The Holocaust
Background to the Holocaust In his autobiography Mein Kampf, Hitler claimed the “Jewish question” needed to be answered once and for all Nazi ideology promoted the idea of “Aryan” superiority over other races When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, anti-Semitism became official policy
1933 Hitler rises to power. Approx. 566,000 Jews in Germany Boycott Jewish businesses Define non-Aryans Gestapo created
1935 - Nuremberg Laws Stripped of citizenship Jewish was not a “religious choice” - determined by blood No marriage or dating with “Germans” Can’t employ German women Can’t fly German flag In addition to other discriminations
1938-1939 Jews try to flee - no where to go Kristallnacht Must hand over gold and silver
1939 - In Poland 3.35 million Jews Forced labor decree Must wear yellow star German Jews deported to Poland
1940 “You will not live among us.” Ghettos established Later are sealed off Disease, illness, unemployment, starvation Smuggling - in and out Start to liquidate in ‘42
The German invasion of Poland in 1939 led to the creation of “ghettos” where Jews confined
Typical Conditions in the Warsaw Ghetto
Wannsee Conference January 20, 1942 Prepare “Final Solution” Attempt to exterminate all Jews from Europe Est. 11 million people
Final Solution Phase I Phase II Phase III Shooting Gas Vans Camps (Concentration & Extermination) Speed up the process
The Einsatzgruppen were created to murder Jews and Hitler’s political enemies throughout Poland and Russia
Jews are shot and dumped in mass graves
Mobile gas van used by the Einsatzgruppen
Extermination camps were established throughout Eastern Europe to kill primarily Jews, but also gypsies, the handicapped, and others the Nazis considered “subhuman”
At Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, 1 At Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, 1.5 m people were gassed and about 90% of these were Jews
Auschwitz
Auschwitz Opened January 1940 4 gas chambers/crematories by 1943 Recored 12,000 kills in one day SS must take all possessions
Cylinder Containing Zyklon B Gas
Aerial photo taken by the Allies in 1944 showing a plume of smoke near Birkenau death camp
About 6 million Jews and 5 million others were murdered during the Holocaust Allies insisted the best way to end the genocide was to win the war When the concentration camps were liberated in 1945, the world saw the true extent of Nazi horrors
The Nuremberg Trials After the war, many demanded that the perpetrators of Nazi genocide be punished The Nuremberg Trials were established to bring Nazi war criminals to justice