The Holocaust

World Studies

How it happened

• As we’ve already discussed, Germany was led by a fascist dictator named Adolf Hitler.

• Similar to other fascists, Hitler did not tolerate opposition and persecuted his opponents.

• Hitler took this persecution to the extreme in what is known as the Holocaust.

What was the Holocaust?

• The Holocaust was Adolf Hitler’s attempt to wipe the European Jewish population off the face of the earth, known as “The Final Solution.”– Review: This is known as GENOCIDE.

• He also targeted other groups that he felt were inferior or a threat to the Germans.– Gypsies, political opponents, intellectuals,

homosexuals, handicapped and communists were also targeted.

The Holocaust

• Occurs during WWII; peaks from 1942-1945• Starting in 1940’s, the Nazis created ghettos in the

cities in territories that they controlled. • Jews living in these cities were forced out of their

homes and into the ghettos, which were crowded, lacked resources, and disease ridden. – Warsaw (Poland) ghetto was the largest w/ 400,000

people

• Beginning July 19th, 1942, Jews were deported from the ghettos to concentration camps.

Crowds in the Ghetto

Jews wore this symbol

Life in the Warsaw Ghetto

Destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto

Boarding the train to a camp

Concentration Camps

• Initially, concentration camps were used as prison/ labor camps.– Many inmates were worked to death.

– Up to 50% perished

• Over time, extermination camps were created, with the sole purpose of executing prisoners. – Prisoners were typically gassed, then cremated in

furnaces.

– Auschwitz (Poland) is the most well known example.

The Entrance to Auschwitz

The Victims

What is this?

Destroying a corpse in a furnace

Children at Auschwitz

Sleeping and living quarters

Prisoner symbols

Gate at Auschwitz

Outcomes of the Holocaust

• Once Hitler dies, U.S./ Russia begin “liberating” the death camps.

• Between 9 and 17 million humans killed.

• 6 million out of 9 million European Jews.

• Up to 10 million additional opponents killed.