Research Paper

Holocaust Overview



Levi Thurman







Eng. Comp. 102 102
Mr. Neuberger
18 November 2011

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In Europe, during the 1930s and 40s genocide occurred known as the Holocaust. The
Nazis tried to exterminate all Jewish people Irom Europe. AdolI Hitler led the movement and the
rest oI Germany Iollowed. The event leIt six million Jews dead. It is hard Ior one to imagine the
entire country oI Germany justiIying the atrocities being committed on their people. Most people
know about the Holocaust, but it is important to understand how the Nazis were able to
systematically murder so many people in such a short period oI time.
Nazis views on Jews anti-Semitism
First oI all, the Nazis did not bother to hide the Iact they hated the Jewish people.
According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), a German journalist
named Wilhelm Marr coined the word anti-Semitism in 1879, which means a hatred Ior Jews.
The journalist not only wrote about the hatred oI Jews, but oI almost everything associated with
Jews. The so called Jewish movements which seemed
to draw so much hate during the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries included equal civil rights,
constitutional democracy, Iree trade, socialism, Iinance
capitalism, and paciIism. Another Iorm oI anti-Semitism
has taken place throughout history; these came in the Iorm oI pogroms. These government
provoked, violent attacks against the Jewish people caused by Ialse rumors have taken place
throughout history.
Furthermore, other countries in Europe starting in the late 19
th
century also practiced anti
Semitic views. Two oI these countries being Austria and France practiced anti Semitic views
as well. Anti-Semitic political parties were Iormed in these countries during this time. Books
such as the Protocols oI the Elders oI Zion caused much oI the hatred Ior the Jews. This book
A picture oI an anti Semitic sign common in
Germany. It says, 'Jews are not wanted here.
http://bit.ly/hI6aZd
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made Ialse accusations oI an international Jewish conspiracy. Nationalism, a major component oI
anti Semitism in Germany, was used to portray Jews as disloyal citizens. Germany`s nineteenth
century voelkisch movement began the idea that Jews were not 'real Germans. Racial
anthropology theorists tried to provide prooI Ior the idea.
Additionally, in 1919 the Nazi party was created, which gave political power to the idea.
The Nazi party, led by AdolI Hitler, used anti Jewish propaganda to gain support. AdolI Hitler
wrote Mein KampI (My Struggle) to argue his point Jews should be removed Irom Germany.
The Nazi party gained control oI Germany in 1933. They led anti Jewish economic boycotts,
staged book burnings, and passed laws speciIically designed to be detrimental to Jews.
(Antisemitism)
Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws were Iirst announced in 1935 at the annual Nazi rally held in
Nuremberg, Germany. In another article at USHMM, the laws segregated Jewish Germans Irom
the rest oI society. They were prohibited Irom marrying or having sexual relations with any
German. The common deIinition oI a Jew is one that
practices Judaism, but the Nuremberg laws deIined a Jew
diIIerently. According to the Nuremberg Laws, anyone
with three or Iour grandparents was considered a Jew.
Thousands oI people considered 'Jews under these laws
did not identiIy themselves as Jews. Some oI the people
considered to be Jews under the Nuremberg Laws included Roman Catholic priests, nuns and
Protestant ministers. (The Nuremberg Race Laws)
A picture oI Nazi rally in Nuremberg, Germany,
1935. http://bit.ly/1ByPsp

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According to an article written by Ben S. Austin Irom Middle Tennessee State University
(MTSU), the Nuremberg Laws were designed by the Nazis to do three things: to deIine the
requirements oI citizenship Ior Third Reich, to puriIy German blood and German honor, and to
clearly show the Jews` position the Reich. The Nuremberg Laws resemble the Jim Crowe Laws
Irom the United States, which legalized segregation in the South until the Supreme Court
overturned them in 1954. Some claim that Hitler speciIically used the laws as a template Ior
writing the Nuremberg Laws. Regardless iI Hitler actually used the Jim Crowe laws as a
template, they do have commonalities. For one thing, both sets oI laws gave legal power to the
ideas oI racism. The rights oI speciIic group oI people in were taken away Irom them because oI
their race. (The Nuremberg Laws)
Kristallnacht
According to the article on Kristallnacht Irom the Oracle Think Quest Education
Foundation, Kristallnacht, also known as the Night oI Broken Glass, occurred on November 9,
1938. The destruction oI over 1,500 synagogues and houses and the looting oI 7,500 Jewish
owned shops took place, as well as the destruction oI the hopes and dreams oI many Jews. The
Gestapo, German Police, dressed inconspicuously in civilian clothes so they would not be
noticed until it was too late. During this chaos, they murdered ninety one Jews and severely
injured thirty six more. (Kristallnacht)
According to an article Irom the University oI Minnesota,
30,000 Jews were captured and taken to concentration camps during
Kristallnacht. The released Kristallnacht prisoners were Iorced to
emigrate immediately, have their homes taken away, or both. The
term the Nazis used to describe the taking over oI a Jewish home by a
A picture oI a man sweeping
up glass aIter Kristallnacht.
http://bit.ly/triUNN
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non Jew was Ayranized. The shards oI broken glass Iound in Iront oI Jewish shops gave
Kristallnacht its name. This event marked a substantial change in Nazi policy in the treatment oI
the Jews in both Germany and Austria. When Hitler gained power in 1933, the Jews lost their
rights as citizens and extreme measures were taken to isolate them both socially and
economically. Kristallnacht marked the beginning oI the violent attacks on the Jews. BeIore this
event, the violent attacks were more sporadic.
Furthermore, many historians believe the Nazis planned the attacks on Jews in advance,
but waited Ior an opportunity to put them into play. The Nazis seized the opportunity in
November 1938, when a German diplomat was assassinated. A seventeen year old Jewish
student named Herschel Grynszpan murdered the diplomat. His motives were well known. A Iew
weeks prior to the assassination, the German government ordered all Jews holding Polish
passports to leave Germany, but the Polish government would not let the Jews return to Poland.
Herschel Grynszpan`s parents were among the thousands stuck in a no man`s land between the
two countries. The Nazis used the act oI a single individual to justiIy the arrests oI thousands oI
Jews and the mass destruction oI Jewish property throughout Germany. The extreme measures
used by the Nazis to oppress the Jews escalated in both Germany and Austria. The same extreme
measures were enIorced by the Nazis in all oI the countries occupied by Germany during World
War II. (Kristallnacht)
Rounding up Jews ghettos
According to an article Irom Yad Vashem World Center Ior Holocaust Research,
Education, Documentation, and Commemoration, on September 21 1939, Reinhard Heydrich,
the head oI the Reich Security OIIice, sent orders describing the procedures to Iollow Ior the
treatment oI Jews in the areas oI Poland that Germany occupied. The SchnellbrieI, the name oI
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these orders, called Ior all Jews living in small towns and villages to be transIerred to join larger
populations in the bigger cities. The orders also declared that Jewish councils, known as
Judenrte, should be Iormed to carry out the demands oI
German authorities. A major goal oI the SchnellbrieI was
the Aryanization oI Jewish Iactories to provide support
Ior the German war eIIort. The Nazis used the poorest
neighborhoods to house the Jews. Eventually, the Nazis
closed oII these neighborhoods creating ghettos. AIter
this event, the majority oI Jews in Poland were conIined to ghettos.
Furthermore, in the spring oI 1940 the Nazis Iormed a large ghetto in Lodz. In the Iall oI
1940, the largest ghetto was established in Warsaw. The ghetto imprisoned close to halI a million
Jews. AIter the initial mass murdering in the Soviet areas taken over by the
Germans they Iormed more ghettos. In June oI 1941, they started establishing the ghettos in
those regions. The Germans intended to only leave the Jews in the ghettos temporarily beIore
murdering them. The largest oI these ghettos located in Minsk, Belorussia held approximately
100,000 Jews. In March oI 1944, the Germans gained control oI Hungary. In November oI 1944,
a ghetto was Iormed in Budapest which held approximately 70,000 Jews.
Additionally, the Germans established over 1,000 ghettos in Eastern Europe and some
ghettos in Central and Southern Europe. The Germans accomplished many oI their goals by
creating the ghettos. They gathered enormous amounts oI Jews in very congested conditions and
very under close supervision. The Germans stole the property Irom Jews and caused the local
populations to resent Jews even more. The Germans also made the Jews very vulnerable and cut
oII all contact with the outside world. (The Holocaust The Ghettos)
Children eating in the streets in the Ghetto in
Warsaw, Poland http://bit.ly/aCXPoy
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The Wannsee ConIerence The Final Solution
As mentioned in an article Irom the Holocaust History Project, on January 20, 1942 a
meeting was held in a villa owned by the SS Nordhav Foundation in the Berlin lakeside suburb
oI Wannsee. This meeting became known as the
Wannsee ConIerence. SS lieutenant General Reinhard
Heydrich presided over the conIerence. He was the ChieI
oI the Security Police and Security Service. Heydrich
called Iourteen people to the meeting, all Irom
government and military branches involved in carrying out the Final Solution. Heydrich took his
responsibility as an oIIicer very seriously and he made sure the men at the meeting knew
their responsibilities. The Nazis used the phrase, 'The Final Solution oI the Jewish Problem, as
a slogan in the years just prior to World War II and it took on multiple meanings. The meanings
varied over time Irom the voluntary emigration oI Jews, to the conIinement oI Jews in ghettos, to
the placing oI Jews in concentration camps, and eventually led to the extermination oI Jews.
Heydrich made it clear at the Wannsee ConIerence the term speciIically meant the murder oI all
European Jews.
Additionally, Heydrich made very speciIic plans to eliminate all Jews in Europe. He had
a list oI every country in Europe and the amount oI Jews living in each one. The total came to
about eleven million. These numbers only counted Jews as people who practiced the Jewish
Iaith; this was because most countries did not have laws such as the Nuremberg laws where
someone could be considered a Jew by heredity. He planned to eliminate the Jews in Europe
Irom west to east. Roads were to be built by the Jews Irom west to east. He mentioned most oI
A picture oI the villa where the Wannsee
conIerence took place. http://bit.ly/gImMq7
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the Jews would die oI natural causes and speciIically noted the survivors would have to be killed.
(The Wannsee ConIerence)
Selection selektion
As mentioned in the Australian Memories oI the Holocaust website, the selection process
would start shortly aIter the Jews arrived at a camp. The camp guards shouted Ior the survivors
Irom the train ride to hustle oII the cattle cars. The
guards carried guns, sometimes whips, and oIten had
dogs accompanying them. The selection process started
iI the camps were equipped with gas chambers. The
Nazis normally selected the young and healthy to remain
alive Ior slave labor. The Nazis sent the young children,
women carrying babies, and the elderly on the path to the gas chambers. The Nazis Iorced the
surviving Jews to bury the corpses in mass graves or burn them in crematoriums. (The Nazi
Camp System)
A quote Irom an article in the USHMM by Fritzie Weiss Fritzshall, said this about the
selection process:
We needed to show that we still had strength leIt, to, whether it was to work or to
live another day. I recall some women, um, were beginning as their hair grows
back, they were beginning to get gray hair, and they would go and take a little
piece oI coal Irom one oI the pot-bellied stoves that was in a barrack. And they
would use this coal to color their hair with so that they would look a, a little
younger. I mean one grayed at the age oI maybe eighteen or nineteen under those
conditions. And they would run...we would run in Iront oI whoever it was that
Selection process at Birkenau arrival platIorm.
http://bit.ly/KsclV
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was doing the selections to show that we could survive one other day. One
never knew iI they were in the good line or the bad line. One line would go to the
gas chambers, the other line would go back to the camp and to the barracks to live
another day. (Women during the Holocaust)

Furthermore, Fritzie, born in Klucarky, Czechoslovakia in 1929 survived Auschwitz. Her Iather
immigrated to the United States, but beIore he sent Ior Fritzie and the rest oI his Iamily World
War II broke out. Fritzie, her mother, and her two brothers were sent to Auschwitz concentration
camp. Nobody else in Fritzie`s Iamily survived Auschwitz. She survived by pretending to be
older than she was and eventually escaped into the Iorest while on a death march. (Women
during the Holocaust Personal History)
Extermination methods
According to the Danish Center Ior Holocaust and Genocide
Studies, the Nazis experimented with many diIIerent extermination
methods on Jews, Gypsies, and other 'undesirable population
groups. First, the Nazis tried mass shootings. Next, they tried using
gas trucks. They ended up building large gas chambers which used
exhaust Iumes and Zyklon B gas. The Nazis deemed the gas
chambers to be the most eIIective.
Additionally, the mass shootings took place in the Soviet
areas occupied by the Germans. The mass shootings started in June 1941 and lasted until the end
oI the war. The captured Jews would be Iorced to dig their own graves or be lined up and shot
next to a mass grave so they would Iall in aIter they were shot. The mass shootings accounted Ior
A picture oI a Jew being shot at a
mass shooting.
http://bit.ly/njL6AL

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the murder oI about one and a halI million Jews. The German occupied Soviet areas began
using gas trucks to make their extermination methods more eIIective. The Nazis also used the
gas trucks in an attempt to make their killings less emotional Ior the murderers. The gas trucks
were simply sealed box trucks with the exhaust piped into the area where the Jews were kept.
The exhaust suIIocated the Jews. The Nazis used gas chambers in Iive oI the six extermination
camps. The extermination camps located in Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka use exhaust Iumes.
Zyklon B was used in Majanek and Auschwitz Birkenau. The creation oI the gas chambers was
Ior the sole purpose oI killing Jews as eIIiciently and secretly as possible. The gas chamber
method killed at least three million Jews. (Methods oI Mass Murder)
The death camps
According to another article Irom MTSU, death
camps took responsibility Ior over halI oI the six million
people killed during the Holocaust. The Nazis created the
death camps Ior the sole purpose oI mass extermination.
The Nazis utilized many diIIerent methods oI killing at
the death camps including: exhaust Iumes Irom trucks or
tanks being pumped into sealed vans, railroad cars, or gas
chambers. The deaths camps Iormed later oIten used Zyklon B pellets. In StutthoI death camp,
they used lethal injections to kill sick prisoners. Although, the Nazis used many methods Ior
their mass murdering those methods never total replaced shootings, hangings, and Iatal beatings.
The Nazis created many death camps, but some oI the major camps included: Chelmno,
Auschwitz-Birkenau, Belzek, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, and StutthoI.
A gas chamber in Auschwitz.
http://bit.ly/njL6AL
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Furthermore, three oI the Iirst major death camps included Chelmno, Auschwitz-
Birkenau, and Belzek. In December 1941, the Nazis carrying out mass extermination at a Polish
camp named Chlemno. Although, the camp was closed Ior a year between 1943 and 1944, an
estimated 320,000 people lost their lives there between 1941 and 1944. In September 1942,
another Polish camp began carrying out mass extermination named Auschwitz Birkenau. This
is arguably the most notorious oI the death camps. The Auschwitz camp killed more people than
any other oI the Nazi camps, totaling approximately 1.2 million. In March 1942, Belzek, another
camp Polish camp, converted to a death camp. The estimates say over 600,000 people lost their
lives at Belzek. In March 1942, yet another Polish camp called Sobibor starting mass killings.
Approximately 250,000 people died at Sobibor. Only about IiIty people survived to tell their
stories to the rest oI the world.
Additionally, the next three major death camps included Treblinka, Majdanek, and
StuttoI. The mass murdering started at Treblinka in July 1942. The Nazis transported most oI the
prisoners Irom the Warsaw Ghetto to Treblinka. Over 700,000 people lost their lives in
Treblinka, also located in Poland. A rebellion Irom the prisoners at Treblinka killed several
Ukrainian guards and on SS oIIicer. Over two hundred inmates escaped, but most oI them ended
up being recaptured or killed. The camp closed in November oI 1943, partially due to the
rebellion. In October 1942 the Polish camp Majdanek, started using mass extermination
methods. Being primarily a Iorced labor camp most oI the prisoners died Irom exposure,
malnutrition, beatings, and disease, but by the Iall oI 1943 the murder oI 200,000 prisoners took
place using gas. An estimated 1,380,000 people lost their lives at Majdanek. StutthoI, located in
extreme northeastern Germany started mass killing in June oI 1944. The Germans established
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Iactories at StutthoI making it primarily a Iorced labor camp. The Nazis at StutthoI murdered
about 65,000 people.
Finally, the Nazi ideology, being the need Ior mass extermination oI the Jews, provided
the underlying reason Ior the creation oI the Nazi death camps. Although, at every concentration
camp, hundreds iI not thousands oI people lost their lives. Even conservative estimates put the
total amount oI lives lost to death camps at about three and a halI million. In total, approximately
six million Jews lost their lives during the Holocaust; the main reason Ior the mass murdering
being just because they were Jewish. (The Camps)
Liberation
According to an article at USHMM, the Soviet Iorces approached a major Nazi camp
Iirst. In July 1944, they approached the Majdanek camp near Lublin, Poland. The Germans,
being surprised by the advance, tried to cover oI the evidence oI mass murder. They set the
crematoriums on Iire, but they did not have time to destroy the gas chambers. In the summer oI
1944, he Soviets also took over the sites where Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka killing centers
used to be, but the Germans had already dismantled the camps in 1943. In January 1945, the
Soviets also liberated Auschwitz. This was the largest extermination and concentration camp.
BeIore the Soviets arrived the Nazis Iorced most oI the prisoners westward on a death march.
The Soviets Iound several thousand prisoners alive when they arrived. The evidence oI mass
murder was abundant. The Nazis destroyed most oI the warehouses, but the remaining
warehouses held the belongings oI hundreds oI thousands oI people. They also Iound over
14,000 pounds oI human hair. The Soviets also liberated the StutthoI, Sachsenhausen, and
Ravensbrueck concentration camps in the Iollowing months.
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Furthermore, the U.S. and British Iorces started Irom the west, liberating camps in
Germany. The U.S. Iorces liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp on April 11, 1945. An
underground prisoner resistance organization seized control oI Buchenwald on the day oI
liberation. They did this to stop the retreating German
guards to Irom committing atrocities on the prisoners.
The U.S. Iorced Ireed over 20,000 prisoners Irom
Buchenwald. The Americans also liberated Dora-
Mittelbau, Flossenbrg, Dachau, and Mauthausen.
British Iorces liberated concentration camps in northern
Germany. The British liberated the Neuengamme and
Bergen-Belson concentration camps. In April, 1945 they liberated Bergen-Belson and entered to
Iind 60,000 prisoners. Most oI the prisoners were in critical condition because oI a typhus
outbreak. Over 10,000 oI the prisoners liberated died within a Iew weeks aIter liberation due to
the eIIects oI malnutrition and disease.
Additionally, the USHMM website describes how the troops liberating the Nazi camps
conIronted unspeakable conditions. The world did not Iully understand the atrocities the Nazis
committed until the liberation oI the camps. The Iew prisoners to survive looked like skeletons
because oI malnutrition and slave labor. Many oI the survivors Iound themselves too weak to
move when they were liberated. A long and diIIicult road to recovery remained ahead oI the
survivors. AIter liberation, many oI the camps had to be burned down to prevent the spread oI
disease. (Liberation oI Nazi Camps)
AIter liberation - until 1948 when Israel is Iormed
A picture oI children soon aIter liberation at
Buchenwald concentration camp
http://bit.ly/aw0tDG

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This photo, like many others was
taken in an attempt to relocate any
oI the girl`s surviving relatives.
http://bit.ly/uIpZZk
According to an article Irom USHMM, the Germans surrendered to the Allies on May 7,
1945 and surrendered to the Soviets on May 9, 1945. (World War II in Europe) In another article
at USHMM, both the Allies and the Soviets started liberating the concentration and death camps
in the months leading up to the surrender oI the Germans. (Liberation oI Nazi Camps) According
to an article Irom Yad Vashem, tens oI thousands oI Jewish
survivors remained in concentration camps and in hiding even aIter
the liberation oI Europe. Some oI the survivors returned to their
home counties, but many no longer Ielt at home in Europe. The
survivors began gathering in Displaced Persons Camps (DP camps)
in Germany, Austria, and Italy. Eventually, many oI the 200,000
Jewish reIugees Irom Eastern Europe that had been taking reIuge in
the USSR returned to Europe. They lived in the European DP camps
temporarily, but most oI them planned on leaving Europe and settling elsewhere. A vast majority
oI the Jews intended on moving to Palestine. Britain controlled Palestine at the time and
eventually in 1948 the State oI Israel was Iormed. With the Iormation oI the State oI Israel,
almost two thirds oI the survivors went to Eretz Yisrael. Some oI the other survivors
immigrated to Western countries when the opportunities arose. (Introduction Holocaust
Survivors)
In conclusion, with the death and suIIering oI millions oI people, the Holocaust is one oI
the most horriIic events in recorded human history. The Nazis attempted to exterminate all the
Jew Irom the entirety oI Europe just because they were Jewish. The Allies and Soviets eventually
deIeated the Germans, liberating the survivors Irom the Nazi camps.. With the liberation oI the
concentration camps, the world saw the evidence oI the terrible events that took place there. It is
Thurman 15

important that the people oI the world understand what took place during the Holocaust to
prevent such events Irom occurring in the Iuture.

Works Cited
Austin, Ben S. 'Middle Tennessee State University. The Nuremberg Laws. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'Australian Memories oI the Holocaust. The Nazi Camp System. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'Danish Center Ior Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Methods oI Mass Murder. Web. 16 Nov. 2
2011.
Fritzshall, Fritzie Weiss. 'United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Women during the
Holocaust Personal History. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'Holocaust History Project. The Wannsee ConIerence. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'Middle Tennessee State University. The Camps. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'Oracle Think Quest Education Foundation. Kristallnacht. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Antisemitism Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Liberation oI Nazi Camps. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The Nuremberg Race Laws. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. World War II in Europe. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'University oI Minnesota. Kristallnacht. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'Yad Vashem The World Center Ior Holocaust Research, Education, Documentation, and
Commemoration. Introduction Holocaust Survivors. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.
'Yad Vashem The World Center Ior Holocaust Research, Education, Documentation, and
Commemoration. The Holocaust The Ghettos. Web. 16 Nov. 2011.

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Well done Levi!
I enjoyed reading your paper very much. You have a great knack Ior disseminating
and paraphrasing inIormation you glean Irom research. This is a talent that will
continually come in handy as you proceed through academia. Look below Ior your
score.


olnLs Avallable
Score
40
Content paper demonsLraLes undersLandlng and
confldence abouL Loplc
38
20
Sources uses only prlmary and secondary sources 20
40
In1ext C|tat|ons lnLegraLes sources wlLhln LexL wlLh
effecLlve use of slgnal words and phrases
38
33
Iormatt|ng properly uses MLA formaLLlng 33
23
Works C|ted works clLed page has Lhe requlred
number of sources and ls properly formaLLed
23
13
|ctures uses plcLures Lo enhance Lhe LexL wlLh
effecLlve capLlons and source lnformaLlon
13
23
Wr|t|ng Mechan|cs aper ls free from errors ln
spelllng puncLuaLlon eLc
23
1oLal 200
1ota| Score
194

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