death chambers
A transport of Hungarian Jews lines up for
selection at the Auschwitz extermination camp.
Poland, May 1944
Holocaust
• All possessions were confiscated. This included
all clothing.
• Those sent to the showers were poisoned to
death with gas pellets. (20 minutes maximum)
• Other prisoners were forced to clean out the
bodies after they were killed…Commandos
• If one was not sent to the showers, the average
life span was only 6 months
A door to a gas chamber in Auschwitz. The note reads:
Harmful gas! Entering endangers your life.
A warehouse full of shoes and clothing confiscated
from the prisoners and deportees gassed upon their
arrival. The Germans shipped these goods to
Germany.
Holocaust
• Conditions in camps
were horrible
• No food, water, clothing,
or warm blankets
• Threat of death was
always present
• Those who did survive it
was by pure luck…no
one to survive.
• Most people lost
WHOLE families---sole
survivors
Deportation of Jews. Koszeg, Hungary, July 1944.
• Dachau rations
– Morning: 350 grams of
bread, ½ C. imitation
coffee
– Lunch: either 1C of
turnip soup or cabbage
soup
– Evening: 20-30 grams of
sausage or cheese, ¾ C. of
imitation tea, or 1 C. of
soup.
– Daily caloric intake was
less than 500.
•
Survivors of the Ampfing subcamp of the Dachau
concentration camp soon after liberation by U.S.
troops. Ampfing, Germany, May 4, 1945.
Majority Rules
6000000.00
murdered
5000000.00
4000000.00
3000000.00
survived
2000000.00
1000000.00
0.00
JEWS
Polish
*Numbers may
not be
accurate*
Holocaust Aftermath
• U.S. did little to help with the situation before,
during, or after…lots of Anti-Semitism here in
the U.S.
• Germany tried to cover up their crimes by
walking prisoners on “death marches” as the
Allied powers approached
• Once war ended April 30, 1945 only a handful
of Nazis were punished for their crimes
– Nuremburg Trials
• Hilter committed suicide and was never
punished
Holocaust Aftermath
• The Jews who did
survive left Europe for
other countries
– U.S.
– Israel/Palestine
• Those who did not have
the opportunity to leave
were sent to “Displaced
Persons” Camps.
– Many were sole survivors
with NO money, no home,
or a nation
Holocaust Aftermath
• The effects of the
Holocaust are still
present.
• Survivors are still alive,
but they are reaching
advanced age and will
not be with us much
longer.
• People did try to help,
but it was too few.
Jewish refugees in Feldafing displaced persons camp. Germany, after
1945.
Misc. Facts
• “Arbeit Macht Frei”
– Work will set you free
• Switzerland—Neutral
territory
• 1.1 million Jews killed in
Auschwitz alone
• 6,720 acres of death
(Auschwitz)
• Dachau first Concentration
Camp
• Stories of extreme terror
– Traveling execution
machines
Corpses lie in one of the open
railcars of the Dachau death
train. The Dachau death train
consisted of nearly forty cars
containing the bodies of
between two and three
thousand prisoners transported
to Dachau in the last days of the
war. Dachau, Germany, April 29,
1945.
Photo mural showing a pile of hair shorn from the heads of
female prisoners at Auschwitz-Birkenau as displayed at the
National Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
An aerial reconnaissance photograph of the Auschwitz
concentration camp showing Auschwitz II (Birkenau), including
the gypsy camp.
One of a series of aerial photographs taken by Allied
reconnaissance units under the command of the 15th U.S. Army
Air Force during missions dating between April 4, 1944 and
January 14, 1945. The photos were used to plan bombing raids,
determine the accuracy of bombing sorties, or make damage
assessments. A typical sortie employed two cameras equipped
with lenses of different focal lengths.
Child survivors of Auschwitz, wearing adult-size
prisoner jackets, stand behind a barbed wire
fence. [Photograph #66935A]
Corpses of women piled up on the floor of
Block 11. [Photograph #08854]
Suitcases that belonged to people deported to the
Auschwitz camp. This photograph was taken after
Soviet forces liberated the camp. Auschwitz, Poland,
after January 1945.
Identification pictures of a female inmate of the
Auschwitz camp. Poland, between 1942 and
1945.
A survivor of the Buchenwald concentration
camp displays his tattooed arm.
Four survivors from Salonika display the tattoos
they received while imprisoned in Auschwitz.
References
-Pictures taken by Kate Stiglic
-All information is based on knowledge
acquired while in class. Nothing was
taken from books verbatim.
-Historical photos were taken from
www.ushmm.org