Research Paper

Holocaust Overview






Devan McCallister






Eng Comp 102
ProIessor Neuburger
18 November 2011


Devan McCallister 2

Propaganda Poster
http://bit.ly/tMiyyS

The word Holocaust Irom the Greek words 'holos` and 'kaustos meaning whole
burned ('The Holocaust). The Holocaust has been burned and scarred into the twisted Iabric oI
humanity. Not only is it the single most horriIying movement oI anti- Semitism the world has
known, it aIIected most everyone in the world. Only a Iew events in history rival a murderous
crime oI that proportion However, there is more to the Holocaust than just Hitler`s murderous
tyranny. The Holocaust included a huge political movement in Germany with support oI its own
citizens. Hitler not only Iought with weapons and soldiers he also Iought with malicious, but
powerIul, economic, political, and public relations intellect. Many people know that the
Holocaust happened, but one needs to understand the events the created and molded the
Holocaust.
The anti-Semitism oI Nazi`s
Anti- Semitism describes prejudice belieIs and Ieelings against the Jewish community.
The Nazi`s oI Germany under the command oI AdolI Hitler are one oI the most Iamous anti-
Semitic groups to show in modern history. The Nazi party, which began in 1919, and their leader
AdolI Hitler made racism a political agenda
('Antisemitism). Hitler and other Nazi leaders viewed the
Jews not as a religious group, but as a poisonous race,
which lived oII the other races and weakened them ('Nazi
Racism). Hitler and the Nazi party have gained more and more power throughout Germany by
anti-Jewish propaganda the book Hitler wrote while incarcerated at Landsberg Prison called
Mein KampI. The Party`s rise to power came in 1933, and brought upon unjustiIiable acts like
staged book burnings, the economic boycott oI the Jewish community, and anti - Semitic
legislation. (Antisemitism) By this time in Germany the Nazi`s had backed up the idea oI
Devan McCallister 3

The Nuremberg laws
http://bit.ly/vGWUY4
German scientists who believed a race could be improved by limiting the reproduction oI
'inIerior people. AIter the rise to power in 1933 the German physicians had permission to
perIorm Iorced sterilization as a way to stop this so called inIerior reproduction ('Nazi Racism).
Mein KampI is a very inIluential book Ior the Nazi party. It served as a major political
tool Ior gaining power during Hitler`s political struggle Ior power. Hitler wrote Mein KampI
while in prison Ior treason. This resulted Irom trying to seize power in 1923 ('Nazi Racism). In
the book Hitler constructs his racial ideas creating a back bone and validation Ior his extreme
racial belieIs. Furthermore he described history as a struggle between human races Ior living
space. Creating his reason Ior a conquest in the east and enslaving the Slavic people. The book
also reveals his belieI oI the Jewish community plaguing the world as a great evil and urged its
removal ('Nazi Racism).
The Nuremberg Laws
The Nuremberg Laws began as a set oI laws permitting a legal basis Ior the anti- Semitic
policies held by the Nazi political party. On September 15, 1935 the laws were implemented into
German society (The Nrnberg Laws). This made the
Nuremberg Laws the Iirst big step oI political
discrimination against the Jewish community in Germany.
The laws deIined 'Jews as a person with three or Iour
Jewish grandparents. This classiIied even people who had
converted to another religion as Jewish ("The Nuremberg
Race Laws").
The Iirst law implemented titled, The Law Ior the Protection oI German Blood and
German Honor. According to Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team, the law did
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A building aIter Kristallnacht
http://bit.ly/ovIh67
exactly what it states. The Iirst law prevented marriage between a Jewish person and German
citizens, keeping the lower oI the two races Irom inIecting the greater Aryan race. While the
second law stripped the Jewish community oI its citizenship Irom the Reich creating a social
distinction between Aryan citizenship called Reichsburger and the Jewish called
Staatsangehorige. Reichsburger means citizens oI Reich and Staatsangehorige means state
subjects.
Furthermore, the laws gave Hitler much more control over the public opinion on Jews as
well as what would happen to the Jewish population. Over the next eight years thirteen additional
decrees are added to the Nuremburg Laws (nuremberg Laws") 1he PolocausL unlLed SLaLes
Memorlal Museum (uSPMM) descrlbes how durlng 1937 Lhrough 1938 most oI the Jewish
owned business had been taken over as well as Jewish employees had to be let go Irom work.
German oI non- Jewish descent bought the businesses at low prices Iixed by the Nazi party. Also
Jewish doctors could only treat other Jews and Jewish Lawyers could not practice law (1he
nuremberg 8ace Laws) This diminished the Jewish communities Ieeling oI being part oI
society. The Nuremberg Laws gave power over the Jewish citizens oI Germany to the Nazi
party, and with the power they ripped them Irom German society making them useless outcast in
the eyes oI non-Jewish Germany.
Kristallnacht (The Night oI Broken Glass)
Imagine being startled by the sound oI shattered
windows and the smell oI something burning. A woman, in
the distance, yells Ior help out oI Iear Ior her screaming
children. The surprise oI this sudden event has rendered shock
as the scene oI Iire and smoke rising Irom a synagogue and a
Devan McCallister 5

The Iamous Warsaw ghetto
http://bit.ly/4U5E42

Iamiliar restaurant. On the night oI November 9
th
, 1938 this happened to many people. This
night was named Kristallnacht or 'Night oI Broken Glass. The poetic beautiIul sounding name
does not portray the signiIicance or horror that the riots represented.
Zindel Grynszpan and his Iamily stood IorceIully removed Irom their home by German
police. The Grynszpan Iamily had all their possession conIiscated and had to move across the
Polish border. Hearing oI the atrocious incident the seventeen year old son oI Zindel named
Herschel assassinated a German oIIicial ("Kristallnacht"). This act oI vengeance put things in
motion. The head oI propaganda, Joseph Goebbels, used this to set in motion the riots mentioned
earlier. One act oI vengeance, no matter much right Herschel had, caused a very signiIicant
event. In times oI great emotional stress human Ilaw kicks in and people become oblivious to the
Iact that a single action can aIIect hundreds oI people and in some cases even thousands.
Jewish ghettos
During World War II the Jewish population oI Germany and German occupied territories
contained ghettos. A ghetto is deIined during the war as
place where the Jewish lived sectioned oII Irom the rest oI
society. These ghettos remained selI-contained and shut
oII to the outside world. Close to a thousand ghettos were
established under the Nazi rule oI Germany, although
some ghettos only lasted a Iew days. The Iirst oI these
ghettos presented establishment in 1939 ("Ghettos).
Types oI ghettos.
Devan McCallister 6

The house oI the Wannsee ConIerence
http://bit.ly/gr038T
The ghettos consisted oI three diIIerent types called closed, open and destruction ghettos.
Closed ghettos, the Iirst type, operated under a closed in and separated area Irom the outside
world by walls or Ience surrounded with barbwire ("Types oI Ghettos"). The closed oII and
isolated conditions led to the rampage oI disease and starvation Ior the Jewish residents in closed
ghettos. The second type oI ghettos is called an open ghetto. An open ghetto was a ghetto
without a wall or Ience surrounding the edges. Although it was open entering and leaving oI
these ghettos was very monitored and restricted ("Types oI Ghettos"). Destruction ghettos, the
third type are described as strictly sealed oII Irom the outside world. These ghettos existed Ior
about six weeks. The Jewish residents oI destruction ghettos ended up being either shot or
deported ("Types oI Ghettos").
Wannsee conIerence
In Berlin in a suburb oI Wannsee a critical point oI the holocaust took place, the Wannsee
ConIerence. The Wannsee ConIerence took place on January 20, 1942. The conIerence
consisted oI IiIteen Nazi party and German government oIIicials (Wannsee ConIerence). The
oIIicials gathered to discuss how to implement the Iinal solution. Most knew that the mass
murders oI the Jewish community had already begun so
naturally no one at the meeting objected to the idea oI the
Iinal solution.
The Iinal solution reIerred to the decision oI
action towards removing the Jewish population Irom
Europe. The decision oI action was well planned and
systematically organized murder oI the Jewish community. The conIerence decided to deploy a
labor camps Ior the Jews ('Wannsee ConIerence). In the camps genders would be separated
Devan McCallister 7

Flossenburg gas chamber
http://bit.ly/sF9rRG
and each would be sent to work while the poor, unhealthy, and cruel living conditions and work
let natural selection exterminate a greater part oI the population. The Germans took it upon
themselves to judge the destiny oI this race they believed to be inIerior. This event was not just
one psychotic individual with murderous intent. The conIerence brings to light just how
intertwined this belieI against the Jewish community was. The conIerence proves that it was not
just thee act oI one man, but much more complicated.
The selection process
Once the prisoners reached the death camp or concentration camp the SS soldiers would
divide them up. This process was called the selection process. According to Holocaust explained,
any prisoner over the age oI Iourteen could be sent to work ('Selection at the Concentration
Camps).The soldiers the camp killed the women and children that couldn`t work. The ones
selected to work had to go through a registration process. The prisoners would Iirst be registered
then stripped oI clothes, and all body hair. AIter this someone would tattoo a permanent
registration number on the arms oI the prisoners and then they shoved them into either extremely
hot or cold showers Ior sanitization (Selection at the Concentration Camps). The tattoo does not
seem like a big deal considering all the people that have them willingly in today society. On the
other hand it was to replace the names oI prisoners. The Nazi`s stripped these human beings oI
everything and then took their name.
Extermination methods
The Nazi party acted upon the Iinal solution by systematically murdering the sematic
community. The Nazi`s accomplished this by using
several diIIerent methods oI extermination. The most
Iamous oI these methods would be that gas chambers.
Devan McCallister 8

Main Gate oI Extermination Camp
http://bit.ly/sAhtIZ
The gas chambers consisted oI a closed in room in which the prisoners were herded into. Once
the prisoners were locked in the room a soldier opened a small whole at the top oI the structure.
The soldier then began to mix the chemicals which expelled a very poisonous gas called Zyklon
B (Extermination Camps).
Another method included putting the prisoners in the back oI a closed in truck and
connecting the exhaust to the inside oI the truck by a hose called gassing trucks. As the truck
drove the gas Irom the exhaust would Iill the back oI the truck killing all the prisoners inside.
The truck to where the bodies would be buried. The Germans would the open the back oI the
truck to see iI anyone survived. The survivors were shot and buried with the rest. A third method
was shooting the prisoners. Sometime in November oI 1943 around 17,000 Jews were killed as
part oI a mass shooting (Extermination Camps).

The death camps
The Nazi`s ran death camps or extermination camps. The German pronunciation is
;ernichtunglager ("Extermination Camps"). The extermination camps Iacilitated the murder oI
around three and a halI million people, not to be conIused with concentration camps. The camps
were constructed in occupied areas oI Poland. These camps included Auschwitz, Chelmno,
Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka (Extermination Camps).

The victims oI death camps.
The victims oI the death camps arrive by train
under the impression oI getting a new job or living space.
This is due to the Iact most exterminations camps resided
Devan McCallister 9

next to a railway. AIter the victims exited the highly crowded and uncomIortable train, the
German SS oIIicers herded them onto the arrival ramp. At the point the victims gave up any
personal belongings rather they wanted to or not. This also included clothes, and because the
victims did not know what evil lay ahead most brought their Iavorite possessions.
Two kinds oI camps.
The Nazi`s constructed two types oI camps. The Iirst being extermination camps and the
other concentration camps. The extermination camps served the purpose oI Iacilitating the
systematic murders oI the Jewish population. This was done by gassing them usually.
Concentration camps, being the second, turned the victims into slaves. The people in the
concentration camps would work in a Iactory or whatever the camp had as work. The conditions
Iell Iar Irom adequate and many died because oI the hard work and small amount oI Iood and
water ('Labor and Concentration Camps).
Some camps consisted oI both types, one oI the most Iamous oI these camps being
Auschwitz. Upon arrival to this camp the victims unable to work would be immediately
exterminated, either by poisonous gas or shot ('Labor and Concentration Camps). Eventually
most oI them became victim to extermination.

The liberation
The camps were all liberated at diIIerent times. The Soviets liberated Majdanek in 1944
but did not get to StutthoI till 1945. On the western Iront, the Americans liberated Buchenwald
on April 11, 1945. The liberators oI these camps witnessed a horriIic sight upon entering the
camps. Mounds oI bodies lay around the camp; the people alive looked like walking corpses
themselves because oI malnourishment.
Devan McCallister 10

Liberation oI Nazi Concentration Camp
http://bit.ly/tIw881
FireIighters in Camp
http://bit.ly/vNEgdj

With the liberation at the Ioot oI Hitler`s army, the Nazi`s began death marches. The
Germans Ieared that the idea oI witnesses being leIt in the camps. Also the marches killed many
oI the remaining prisoners. These long and unbearable
marches did not Iare well on the already exhausted and
sickly prisoners oI the camp ("Death March). The
guards accompanied the prisoners on the walk, adding
addition abuse Ior the prisoners.

AItermath
To think aIter such suIIering Irom the terrible events that these people had to go through.
The physiological and physical eIIects on these people can only be shared by other people that
have witness the true evil and selIishness that the darkest part oI humanity has to oIIer. Most oI
the people that lived through this could not even assimilate back into a normal liIe ("The
Holocaust). This caused a huge reIugee increase
throughout Europe. The Nazi rein came to end a slow halt
but the Ieeling oI anti-Semitism still remained in parts oI
society. The reIugees that had no Iamily leIt and had no
one else that would help because oI prejudice Ieelings.
The bringing oI justice to the perpetrators oI the
Holocaust was another need that emerged aIter the Holocaust. The Nuremberg trials became the
solution. ("Holocaust Timeline: AItermath). The allied powers provided judges that brought
justice Ior the crimes committed during the war. The trials consisted oI twenty two Nazi`s being
Devan McCallister 11

brought beIore the court ("LiIe aIter the Holocaust - HMD Trust).Twelve oI them were
sentenced to death. Charged with crimes against humanity most oI the deIendants pleaded
guilty. Some were charged Ior being directly involved with over 11 million murders oI women,
children, and men. The charges Ior them brought greater punishment ("LiIe aIter the Holocaust -
HMD Trust).
The Jewish community aIter the holocaust did not go back to normal live. According to
USHMM the victims began to live in displacement camps. From 1945 to 1952 over 250, 000
Jewish people lived in these displacement camps. The beginning conditions Ior the displaced
persons did meet expectations. The people in the camps did not get Iair treatment and had a Iar
Irom normal liIe. The armies implement a curIew and limited rations. Some even had to wear
their concentration camp uniIorms (Displaced Persons).

The Holocaust is an event that will be burned into the victims memories Ior the rest oI
their lives. It has leIt a gruesome scar on the record oI humanity. The events serve as harsh
indication oI true evil that people are capable oI. A person that has killed even one other human
out oI prejudice is considered a wicked person, but how to describe a group oI people killing
over six million people out oI hate? There is no other word than evil. This evil that began as a
political movement that spread in a way comparable to a disease.





Devan McCallister 12









Works Cited
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http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId10005175~.
"Death Marches." Yadvashem.org. Web. 14 Nov. 2011.
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"Displaced Persons." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 18 Nov. 2011.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId10005462~.
"Extermination Camps." Yad;ashem.org. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.
http://www1.yadvashem.org/odotpdI/MicrosoIt20Word20-206308.pdI~.
"Ghettos." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. 6 Feb. 2011. Web. 07 Nov. 2011.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId10005059~.
Devan McCallister 13

"The Holocaust. History.com Articles, Video, Pictures and Facts." History.com History
Made E;ery Day American & World History. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.
http://www.history.com/topics/the-holocaust~.
"Holocaust Timeline: AItermath." Florida Center for Instructional Technology. Web. 27 Oct.
2011. http://Icit.usI.edu/holocaust/timeline/aIter.htm~.
'Kristallnacht- Night oI Crystal. Http://www.HolocaustResearchProject.org." Holocaust
Education & Archi;e Research Team. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.
http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/holoprelude/kristallnacht.html~.
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http://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/holocaust/about/06/camps.asp~.
"LiIe aIter the Holocaust - HMD Trust." Home - HMD Trust. 01 Aug. 2011. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.
http://hmd.org.uk/genocides/the-holocaust/liIe-aIter-the-holocaust~.
"Nazi Racism." &nited States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId10007679~.
"The Nrnberg Laws Http://www.HolocaustResearchProject.org." Holocaust Education &
Archi;e Research Team. Web. 27 Oct. 2011.
http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/holoprelude/nurlaws.html~.
"The Nuremberg Laws." Jewish Jirtual Library - Homepage. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/nurlaws.html~.
Devan McCallister 14

""The Nuremberg Race Laws." &nited States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId10007695~.
"Types oI Ghettos." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 09 Nov. 2011.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId10007445~.
"Selection at the Concentration Camps - Key Stage 3 - The Holocaust Explained." The
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2011. http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-Iinal-solution/auschwitz-
birkenau/selection/~.
'Wannsee ConIerence and the "Final Solution" &nited States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Web. 11 Nov. 2011. http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId10005477~.