Take notes on underlined topics The holocaust Take notes on underlined topics

What was the Holocaust? The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of roughly 11 million people (~6 million Jews) by the Nazi regime. The Nazis believed: Germans were “racially superior” Jews were a threat to the purity of their community. They targeted other groups as well – Romani, people with disabilities, gay people, some of the Slavic peoples, Socialists, etc.

Direct Impacts 1933: Jewish population of Europe was over 9 million people 1945: the Germans killed almost 2 out every 3 Jewish people in Europe

Beginnings of the Holocaust (“The Final Solution”) ‘Enabling Laws’ used to begin attacks on the Jews Suspended the civil rights of Jewish people Established a large propaganda campaign to reinforce his power and dehumanize the Jewish people Video

First Laws of Persecution From 1933 -1939, more than 400 decrees and regulations that restricted all aspects of Jews public and private lives First set of laws: Limited their participation in public (civil service, education) Second laws: Economic restrictions (business licenses, etc.)

Nuremburg Laws Excluded German Jews from Reich citizenship Prohibited them from marrying or having relationships with Germans Stripped them of the right to vote Jewish people wouldn’t be treated in hospitals Defined anyone who had three or four Jewish grandparents as a Jew

Kristallnacht November 9-10, 1938 The “Night of Broken Glass” Rioters attacked Jewish businesses, homes and synagogues throughout Germany Coordinated campaign Destroyed 267 synagogues, 7,500 Jewish businesses, as well as homes, cemeteries, etc.

Dehumanization & Isolation After Kristallnacht, Germans stepped up isolation and persecution of Jews Barred from public schools, cinemas, theaters, sports Jewish men and women bearing first names of "non-Jewish" origin had to add "Israel" and "Sara," to their given names Forced to carry identity cards

Isolation – Jewish Ghettos Small areas w/in a city where Germans forced Jewish people to live Trapped by walls or barbed wire Attempt to segregate Jewish people Used as a holding place until they could get the concentration camps read Conditions were bad – not enough food, disease, infection, etc. (allowed average of 300 calories a day) 500,000 Jews in the Warsaw ghetto – 45,000 died

The “Final Solution” Mass execution of “sub-human” groups SS Death Squads, Concentration Camps, Extermination Camps

Concentration Camps Control & terrorize the Jewish population of Europe Children executed for being unable to work Prisoners starved, tortured, worked to death or killed Camps accessible by transportation but isolated

Slave laborers at Buchenwald

Medical Experiments German doctors conducted experiments on those in concentration camps Military experiments (testing reactions to altitude), testing drugs, experiments to see how “races” differed These experiments did not yield any useful advances

Extermination Camps Equipped with gas chambers and ovens Prisoners would be poisoned with cyanide gas and their bodies would be cremated Killed an average of 6,000 people a day Created word ‘euthanasia’ to me killing those deemed unworthy of life Prisoners were tricked into entering, told they would be given showers

Auschwitz Largest concentration camp Created as a forced labor camp and to execute Jews Killing zone within the camp, where people were gassed and cremated

The Ovens at Dachau

Dead Bodies Waiting to be Processed

After Germany Falls… As the Germans knew the war was lost, they sped up gassings of prisoners in camps. Taken inside a huge glass case in the Auschwitz Museum. This represents one day's collection at the peak of the gassings, about twenty five thousand pairs.

US Liberates Allach & Dachau

Celebrating Liberation

Results of the Holocaust 6 million European Jews killed About 6 million others killed Fewer than 4 million European Jews survive