The Holocaust

1. The Holocaust • Took place between 1933 and 1945 • During that time 6 million Jews (2/3 of the total European Jewish population) were killed • Nazis believed that Germans were “superior” and that Jews were “inferior”

2. The Holocaust and WWII: Timeline • Jan 30, 1933 Adolf Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany • March 20, 1933 – first concentration camp – Dachau • Sept 15, 1935 – Nuremberg Race laws • Nov 9, 1938 – Kristallnacht • Sept 1, 1939 – Germany invades Poland – WWII in Europe • Oct 8, 1939 – first ghetto in Poland • Dec 7, 1941 Japan bombs Pearl Harbor – US declares war • Mar 27, 1942 – Germany begins deportation of 65,000 Jews to Auschwitz • July 15, 1942 – continued deportation – 100,000 to Auschwitz • Jan 27, 1945 – Soviets liberate Auschwitz • April 29, 1945 – U.S. liberates Dachau • April 30, 1945 – Hitler commits suicide

3. Adolf Hitler • Appointed chancellor of Germany in 1933 • Known for his leadership role in Europe, World War II, and The Holocaust • His views were evident in his autobiography– Mein Kampf– where he used propaganda to share his views of the superiority of the “Aryan race”

4. Propaganda Definition: • distorted information that is systematically spread • Nazi party used propaganda to gain and maintain power as well as implement their policies

5. Propaganda • German newspaper stated Jews kidnapped small children before Passover because “Jews need the blood of a Christian child” • Posters, films, cartoons, and fliers were seen throughout Germany which attacked the Jewish community • Examples: • Jews were blamed for robbing German people while avoiding physical labor themselves

6. Persecution • Definition: • Subjecting of a race or group of people to cruel or unfair treatment • Jan 30, 1939 Hitler declared that a new world war would lead to destruction of all Jews in Europe • At first, destruction took place occasionally but eventually became methodical • Persecution was carried out in stages

7. Persecution • First, Jews were removed from civil society using the Nuremberg Laws • Concentration camps were established where inmates were used as slave labor. • Many Jews were murdered in mass shootings, confined in overcrowded ghettos, and transported to death-camps where they were buried in mass graves or burned

8. Nuremberg Laws • From 1933, when the Nazis came to power, Jews of Germany were subjected to discriminatory laws • Over Hitler’s Reich of twelve years, there were over 400 restrictions against Jews • In 1935 Jews were faced with new laws: • Forbidding intermarriage between Jews and Germans • Defining who is a full German based on bloodlines • Defining who is a “full” Jew based on bloodlines The end result: The more “full-blooded” a Jew was, the greater the level of discrimination

9. Gestapo • Secret Police - formally organized after Nazis seized power in 1933 • Heinrich Himmler – head of Gestapo • It was their job to round up all Jews and other “undesirables” and send them to concentration camps of put them to death. • In Nazi Germany the police were allowed to arrest people on suspicion they were about to do wrong. • Those arrested had three minutes to pack and say goodbye. • There were no restrictions on The Gestapo; they could not be tried for their police actions.

10. Ghettos • The term originated in the Jewish quarter of Venice, in 1516, where Jews were forced to live. • During WWII, ghettos were city districts where the Jewish population was forced to live under miserable conditions. • At first Ghettos were a temporary solution to segregate Jews. • Some lasted a few days while others months or years. • Eventually ghettos were destroyed as the “Final Solution” was implemented and the plan to murder all European Jews was carried out.

11. Deportation • Nazi prisoners were deported using trains and brought to concentration camps. • The selection process began; lines were formed separating those who lived and worked and those who were to die.

12. Concentration Camps • Definition • A camp in which people are detained or confined, usually under harsh conditions • The first camps were established soon after Hitler’s appointment to chancellor in 1933. • In 1934, Hitler authorized Himmler to centralize the concentration camps into a formal system • Those imprisoned included the following people: • Persons considered a political danger • Habitual and professional criminals • Anyone with “asocial” behavior • These camps increasingly became sites were people were murdered.

13. Death Camps

14. Death Camps • In 1941 Nazi leadership to implement the “Final Solution”. • German authorities used rail systems to transport Jews to eastern Europe. • The original perception of these deportation was a “resettlement” of the Jewish population • On the contrary, it was a transport to a killing center and the end result was mass murder. • Many died during transport due to lack of food and water, intense heat, freezing temperature, and unclean conditions. • Those who survived learned their fate soon after arrival.

15. Death Camps

16. Comprehension check #1 1. When did the Holocaust take place? A. 1433 – 1445 B. 1933 – 1945 C. 1833-1845 D. 1944-1945

17. Comprehension check #2 2. Which timeline is most accurate of events that occurred during the Holocaust? A. Hitler commits suicide, Nazis take revenge on Jews, concentration camps are started B. Propaganda(re: Jews) begins, Hitler appointed chancellor, Kristallnacht, WWII begins C. WWII begins, 1st concentration camp, Hitler comes to power, many Jews deported to killing centers

18. Comprehension check # 3 3. Which of the following does NOT describe propaganda as known during The Holocaust. • Certain truths were released to the public. B. Made up stories were shared with the public. C. Stories about Jews were used to paint a negative picture of them.

19. Comprehension check # 4 4. The Nuremberg Laws • . . .were a series of 400 restrictions placed on Jews • . . .helped determine who was and was not Jewish • . . .forbid marriage between Jews and Germans • All of the above

20. Comprehension check # 5 5. Which of the following was NOT true of concentration camps? • The first camp was set up soon after Hitler was appointed chancellor. • Concentration camps were for Jews only. • The way people were treated in concentration camps became more and more harsh as time went on. • All of the above are true.