The Holocaust

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The Holocaust

• A brief history of WWII and the events that
  surround this atrocity

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The Rise of Adolf Hitler

• Austrian Led National Socialist German Workers
  Party (Nazi)
• Became German Chancellor in 1933 and then Fuhrer
  in 1934

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The Rise of Adolf Hitler

• Hitler was a brilliant speaker, ruthless leader,
  hard worker, and his use of visual symbols made
  him the perfect leader for the Nazi cult
• Idea of Volksgemeinschaft
• Meant to purify Aryan Germany (white)

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World War I

• The Nazi party gained in size and popularity as a
  result of Hitlers position in German politics
• We see the emergence of the Nazi party first
  during WWI then heavily in WWII

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World War I Contd

• Germany lost WWI and as a result Germany was
  forced to pay huge war reparations to the
  victorious countries
• These reparations (war debts) forced Germany into
  a depression and Hitler decided to blame the
  German government
• He rallied against the government and many people
  followed him due to times of dispair and hardship

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Nazi Party

• Strongly nationalistic
• Staunchly anti-Semitic (against Jews)
• Jews were seen as parasites in Germany who gave
  nothing to others
• Aligned with Fascist ideology

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Quiet Laws (1933-1940)

• Issued by Hitler to fuel anti-Semitic views of
  Nazi party
• Boycotted all Jewish business (armed Nazis
  enforced)
• Civil Service Law fired all Jews from govt
  jobs
• Banned Jewish/Aryan marriages
• All schools began teaching hatred of Jews,
  gypsies, homosexuals, mentally ill, physically
  handicapped, other non-Aryans
• Forced display of the Star of David on all
  clothing
• Forced registry of all Jewish property
  (personal/business)

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Prelude to the Final Solution

• When Hitler seized power in 1933 he used his new
  powers under the Enabling Law to begin his
  attack on the Jews.
• In 1938, the Nazi attack on the Jews changed and
  became more violent with Himmler (senior advisor)
  launching Kristallnacht (Crystal Night / Night of
  Broken Glass) on November 9th// 10th ,1938.
• By 1939, half of Germanys 500,000 Jews had
  emigrated to escape Nazi persecution.

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The Final Solution

• Early Methods
• Jews were gathered individually or in small
  groups and murdered by the S.S. (Gestapo) troop
  Jews simply disappeared
• Creation of ghettos forced all Jews into
  crowded cities that became giant prisons. No one
  in, no one out.

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The Final Solution

• Einsatzgruppen
• Creation of a system to murder large numbers of
  Jews told they were being relocated
• Many taken from homes and shot
• Eventually, special gassing vans were created
  to gas passengers

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Concentration Camps

• Arrival
• Jews first went through selection
• Healthy work camp
• Sickly, child, woman often times sent to death
  camps
• Those selected were forced to surrender their
  clothes and valuables heads shaven, bodies
  deloused and tattooed
• Jews selected for extermination were gassed in
  showers using Zyklon B

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Concentration Camps

• Goals/Purposes
• Murder massive numbers of Jews as quickly as
  possible
• More efficient than jails because they were
  secret
• Some were placed in slave labor tasks (literally
  worked to death)
• Auschwitz, Dachau, Buchenwald, Treblinka most
  notorious

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Life in the Camps

• Survival
• Depended on your health
• Jews recd only 800 calories a day (2500 needed
  to stay healthy)
• Nazis no Jews were expected to survive
• Roll Calls occurred routinely to seek out the
  sick and get rid of them.

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Medical Experiments

• Performed by Nazi doctors for their medical
  studies
• Typically performed on the mentally and
  physically disabled called Eugenics
• Dr. Joseph Mengele known as the Angel of Death

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Results

• Why did this happen?
• Hitlers hatred came at a time when much of the
  world was anti-Semitic (including the US)
• Many European nations refused to do anything to
  help the Jews many were not allowed to immigrate
  to several countries
• Over 6 million of Europes 8.3 million Jews were
  murdered by the Nazi government in Germany
  (thats nearly 75)

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Results

• Many Jews were liberated by ally forces
• Creation of Israel
• Created Palestine in 1948 as the Jews gained
  worldwide support for a homeland after the war
• Let them defend themselves since no one helped
  against the Nazis

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Today We must never forget

• April 27-May 4th 2008 (Days of Remembrance)
• The National Holocaust Museum Washington, D.C.

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There is genocide happening in the world today.

• Where is this currently happening?
• Darfur Region of Sudan in Africa

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Genocide Today - Darfur
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How to stop genocide

• You must be knowledgeable through paying
  attention and letting your voice be heard through
  your government representatives and non-profit
  organizations such as Amnesty International.
• Talk with your friends and family about this
  international issue to raise awareness.