Eugenics Prophesy Speech January 30 1939 Hitler gives

Eugenics

Prophesy Speech • January 30, 1939 Hitler gives “Prophesy Speech” • In this speech, Hitler tells his intention to annihilate the entire Jewish race • Annihilate means to make into nothing

Eugenics • Eugenics (“good birth”) term coined by British scientist ; movement dedicated to improving the human race by better breeding • Eugenics is stemmed from Italian criminalist César Lombroso who said entire groups of people were born to be criminals – People with sloping foreheads, unusually large ears, excessive length of arms, etc • By adding biology a cure could be created

Eugenics • One cure-sterilize those that are less sufficient in order to keep them from reproducing • Involuntary Sterilization was required in countries like Italy, Germany, and The United States – Half the states in the US passes these laws • 1927 The United States Supreme Court upheld a ruling in Virginia that enforced involuntary sterilization – “three generations of imbeciles is enough”

Eugenics • July 1933 Nazis made the Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases • Nazis justify this law by congenital (at birth) feeblemindedness – Most often down syndrome, schizophrenia, manic depressive, hereditary epilepsy, hereditary deafness, hereditary blindness, severe alcoholism • Sterilizations by year – 1932 -32, 000 1935 -72, 000 1936 -65, 000

Eugenics • Most congenital defects were reported by facility workers • Complications from the sterilization caused many to die (women mostly because of the complexity of the surgery)

Eugenics • Next step-getting rid of the people that already have these problems

Euthanasia • Euthanasia is generally referred to as a “mercy killing” • People who may be in a coma and is not likely they will recover or suffering from an incurable and very painful disease; a third party may in some cases put an end to that person’s suffering • It is illegal in most of the United States – Washington, Oregon, Montana, and Texas are exceptions

Euthanasia • Knauer Infant • The father of an infant born with 1 leg, 1 arm, and blind wrote to Hitler; the father described the child as an “idiot” • Hitler sent his personal physician, Karl Brandt, to examine the child; his orders were that if the doctor found the fathers description to be accurate that in the name of Hitler, the child should be euthanized • Upon Brandt’s return to Berlin, he handled similar cases in the same manner

Euthanasia • In May 1939, Hitler instructed Brandt to pave the way for the killing of children by setting up a body entitled the `Reich Committee for the Scientific Registering of Serious Hereditary and Congenital Illnesses’. • By a decree dated 18 August 1939, doctors and midwives were ordered to report all cases of “deformed” newborn.

T 4 • The program quickly spread beyond infant ages Euthanasia program codename is T 4 – The name is that of the street address of the headquarters: Tiegartenstrasse 4 in Berlin • Bishop von Galen, a catholic priest, preached against the T 4 program; raised the issue that it could happen to war vets next

T 4 • In response Hitler shut the program down (1941); about 71, 000 had been killed by that time (more accurately paused the program) • The program for adult “euthanasia” was suspended, but “children’s” and “wild” euthanasia continued • Much of the personnel from the Euthanasia centers were transferred to killing centers

Last child killed in T 4 program

St. Louis • St. Louis passenger liner left Hamburg; the ship was loaded with 930 Jewish refugees headed for Havana, Cuba • Once they arrived in Cuba, they would await their quota number to be able to enter into the United States • Each passenger was required to pay extra 230 reichsmarks to cover a contingency fee which was supposed to cover a return trip if needed

St. Louis • Corrupt Cuban officials sold the visas to Nazis without Cuban authorization • only 28 Jewish passengers had valid visas; the remaining passengers were not allowed to disembark from the ship or be admitted into Cuba • Ship forced out of Cuban waters; sailed along Eastern coast; tried to radio FDR, but no response; US would not allow refugees in

St. Louis Holland, France, Great Britain , and Belgium each allowed a share of the passengers into their country

Anschluss • 1938 Germany annexed Austria • Hitler makes the demand on Czechoslovakia to turn over the Sudetenland • The idea is not unpopular; most of the population are German speakers and were becoming unhappy with Czech-dominated government

Pretext for War • Munich Conference • Neville Chamberlain, British Prime Minister, and Edouard Daladier, French Prime Minister practicing the policy of appeasement, agreed to let Hitler have the Sudetenland; most of the people there wanted to be a part of Germany • Hitler agreed to not take over any more of Czechoslovakia or any other land in exchange for the Sudetenland

Pretext for War • March 1938 Hitler takes Bohemia and Moravia, another part of Czechoslovakia • Great Britain and France issue guarantees to other countries like Poland Slovakia; political unrest in Slovakia

Pretext for War • Danzig (Gdansk) important seaport on the Baltic Sea • The Treaty of Versailles gave the piece of land known as Danzig Corridor to Poland (from Germany)-Danzig is on this piece of land • Hitler issues orders to have Danzig returned to Germany; Poles refuse-still counting on the promise from Great Britain and France

Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact • In WWI, Germany struggled with war on both fronts, so he planned ahead • August 23, 1939 Hitler and Stalin sign a nonaggression pact stating that each country would not attack the other • September 1, 1939 Hitler invades Poland (Danzig Corridor); Poland’s fate is sealed once the Soviet Union invades; Poland falls within a month • Both sides profit from the Non-Aggression Pact

Poland • Nazi divides it parts of Poland – The areas that are on the border, they are incorporated into Germany; the area becomes known as Warthengau – Warsaw and Krakow were the farthest away from Germany and had a larger population of Jewish people

Einsatzgruppen • Mobile killing units were assembled; they were called Einsatzgruppen • They were run out of the SS (Nazi police organization) • Reinhard Heydrich was the head of the SS

Einsatzgruppen • One Einsatzgruppen was assigned to each major army unit • As a unit would invade a part of Poland, the Einsatzgruppen would come behind to eliminate anyone that was dangerous to Nazi Germany, (higher ups, educators, etc. )

Schnellbrief • A “for your eyes only” brief written by Heydrich to determine what to do with Jews in occupied areas • Jews could be killed if they didn’t follow German instructions • Judenrat is the Jewish council; generally made up of prestigious Jews; urged Jews to comply • Many Jews lived in small towns on the countryside called shtetl; Germans wanted them to move to the city

AB Aktion • Aimed at eliminating Polish intellectuals • About 6, 500 people shot • Germans assume that if the intellectuals are dead, there won’t be much resistance, but they are wrong

Polish Jews • Hans Frank is the governor general of Krakow • 1939 Jews are made to wear an armband with a blue star of David; this is the first time they are made to wear distinctive clothing • Jews are not allowed to move without permission • Jews are forced into slave labor • Jewish businesses are marked with the Star of David • Can’t use trains • Assaults and taunting by non-Jews

Ghettos • • • They begin putting Jews in ghettos 1 st ghettos 1939 -40 Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow, and Lublin They seal off the ghettos with Jews inside German authorities choose the most crowded part of the city for the ghetto; walls are usually built around the ghetto

Ghettos • Severe punishments were dealt for trying to escape; usually death • They had to risk leaving because they weren’t getting enough food

Ghettos • Starvation brings disease • Typhus spreads through lice • Tuberculosis– death rates in Warsaw Ghetto were about 90 for every 1, 000 – Death rates in Lodz Ghetto were about 76 for every 1, 000

Ghettos • In Eastern Poland, Heinrich Himmler suggests using Lublin reservation for a dumping ground • Adolf Eichmann is in charge of dumping Polish Jews, but the plan never goes any further than paper • Hitler turns to deadlier means to solve the “Jewish problem”

Madagascar Plan • Antisemites thought of sending Jews to the island of Madagascar, Africa • As the Battle of Britain took longer than planned and Hitler decided to invade the Soviet Union, the plan became unfeasible

Ghettos • In the summer of 1940, Hans Frank halts construction of further ghettos because he thinks they are moving Jews to Madagascar • Germany can’t conquer North Africa, timing of Battle of Britain, and invasion of Soviet Union impedes the Madagascar plan

Commissar Order • September 1941 Commissar Order • May 1941 Einsatzgruppen was reinstated • 3, 000 men split into 4 Einsatzgruppen groups: A, B, C, D • Responsible to army to control front lines • June 1941 invasion began to carry out Commissar Orders – It demanded that any Soviet political commissar identified among captured troops be shot immediately

“Euphoria in Victory” • Some historians believe that the German reason to commit mass murder was “euphoria in victory” – Hitler was overconfident because he thought he was winning the war • 1942 was the most murderous year of the Holocaust – Of those that would not survive the Holocaust only 25% of those were already dead

Polish Jews • October 1941 Jews are no longer allowed to emigrate from German occupied Europe • Residential restrictions are put into place – Jews are forced to live in same apartment buildings – “Jewish Star Regulation” forced to wear the star of David as an indicator they are the enemy – Systematic deportation to East, most to Polish ghettos

Polish Jews • Nazis recognize that the evacuation of certain Jews, particularly prominent elderly, decorated, and disabled WWI vets, would lead to protests in foreign nations • Heydrich and Eichmann decide to create a “model” ghetto for prominent Jews • They choose a Czech town named Terezin – Terezin is and old Austrian town surrounded by walls and a moat

Theresienstadt • Judenrat, under the orders of Nazi authority, compiled lists of Jews to be placed on transport – Theresienstadt was a transit camp for Auschwitz. Birkenau – To save some, they had to send others to death

Theresienstadt • The International Red Cross wants to tour the camp (they had developed a belated concern for Jews) • Nazis had parts of the camp cleaned, fed some of the prisoners, and sent some off to death before bringing in the Red Cross • Once the Red Cross came in they saw elderly Jews enjoying a cup of coffee at an open air café listening to an orchestra

Theresienstadt • They were fooled by the façade • Nazis even made a propaganda film about Theresienstadt – “The Führer gives the Jews a city” – Historical Film Footage

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