INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLOCAUST:
The Holocaust was the systematic and state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi government and its associates. This genocide soon came to be known as the 'Holocaust,'"Holocaust" is a word of Greek origin meaning "sacrifice by fire." The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933 (after the legal voting of Adolf Hitler, the leader of the Nazis, as Chancellor) , believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, regarded "inferior," were a threat to the German community.
WHAT WAS THE HOLOCAUST?
In a nutshell, The holocaust began with discrimination from Hitler ; then the Jews were separated from their communities (ghettos) and persecuted; and finally they were treated as animals and murdered in mass amounts, it is thought that 6 million out of the 9 million Jewish population was killed of in this genocide.
SO WHO ARE THE NAZIS AND HOW DID THEY COME TO POWER?
The First World War, which began in the Summer of 1914 and ended in November 1918, claimed many millions of lives and changed the lives of hundreds of millions of others across the world forever. The Great Depression followed WWI, It was an economic catastrophe that caused a decline in international trade, personal income, tax revenue, prices and profits. Basically there was no money circulating within the population and therefore no one could buy anything, which meant no businesses made money and therefore no jobs were available in a catastrophic cycle, this was a tough time for the whole world however the Jews got through this time or hardship easily because they have developed a strong community and worked together to get through it all, whereas Germany and the Germans was struggling to cope through this time. Hitler developed his hatred towards the Jews because of this and some other factors.
In September 1919 Adolf Hitler joined a very small political party called the German Workers' Party (DAP). He became leader of the party, which we now know as the Nazis (NSDAP). In the spring of 1933 (when Hitler was elected Chancellor) Hitler and the Nazis gained power over the whole of Germany.
THE HOLOCAUST:
The Nazis and the Germans discriminated greatly against the Jews, by doing things such as creating ghettos (started ghettos on, September 1939) and making them wear the Star Of David, letting everyone know that they were a Jew, so that everyone treated them badly.
Soon after this the final solution was introduced, this was when things got really bad. The final solution was a letter suggesting that many things had been done but nothing was very effective, we must do something massive to end all things. They figured that treating the Jews poorly just wasn't enough, the genocide has begun. The plan was to eradicate the Jews as quickly as possible, they did this by creating death camps and many other massive killing operations.
The following is an extract from the final solution:
‘I further charge you with submitting to me promptly an overall plan of the preliminary organizational, practical and financial measures for the execution of the intended final solution of the Jewish Problem’
After the June 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union, SS (corps of Nazi Party) and police units began massive killing operations aimed at entire Jewish communities. By autumn 1941, the SS and police introduced mobile gas vans. These paneled trucks had exhaust pipes reconfigured to pump poisonous carbon monoxide gas into sealed spaces, killing those locked within.
The introduction of concentration camps was the next and final step. Three major death camps were built all around Germany during the period of the holocaust, this is where all the Jews were sent. In these concentration camps the Jews were treated inhumanely. They did tough, physical work during the day, reached very little food, and were tortured in unbelievable ways. Within these concentration camps there were huge gas chambers. Hundreds of them were stuffed into a chamber and all gassed at one time. Hundreds of thousands of Jews died because of this.
Before the Holocaust there was thought to be a Jewish population of 9 million, this dropped down to 3 million by the end of the holocaust.
It was a truly horrific event, it is scary to think that humankind even reached a time like that, where there is a genocide because of a race.
SO WHO ARE THE NAZIS AND HOW DID THEY COME TO POWER?
The First World War, which began in the Summer of 1914 and ended in November 1918, claimed many millions of lives and changed the lives of hundreds of millions of others across the world forever. The Great Depression followed WWI, It was an economic catastrophe that caused a decline in international trade, personal income, tax revenue, prices and profits. Basically there was no money circulating within the population and therefore no one could buy anything, which meant no businesses made money and therefore no jobs were available in a catastrophic cycle, this was a tough time for the whole world however the Jews got through this time or hardship easily because they have developed a strong community and worked together to get through it all, whereas Germany and the Germans was struggling to cope through this time. Hitler developed his hatred towards the Jews because of this and some other factors.
In September 1919 Adolf Hitler joined a very small political party called the German Workers' Party (DAP). He became leader of the party, which we now know as the Nazis (NSDAP). In the spring of 1933 (when Hitler was elected Chancellor) Hitler and the Nazis gained power over the whole of Germany.
THE HOLOCAUST:
The Nazis and the Germans discriminated greatly against the Jews, by doing things such as creating ghettos (started ghettos on, September 1939) and making them wear the Star Of David, letting everyone know that they were a Jew, so that everyone treated them badly.
Soon after this the final solution was introduced, this was when things got really bad. The final solution was a letter suggesting that many things had been done but nothing was very effective, we must do something massive to end all things. They figured that treating the Jews poorly just wasn't enough, the genocide has begun. The plan was to eradicate the Jews as quickly as possible, they did this by creating death camps and many other massive killing operations.
The following is an extract from the final solution:
‘I further charge you with submitting to me promptly an overall plan of the preliminary organizational, practical and financial measures for the execution of the intended final solution of the Jewish Problem’
After the June 1941 German invasion of the Soviet Union, SS (corps of Nazi Party) and police units began massive killing operations aimed at entire Jewish communities. By autumn 1941, the SS and police introduced mobile gas vans. These paneled trucks had exhaust pipes reconfigured to pump poisonous carbon monoxide gas into sealed spaces, killing those locked within.
The introduction of concentration camps was the next and final step. Three major death camps were built all around Germany during the period of the holocaust, this is where all the Jews were sent. In these concentration camps the Jews were treated inhumanely. They did tough, physical work during the day, reached very little food, and were tortured in unbelievable ways. Within these concentration camps there were huge gas chambers. Hundreds of them were stuffed into a chamber and all gassed at one time. Hundreds of thousands of Jews died because of this.
Before the Holocaust there was thought to be a Jewish population of 9 million, this dropped down to 3 million by the end of the holocaust.
It was a truly horrific event, it is scary to think that humankind even reached a time like that, where there is a genocide because of a race.