Research Paper Holocaust Overview

Ruth Tennison

Mr. Neuburger English 102-127 13 November 2012

Tennison 2 Human history records the Holocaust as the largest case of genocide to plague this planet. The mass murder and persecution of six million Jewish people, and any others that oppose Germanys Nazi political regime, should forever remain a grave yet necessary study for all generations, present and future. In the study of the Holocaust and the many events leading up to its culmination, one can see the evil brewing. The base ingredient of this evil being the defeated, dispirited and desperate German population, mixed with a weak, unclear and new form of government, an extreme plunge into economic failure, and the fanatic, egocentric and power hungry Nazis headed up by Adolf Hitler. These prove to be the core ingredients for genocide to raise its evil head. Nazi rise to power Germanys humiliating defeat in World War I and the resulting harsh consequences prove to become a melting pot of discontent, rivalry and hatred. Most citizens feel a great injustice in the Treaty of Versailles and place the blame on the new form of government, the political officials and the Jewish population. Combined with the global depression of 1929 and the financial strain of the Treaty of Versailles Germanys economy plummets overnight. As The History Place (THP) explains, The Great Depression begins, casting them into poverty and deep misery and they begin looking for a solution, any solution. The crisis of the Great Depression brings disunity to the political parties in the Reichstag which consists of
Treaty of Versailles http://bit.ly/I42upM

Germany's Weimer Republic Parliament in the years of 1918 through 1933. Furthermore, the web article brings to light how the German people grow weary of the political haggling in Berlin and that they are tired of misery, tired of suffering, tired of weakness. Instead of forging an

Tennison 3 alliance to enact desperately needed legislation, they break up into squabbling, uncompromising groups. Germans in opposition to Hitler's Nazism fail to unite against him allowing Hitler to move into the role of the strong, confident and hopeful leader that Germany needs to bring back its honor and glory. These are desperate times and they are willing to listen to anyone, even Adolf Hitler (Great Depression Begins). Nazi view on Jews - anti-Semitism Hitlers opinions and preferences for human appearance become the new standard for a pure German race. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), for Hitler, the ideal "Aryan" is blond, blue-eyed, and tall. When Hitler and the Nazis come to power, these beliefs become the government ideology and are spread in publicly displayed posters, on the radio, in movies, in classrooms, and in newspapers. Moreover, Hitler and other Nazi leaders view the Jews not as a religious
Publicly displayed poster regarding superior race http://bit.ly/crqzI9

group, but as a poisonous "race," which "live off" the other races and weaken them. With the burning of the Reichstag building just days prior to the next election Hitler is able to bring about his full dictatorship and incite the public to anger against his anti-Nazi political opponents. This ushers in the new Third Reich Parliament of Nazi Germany that wastes no time in boycotting anything Jewish and thus steps up Hitlers quick and efficient process of increasing prohibitions against the Jewish people (Anti-Semitism). Nuremberg Laws With the introduction of the Nuremberg Laws on September 15, 1935 the Jewish populations oppression elevates to total exclusion of citizenship. These laws make it clear that

Tennison 4 German blood and Reich Citizenship is superior and does not include Jews. According to the USHMM the Nuremberg Laws heralds a new wave of anti-Semitic legislation that brings about immediate and concrete segregation. Accomplishing the enactment of these racial laws successfully alters anti-Semitism from being based upon religious beliefs to outright racism. With many public charts displaying how to determine the Jewish blood line it no longer matters which Jews practice Judaism but rather how many Jewish grandparents are in a persons lineage. As this web article further details, the Nazis settle on defining a full Jew as a person
Nuremberg Race Laws Germany, Sept. 15, 1935. http://bit.ly/X8FGws

with three Jewish grandparents (Background: Nuremberg Race

Laws). This is a big step in the direction Hitler desires for his supreme master race and proves to be most effective in swaying the German society further into alignment with his idea that Germans are racially superior. The ever present propaganda pounding the idea of eugenics and the master race of Germany into the minds of all citizens causes an atmosphere of complacency as it appears that ordinary German citizens are not bothered by the racist assumptions of the Nazi regime nor do they organize any protest. Holocaust survivor, Edith Coliver, testifies to the fact that many German citizens begin excepting these racial views as truths due to the fact that no one is publicly disputing them (USCShoahFoundation) . Propaganda Using the full blown power of his title as Fuhrer, Hitler quickly establishes complete control of all types of communication and media. His views, ideas, opinions and prejudices are successfully conveyed to the public resulting in a rapid growth in anti-Semitism and outright violence toward Jews. Author Chris Trueman emphasizes the value Hitler places on the use of

Tennison 5 propaganda and the extreme, perverse level that Nazi Germany uses propaganda to sway the masses. Censorship dominates the lives of the ordinary citizen in Nazi Germany. Appointing Dr. Joseph Goebbels as the Minister of Propaganda and National Enlightenment Hitler insures that nobody in Germany can read or see anything that is damaging or hostile toward the Nazi Party (Trueman). In Hitler's autobiography, "Mein Kampf" his intent is made clear, "The
Joseph Goebbels Minister of Propaganda http://bit.ly/SnGacc

chief function of propaganda is to convince the masses, who slowness of understanding needs to be given time in order that they may absorb information; and only constant repetition will finally succeed in imprinting an idea on their mind..."(Hitler VI). It is apparent that Hitler sees himself as knowing what is best for the "slow-minded" masses. Trueman further points out that film and theatre are also used to vilify the Jews and exalt Hitler. Loud speakers are put up in the streets so that Hitlers speeches cannot be ignored, even ordering cafes and other retailers to play this in their establishments (Trueman). Through the use of propaganda Hitler determines to either influence all to his extreme and fanatical form of thinking or strike enough fear and intimidation into them so that no one will dare to oppose him. Kristallnacht In much the same way that Hitler manipulates the Reichstag fire into an outcome greatly advancing his political position he also structures another event to incriminate the Jews, to provoke hatred and justify outright violence against the Jews. As presented by PBS, when seventeen year old Hershel Grynszpan, a Jewish boy enraged by the deportation of his parents to Poland, shoots and kills the Third Secretary of the German Embassy in Paris, Propaganda

Tennison 6 Minister Joseph Goebbels strikes back quickly. He delivers an inflammatory speech with a clear message that the Jews must pay for vom Rath's death. A series of orders is sent to all State Police offices that business establishments and homes of Jews can be destroyed and as soon as the events of the night permit they must arrest as many Jews as their jails will hold. On November 9th, 1938 the sounds of breaking glass shattering as Jewish dwellings are demolished give this terrifying night the name of Kristallnacht,
Jewish home after Kristallnacht http://bit.ly/SnTBca

meaning Night of Broken Glass. In addition this website reports that within a week of this event the Nazi's declare that Jewish businesses cannot be reopened by Jews and Jewish children are barred from attending school. The Nazi's then issue a formal decree prohibiting Jews from engaging in any form of business and a second decree that the Jews must be liable for the damages caused during Kristallnacht. Expounding upon the event PBS states that in this night gangs of Nazi storm troopers destroy seven thousand Jewish businesses, set fire to over nine hundred synagogues, kill ninety one Jews and deport over thirty thousand Jewish men to concentration camps (People and Events, Kristallnacht). Rounding up Jews: ghettos The Kristallnacht arrests lead right into Hitlers accelerated public round up of Jews. Ghettos are established to separate and hold Jews with some being set up for short periods of time as needed to evacuate Jews from each city or township and others being fenced or walled in as separate districts within cities. Holocaust survivor David Abrams testifies that his family is told on a Friday that they have twenty four hours to pack two suitcases each and to be ready when the police come to take them to the ghetto. The next day his family is assembled with

Tennison 7 many others in a large courtyard, their suitcases inspected, or rather ransacked, and then they are marched for a couple of miles outside of town. Here on a bare spot of ground Abrams family must survive a couple of months along with numerous other Jews that are being rounded up. The Nazi's then put him on a freight train with his family and over a thousand other human beings. Abrams adds that there are men, women, children and babies still in their mother's arms that are shipped off to Auschwitz to be disposed of as if they are nothing more than some
Warsaw ghetto deportations http://bit.ly/RFoxUj

contaminated waste (USCShoahFoundation). Author for the

20th Century History website, Jennifer Rosenberg, writes that the Warsaw ghetto, largest of all the ghettos, confines 445,000 Jews at the height of its population in March 1941 and reveals that in order to get the Jews to cooperate when shipping them to extermination camps the Nazi tell them that they are being transported to new locations where they will have jobs (Rosenberg). In Yael Hersonskis film documentary, A Film Unfinished, the ghetto confinement is visibly unbearable, overcrowded, unsanitary, and fearful. Food is rationed; medical supplies are next to non-existent, garbage and feces are in the alleyways, starvation and disease cause the deaths of many forced into these morbid living conditions (A Film Unfinished). Although many of the Jews still believe that their situation is only temporary several are coming to the realization of the Nazi intent to annihilate them all. Resistance The Nazi propaganda machine and the ever present Storm Troopers are successful in greatly reducing any actions by the people opposed to Hitler's extreme racism; however, a few brave souls emerge to stand up for their fellow citizens of mankind. Many residents at the risk of

Tennison 8 their own life take Jews into hiding, sharing food rations and personal necessities with them. According to A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust (TGH) resistance among the Jews takes on many forms. Some escape through legal or illegal emigration, others hide, and those that remain struggle to obtain life's essential needs. Many, especially children, smuggle food and necessities through holes in the walls of the ghettos even though the Nazis publicly hang these
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in April-May 1943 http://bit.ly/VowLXk

offenders if they are caught. In addition, this website

publication reports that even maintaining religious worship, educational or youth programs, or any type of social, cultural gathering is considered a threat to security by the Germans who will ruthlessly kill any offenders. Members of Jewish resistance stage armed uprisings with weapons that are smuggled into the ghetto. The most daring participate in a guerilla type of warfare against the Nazi's and even though they are aware of eminent defeat and death they take action in the hope that others will stand up against Germany's Nazi dehumanizing, depraved, and immoral governing system (Resistance). Wannsee Conference: The Final Solution Due to the increasing number of Jews being deported and the ghettos filled beyond capacity the question of what to do with them becomes imperative along with the need to engineer a systematic and efficient process of elimination. According to Mark
The Wannsee Conference http://bit.ly/QeJ4E2

Roseman, author of the Wannsee Protocol web article for the Jewish Virtual Library, fifteen high ranking Nazi party leaders and government officials gather at the Wannsee House on January

Tennison 9 20th, 1942 as a bureaucratic coordination to formally address and resolve the final solution to the Jewish problem. A breakdown of Jews residing in Europe by country and by their trade is used in determining the expulsion process of all Jews from German living space through emigration, evacuation and elimination. Furthermore, Rosemans article reveals details of the Wannsee Protocol including the proposal to use all able bodied Jews for hard labor because it will doubtlessly eliminate a large portion by natural causes and adds that any possible remnant will have to be treated accordingly so none can act as a seed of a new Jewish revival. A request is made by State Secretary Dr. Buhler to solve the Jewish question as quickly as possible by carrying out certain preparatory activities immediately, another request is made for support in carrying out the tasks involved in the solution, notice is given to avoid alarming the populace and the meeting is closed. On July 11, 1943 Hitler bans public reference to the Final Solution stating that there may be no discussion of a future overall solution; however, it may be mentioned that the Jews are being taken in groups for appropriate labor purposes (Roseman). Selection selection Deportation of the Jews from the ghettos to the concentration camps begins immediately and is efficiently accomplished through the use of the railroad system and freight trains. The Holocaust Explained documents in their Selection web article that upon arrival to the camp the Jews are rushed by guards to get out of the cattle cars and form a line. Here the selection begins with the German SS separating the men from the women and children. It is at this moment of selection that many family members see each other for the very last time. The Selection article further explains that a Nazi SS officer, usually a physician,
With a mere point of a finger an SS doctor seals the fate of these Hungarian Jewish men. http://bit.ly/Xrm0nB

Tennison 10 quickly determines each Jews destination by pointing to the left or to the right which is either to registration for hard labor or to the gas chambers for immediate extermination. SS Nazi doctors also use the selection process to pick and choose individuals to use for their inhumane and unethical medical experiments. Hard labor registration consists of being disinfected, shaved of all body hair, tattooed with a registration number, and forced through an extreme showering process. Women with children and the elderly are sent directly to the gas chambers for immediate extermination ("Selection"). Extermination methods Extermination methods are tested to determine the most quick and efficient process for the Germans to adequately carry out the Final Solution. The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (DCHGS) website provides evidence of at least three mass killing methods used by the Nazis. The scheme of mass shooting is one of the first methods used and from June 1941 until the end of the war the Einsatzgruppen (SS Special Task Forces) murder nearly 1.5 million Jews. It is discovered that shooting at this scale
Einsatzgruppe shoots a Ukranian Jew http://bit.ly/UuKAUd

diminishes the morale of the Einsatzgruppen as many are committing suicide or being admitted into mental asylums. The DCHGS Methods of Mass Murder article goes on to list gassing trucks as the second method the Germans employ to make the killing operations more effective and to avoid emotional damage to the killers. These mobile gassing trucks are hermetically sealed with exhaust gas leading into the van to suffocate the Jews trapped inside. However, this website article reveals that the most popular and effective killing method is by forcing Jews into gas chambers where they are gassed to death by using exhaust fumes or Zyklon B (cyanide-based

Tennison 11 pesticide). In five of the six death camps gas chambers are built for the sole purpose of killing Jews as quickly and secretly as possible ("Methods of Mass Murder"). The death camps The Nazis set up six extermination camps outside of Germany in former Poland. According to the DCHGS each camp is located in a rural area, far from the public eye yet with railway access to haul in the Jews being deported from the ghettos by cattle cars. These death camps are set up in the period of 1941 1945 and are thoroughly organized and operated like industrial plants with the purpose of killing Jews at such a rapid speed so as not to alarm anyone of the genocide before the Final
Auschwitz-Birkenau main entrance http://bit.ly/SXFE8p

Solution can be fulfilled. In greater detail this article lists

each camp and the approximate number of Jews that are victims of these death camps. Of the six camps Aushwitz-Birkenau is the largest with four gas chambers and an average killing of six thousand Jews daily. It is on record that approximately 3.5 million Jewish lives come to an end in these camps ("Extermination Camps"). Liberation As the Allied Troops push the Nazis back and make their way across Europe they begin to encounter concentration camp prisoners suffering from starvation and disease as they are rescued from the forced death marches out of the camps. Germany finally surrenders in May of 1945 and the Allied Forces take charge of the catastrophe left in the wake of the Nazi killing machine.
Survivors too weak for solid food suck on sugar cubes upon liberation. http://bit.ly/TnD6OA

Tennison 12 The TGH Rescue and Liberation article notes the shock of the troops when they stumble upon the concentration camps and find ditches filled with human bodies, rooms of baby's shoes, and gas chambers with fingernail marks on the walls revealing the horror and testifying of the Nazi brutality. This web article also states that General Eisenhower of the United States Army and Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces listens to many survivors' testimonies and insists on documenting and photographing the horror for historical purposes so that future generations would not repeat this same mistake ("Rescue and Liberation"). After liberation until 1948 when Israel is formed With many survivors in need of medical attention and having nowhere to go the Allied Forces establish Displaced Persons (DP) camps to bring them back to health and aid in locating any of their family members. As documented in the TGH article "Aftermath", two very pressing issues are to determine retribution against the perpetrators and the resettlement of the people uprooted by war. As a result of influential visitors to the DP camps the Jewish race is recognized as a special ethnic group and many institutions are set up to provide assistance in all matters concerning their welfare. While some of the international community focuses on the survivors others are dealing
Jewish children waving good bye as they leave the DP camp http://bit.ly/Zs5VN7

with punishment of the perpetrators. Furthermore, the web article reports that concerning the punishment aspect of this aftermath many Nazi officials are brought to trial. The most wellknown trials are being held in Nuremberg, Germany where in response to the discovered atrocities the Allied Forces create a War Crimes Commission to begin listing the war criminals with the intent to prosecute. Even though shocked and horrified by Germany's nearly successful

Tennison 13 extermination of the Jewish race the outside world is reluctant to open their doors and provide a safe haven for those that have escaped the Holocaust with their life. Furthermore, the TGH article indicates that due to the nearly one million displaced people becoming an unresolvable issue for the United Nations negotiations are made that include the British withdrawal from Palestine and on May 14, 1948 the Jews proclaim the independent State of Israel as theirs ("Aftermath"). The repercussions of the Holocaust crimes against humanity continue to be felt today. The Holocaust will forever be a blood stain upon the nation of Germany and remembered as the most horrific, systematic mass murder in the worlds history. All nations must be aware of this evil lurking not only at their doorstep but from within the nations inhabitants. Future generations must closely examine the events leading up to and including the Holocaust, using the knowledge gained from these historical truths to take preventive measures against the opportunity for genocide and all of its gruesomeness to raise its evil head in their lands and in their eras. Humanity depends upon the heart of each individual doing their part to ensure harm does not befall their neighbor; whether they be next door, across the border or across the sea, whether their neighbor is of the same nationality, religion, ethnicity or gender. It is vital that society stay educated and aware of the gruesome reality of genocide in the history of humanity. The Chief Prosecutor at the Nuremberg Trails, Robert Jackson, opens the first day of court with this statement, The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored, because it cannot survive their being repeated (Aftermath). As spoken by Holocaust survivor, Edith Oliver, "Get involved and stay involvedstay the course, particularly in human rights."

Tennison 14 Works Cited "Aftermath." Holocaust Timeline: Aftermath. A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. "Antisemitism." Holocaust History. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. "Background: Nuremberg Race Laws." Holocaust History. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. "Extermination Camps." The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, 2002. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. A Film Unfinished. Dir. Yael Hersonski. Perf. Alexander Beyer Rdiger Vogler. 2010. Netflix. "Great Depression Begins." The History Place - The Rise of Adolph Hitler. The History Place, N.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. Hitler, Adolf. "VI." Mein Kampf. Vol. I. Landsberg Prison: Eher Verlag, 1925. N. pag. Print. "Holocaust Timeline: Resistance." A Teachers Guide to the Holocaust. Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida, 2005. Web. 3 Nov. 2012. "Methods of Mass Murder." The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, 2002. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. "People and Events, Kristallnacht." American Experience, America and the Holocaust. PBS, n.d. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. "Rescue & Liberation." Holocaust Timeline: Rescue & Liberation. A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012.

Tennison 15 Roseman, Mark. "The Wannsee Conference." Jewish Virtual Library. The American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Holocaust Facts." About.com 20th Century History. About.com, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. "Selection." The Holocaust Explained. London Jewish Cultural Center, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2012. Trueman, Chris. "Propaganda in Nazi Germany." History Learning Site. History Learning Site, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. USCShoahFoundation. "Edith Coliver Testimony." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Jan. 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. USCShoahFoundation. " David Abrams Testimony." YouTube. YouTube, 30 Jan. 2009. Web. 10 Oct. 2012.