The Holocaust Chapter 11 Section 4 Lecture Focus

The Holocaust Chapter 11 Section 4

Lecture Focus Questions n #1: How did the Holocaust develop and what were its results? n #2: One historian has said that the Holocaust began on “the day that the Jews started to be treated differently. ” Explain what this statement means and what evidence supports it.

Roots of the Holocaust: the Nazi attempt to kill all Jews and other “undesirables” under their control – Nazis considered Aryans (white gentiles, especially those of Germanic, Nordic, and Anglo-Saxon blood) superiors to all others n Hitler blamed Jews for Germany’s problems n Urged boycott of Jewish businesses and barred Jews from civil service jobs, journalism, banking, and medicine n Nuremberg Laws: denied German citizenship to Jews, banned marriage between Jews and non -Jews, segregated Jews at all levels of society n

Kristallnacht 1938: Jewish refugee killed German diplomat in Paris n Kristallnacht: “Night of Broken Glass” during which Nazi officials ordered attacks on Jews in Germany – 200+ synagogues destroyed – 7, 500+ Jewish businesses destroyed – 200 Jews killed – 600 injured – Thousands arrested n

Jewish Refugees n Between 1933 -1937 about 129, 000 Jews fled Germany and Nazi-controlled Austria – Refugees included brilliant minds like Albert Einstein n Not generally welcomed into other countries – Great Depression made jobs scarce – Many countries, including the U. S. , closed their doors to Jews n St. Louis: 1936 ocean liner carrying 937 Jews sailed from Germany to Cuba – – 21 given permission to stay in Cuba U. S. officials refused to accept any refugees Ship returned to Germany 600 Jews from that ship later died in camps

“Final Solution” Genocide: willful annihilation of a racial, political, or cultural group n Concentration Camps: camps in which specially designated groups were confined – Imprisoned labor leaders, socialists, communists, and anyone who spoke out against the Third Reich and Hitler – Imprisoned other “undesirables” (Gypsies, Jehovah’s Witnesses, homosexuals, drunkards, mentally ill, and conscientious objectors) n

Badges of Hate

Torture and Death Forced to live on 1800 calories/day n Horrible medical experiments performed n – Oxygen deprivation, hypothermia – Bodies mutilated without anesthesia – Thousands died in agonizing pain including 5, 000 mentally or physically disabled children Walled ghettos and camps established in Poland Eastern Europe n Wannsee Conference 1942: Nazi leaders decided to move toward the “Final Solution” n Death camps: camps in which prisoners were systematically exterminated n – Auschwitz: largest, located in Poland

Allies and the Holocaust Early response was weak → Hitler underestimated, fear of job competition n War Refugee Board: established by FDR, worked with Red Cross to save thousands of Eastern European Jews (tiny fraction!) n USSR closest ally to death camps, but Stalin showed little concern n Liberation of camps made Americans realize the enormity of the evil perpetrated by the Nazis n – Evil is more than an abstract idea, it’s real! Outpouring of American sympathy n Increased demand for an independent Jewish homeland n – 1948: Truman recognized Israel as an independent nation

Nuremberg Trials n Nuremberg Trials: Nazi war criminals tried for crimes against humanity – Many claimed they were “just following orders” – Everyone is responsible for their own actions! n Many Nazis fled and were tracked down by governments or other organizations – Simon Wiesenthal Center (Museum of Tolerance) found Adolf Eichmann (leading architect of the “Final Solution”) in Argentina and brought him to justice – John Demjanjuk, Nazi guard in Poland, found hiding in Ohio deported to Germany for trial in 2009

Lecture Focus Questions n #1: How did the Holocaust develop and what were its results? n #2: One historian has said that the Holocaust began on “the day that the Jews started to be treated differently. ” Explain what this statement means and what evidence supports it.