Research Paper

The Holocaust Overview

By
Ariel Lathrom






ENG102-104
Mr. Neuburger
18 November 2011

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History tells the stories oI humanity. Readers will embark on a journey to expand their
knowledge on events passed, many oI which provoke strong emotions oI sadness and sympathy.
No event in history has sickened more people and brought on more emotion than the Holocaust.
AIter years oI anti-Semitic propaganda, the Nazi party would Iinally take their hate to the next
level. The events leading up to the isolation, and eventually, the death oI millions oI Jews are
scarred into German and world History. The liberation that ultimately ended the genocide came
too late to save the millions who Iell victim to Nazi hate crimes, but the survivors live on to tell
the stories oI history, so the rest oI the world may learn Irom them, and encourage a peaceIul
Iuture. It is diIIicult to learn about the reasoning behind one oI the largest scale genocides in
history, but having an understanding has helped survivors to put the past behind them, and
helped millions more learn Irom history`s mistakes.
Anti-Semetism in history
Jews have been persecuted throughout history. The Southern Institute Ior Education and
Research reminds us how anti-Semitism was demonstrated as early as 63 B.C. The Romans
persecuted Jews Ior their belieI in a single God in lieu oI their own polytheistic views. During
this time they marched on the Jewish capitol, Jerusalem, and conquered it, attempting to Iorce
the Jewish people to worship the pantheon oI Roman gods. During the time oI the Iirst Christian
crusades, the Jews were persecuted once again, and slaughtered mercilessly. This drove many oI
them out, which is when they settled, and made a home in central Europe. They still had not
escaped the world`s cruel treatment, as they had been dealt more violent blows Irom the
Cossacks. Even beIore the Holocaust, Jews were blamed Ior some oI the most harmIul situations,
such as the Black Death. In this situation, they were blamed Ior poisoning wells, which they said
caused the sickness.
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Over 1,800 years since the Romans persecuted the Jewish people, In the 1930`s, the
Nazis were the governing party oI Germany. AdolI Hitler`s inIluence had spread the ideas that
the Jewish History people were to blame Ior many economic and social turmoils in the country.
The Nazis were convinced the intention oI the Jewish people was to expand their population,
religion, and territory at the expense oI the German people. This led to many acts oI violence and
hate, even beIore the Holocaust had actually begun. AdolI Hitler shared a vision with Germany
oI the superior, perIect race called the Aryans. Because no
Jew was considered an Aryan, they were not wanted around
anymore. This and the blame they received Ior economic
upheaval is what led to much oI the radical anti-Semitism.
The escalation oI Hitler`s hate and the Iorming oI the
Nazi Party
In his young days in Austria, his home country, AdolI Hitler
was no political mind bender. Austria, especially Vienna, was
heavily populated by Jews, many oI whom went to Universities
and were successIul. Hitler began as a struggling artist who sought to create. He wanted to attend
an art school in Austria, so he took an entrance exam and passed. He submitted a drawing Ior
nomination as part oI the entrance and Iailed. He was then a Iailed artist with no high school
diploma. AIter spending all oI his orphan`s pension, he was homeless. He blamed his problems
on the Jewish people, who were wealthy and well educated ('The History oI Anti Semitism).
Hitler attended the meetings oI the German Worker`s Party, where he would oIten speak on
the subject oI anti-Semitism. It was here that he began acquiring recognition and some Iame. The
manner oI his speaking was convincing and drew more and more people to him. As Hitler gained
An anti-Semitic artists depiction oI a
Jew.
Rothschild. Yad Jashem. Web. 15
Nov. 2011
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recognition, the group gain Iame and power. Hitler pushed Ior the name oI the group to change
to the National Socialist German Worker`s Party, which was later nicknamed the Nazi Party.
When he became the new leader oI the Nazi Party, Hitler had his group oI over 2,000 people
attend rallies and marches, some oI which were oIten violent. The Nazi Party was completely
under his control. His skills as an orator had given him power that he could easily take advantage
oI.
During some oI his rallies, his Iollowers were oIten armed, as iI ready Ior battle. During a
meeting oI the Bavarian government, he marched in, armed with gun and demanded that he
become the new leader oI Germany. Hitler was eventually arrested Ior several acts oI treason
against the German government. During his time in prison, his hate could only Iester and become
greater. It was then that he wrote his autobiography Mein KampI, meaning 'My Struggle. He
scribed mostly about his building hatred Ior the Jews, and their part in economic and political
disease ('The Nazi Party).
With satanic joy in his Iace, the black-haired Jewish youth lurks in wait Ior the
unsuspecting girl whom he deIiles with his blood, thus stealing her Irom her
people. With every means he tries to destroy the racial Ioundations oI the people
he has set out to subjugate. Just as he himselI systematically ruins women and
girls, he does not shrink back Irom pulling down the blood barriers Ior others,
even on a large scale. It was and it is Jews who bring the Negroes into the
Rhineland, always with the same secret thought and clear aim oI ruining the hated
white race by the necessarily resulting bastardization, throwing it down Irom its
cultural and political height, and himselI rising to be its master ('Extracts From
Mein KampI by Hitler).
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The Nuremberg Race Laws

The inIluence that the Nazi party had on the country had become so great that a great
number oI Germany`s non-Jewish citizens had Iollowed their ideas. ThereIore, the Nuremberg
Laws were created, which were meant to limit Jewish involvement in politics and Aryan
relationships. The Yad Vashem website, in an article titled 'Nuremberg Laws, they describe the
contents oI the laws and what they entail.
One laws was called the 'Reich Citizenship Law. This Iirst law did not allow Jews to be
a part oI the Reich, or the German state. This didn`t allow them to vote, and took away all their
political rights, essentially lowering their social status. The second part oI the laws was called the
'Law Ior the Protection oI German Blood and Honor. This laws kept Jews Irom having marital
or sexual relations with Germans. Hitler didn`t want the Jews to 'deIile their blood and honor.
These laws included every Jew, even those who had served Germany in World War I. The Nazi
Party thought this law necessary, because oI the many anti-Jewish riots that would break out in
the streets ('Nuremberg Laws).
The night oI Kristallnacht
On November 7th, the Third Secretary oI the German government was shot by a 17 year
old Jewish boy who attempted to assassinate him. The attempt was successIul when he died two
days later. This was enough Ior the Nazi government to take drastic measures against the Jewish
citizens. On that night oI the Third Secretary`s death, the Nazi Stormtroopers (small Nazi army
put together by Hitler) stormed through Jewish businesses, homes, and synagogues. They
destroyed everything in their path. Almost a hundred Jews were killed while over 7,000 Jewish
businesses were destoryed, 900 synagogues were incinerated, and almost 30,000 Jewish men
were Iorced to go to concentration camps. The Jews belongings were stolen and thrown to the
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streets. Many people were humiliated and spat on. The western world called this atrocious night
the 'Night oI Broken Glass. This was the beginning oI Holocaust itselI, where millions oI Jews
would be imprisoned, humiliated, tortured, and murdered ('Kristallnacht).
The Jews in the ghettos
During the beginnings oI the Holocaust, most Jews were gathered and placed in ghettos,
which were mostly poor rural areas Ior them to live in. They lived in small houses, oIten with
many other Iamilies. The largest oI these ghettos was the Warsaw ghetto in Warsaw, Poland.
This ghetto was established when the Nazi army laid siege to Poland and captured the city. In the
documentary 'A Film UnIinished, the real liIe oI Jews in the Warsaw ghetto was revealed in all
its suIIering. At Iirst you see that the Nazi`s Iilmed scripted events. They made liIe in the
Warsaw ghetto look like it was a happy place where the Jews would live peaceIully. In reality,
they were suIIering.
The Jews oI the ghetto experienced plenty oI suIIering. They were oIten victims oI
sadistic pranks or humiliation Irom the SS Nazi soldiers who watched over the ghetto. Holocaust
survivor Malka Baran describes young women`s babies being thrown against a wall and killed in
the ghettos ('Holocaust Survivor Malka Baran Testimony). A majority oI the citizens were
starved and poor. One would oIten Iind dead bodies along the road as a result oI the starvation
and sickness. To identiIy the Jews oI the ghetto, they were Iorced to wear the Star oI David band
around their arms. The ghettos was overpopulated, meaning many Iamilies would live in one
apartment, and there wasn`t enough resources to go around. It was diIIicult to make money Ior
Iamilies. Lastly, many were Iorced to do labor Ior the Germans. This could involve mostly
packaging ammunition. ('A Film UnIinished)
The Final Solution to the Jewish 'problem
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In a villa with 15 oI the Nazi`s highest ranking members, the Iate oI the Jews would be
decided. They not only wanted them to have no political involvement or rights. They also wanted
them to be gone. ThereIore, the 'Final Solution would
be to physically eradicate all the Jews. The biggest
problem with this was how to do it when their numbers
were too large. They calculated at least 11 million Jews
would die as a result oI their solution. They wanted to
include not only those within` German-controlled
territory, but other surrounding countries such as the
United Kingdom ('Wannsee ConIerence and the Final
Solution`).
Jewish selektion
Some Jews would still be useIul to the Nazi`s, so they had to decide who would be useIul
and who would not. They did this in a process called 'selektion. They would split the Jews who
were able to work into one group, and the ones who couldn`t in another. They also separated the
men Irom the women. The Jews who were able to work were sent to literally work to death
(work until they could not anymore). The second group were simply killed as soon as possible.
Either way, their Iate was set. The process was quick but painIul. Many victims were brutalized
in the process, and Iamilies were split ("Holocaust Survivor Testimonies: Selection in
Auschwitz).
Extermination in the Death Camps
The biggest problem to the Nazis was how to get rid oI the Jews quickly and
inexpensively. During the Wannsee conIerence, they eventually decided to kill the Jews in their
Result oI Nazi Death Camps
ass Grave. Photograph. Think Quest. Web
14 Nov. 2011.
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concentration camps by suIIocating them in carbon dioxide gas chambers. The selection process
decided who would be killed in the tanks and who would be Iorced to work. Those who were to
go to the chambers were stripped oI their clothing and packed tightly into gas chambers. When
the carbon dioxide was released, the prisoners would die within a Iew minutes oI suIIocation.
Those who did not die this way died oI sickness, starvation, injury, or exhaustion. The bodies oI
the deceased were disposed oI and thrown into ditches ('The Death Camps).
The much needed Jewish liberation
The world would soon be completely Ied up with the German`s treatment oI the Jewish
people. Kind people began assisting the Jews in hiding Irom the Nazi SS. One such person was
Oskar Schindler. Schindler owned a weapons Iactory that made ammunition Ior the German
army. He protected his Jewish workers and their Iamilies Irom death. He is one oI the most
Iamous men in history known Irom the holocaust ('Oskar Schindler). The Allied powers came
in to rescue the Jews and end the Axis powers` tyranny. The Allied powers consisted oI an
extensive group oI countries, including Poland, the United Kingdom, France, and the United
States. The Axis consisted oI Japan, Italy, and Germany. The Allied powers, as well as the
Soviets, liberated the Nazi death camps and set the surviving Jews Iree. Those who survived
were considered very lucky ('Liberation oI Nazi Camps)
Resettling and the Jewish homeland and Conclusion
AIter the Holocaust`s oIIicial end, the Jews sought new homes. Many would not return
home because they Ieared more anti-Semitism. Instead, they migrated to other parts oI Europe
and south to Israel. The Palestine didn`t want them coming back to take away their home, but
many Jews entered anyway. Over 170,000 displayed Jews entered Israel around the time it
became a sovereign state ('The AItermath oI the Holocaust).
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The holocaust leIt millions dead and thousands homeless. Although many Iound homes
again, they were leIt oIten without money, Iamilies, and possessions. The Nazi`s may have had
their 'reasons Ior doing what they did to the Jewish community, but they can still never be
understood completely. With all oI the terrible events that led up to this mass genocide, humanity
can only look back and pay its respects. The most important thing now is to make sure such a
thing never happens again.

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Works Cited
"The AItermath oI the Holocaust." &nited States Holocaust emorial useum. Web. 10 Nov.
2011. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId10005129~.
"The American Experience.America and the Holocaust.People & Events , "Kristallnacht" , PBS."
PBS. Public Broadcasting Service. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/holocaust/peopleevents/pandeAMEX99.html~.
"Antisemitism in History: Nazi Antisemitism." &nited States Holocaust emorial useum.
Web. 24 Oct. 2011. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId10007167~.
"The Death Camps - Yad Vashem." Yad Jashem. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.
http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/holocaust/about/05/deathcamps.asp~.
"Edith Coliver Testimony." Interview by Joseph BelanoII. USC Shoah Foundation Institute.
Web. 9 Nov. 2011.
"Extracts From Mein KampI by Hitler." Yad Jashem. Web. 09 Nov. 2011.
http://www1.yadvashem.org/aboutholocaust/documents/part1/doc4.html~.
A Film &nfinished. Dir. Yael Hersonski. Oscilloscope, 2010. DVD.
"Holocaust Survivor Malka Baran Testimony." Interview by Shulamit Bastacky. USC Shoah
Foundation Institute. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.
Holocaust Survivor alka Baran Testimony. Prod. Shulamit Bastacky. USC Shoah Foundation
Institute. Web. 9 Nov. 2011.
"Liberation oI Nazi Camps." &nited States Holocaust emorial useum. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId10005131~.
ass Grave. Photograph. Think Quest. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
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"The Nazi Party (NSDAP)." ewish Jirtual Library - Homepage. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/nsdap.html~.
"Nuremberg Laws." Yad Jashem. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.
http://www1.yadvashem.org/odotpdI/MicrosoIt20Word20-205971.pdI~.
"The Nuremberg Trials - Yad Vashem." Yad Jashem. Web. 24 Oct. 2011.
http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/holocaust/about/10/nuremberg.asp~.
Rothschild. Yad Jashem. Web. 15 Nov. 2011.
Southern Institute for Education and Research. Web. 24 Oct. 2011.
http://www.southerninstitute.inIo/holocausteducation/ds1.html~.
"Wannsee ConIerence and the "Final Solution"" &nited States Holocaust emorial useum.
Web. 10 Nov. 2011. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId10005477~.