1933 - Hitler came to power and he had a plan

Hitler wanted to create the perfect “Aryan” race: blond hair, blue eyes, and of pure German blood. Nazis felt they were racially superior and they had to remove the inferior races.

They saw Jews, Gypsies, and the handicapped as a serious biological threat to the purity of the “German (Aryan) Race” or what they called the “master race”.

Jews numbered around 500,000 in Germany which was less than 1% of the total population in 1933.

Jews were the principal targets of Nazi hatred.

Nazi propaganda unfairly blamed Jews for Germany’s economic depression and the country’s defeat in WWI.

These laws stripped the Jews of their citizenship even though they retained limited rights.

Anti-Jewish regulations segregated Jews further and made daily life very difficult for them.

Jews could not:-- attend public school-- go to theaters-- go to vacation resorts-- reside, or even walk, in certain sections of German cities

Jewish businesses were also boycotted

Nazis stand on the Nazis stand on the steps of a University steps of a University of Vienna building of Vienna building “protecting” the “protecting” the school from Jews. school from Jews. Jews were eventually Jews were eventually banned from banned from positions of positions of influence. Both influence. Both Jewish professors and Jewish professors and Jewish students were Jewish students were removed from removed from universities in Nazi-universities in Nazi-occupied countries.occupied countries.

November 9 and 10, 1938 - “night of broken glass”

Nazi-led attack on the Jews throughout Germany and Austria in revenge for the murder of a German diplomat by a Jewish refugee in Paris.

The Nazis destroyed Jewish synagogues, businesses and Jewish homes.

They arrested Jewish men and many were killed.

First organized “pogrom” (riot) against the Jews

Red Flag to the world that was missed.

Jewish businesses Jewish businesses were boycotted in were boycotted in order to drive order to drive them out of them out of business. It only business. It only lasted a day and lasted a day and was largely was largely ignored by ignored by German citizens. German citizens. It did, however, It did, however, lead to a lead to a limitation on the limitation on the financial and financial and cultural freedoms cultural freedoms of the Jewish of the Jewish population.population.

The night of broken The night of broken glass, named for the glass, named for the mass of broken glass mass of broken glass due to the smashing due to the smashing of store front of store front windows. This attack windows. This attack on all things Jewish on all things Jewish took place took place throughout Germany throughout Germany and Austria.and Austria.

Taking away the ability to reproduce.

Nazis used this technique to improve the “Aryan” race; they wanted to purify the race.

1933-1945 - Hitler wanted to reduce the number of “inferiors” through involuntary sterilization programs.

Those with genetic disorders were judged inferior and subjected to the procedure.

400,000 Germans were sterilized.

The following groups were targeted by the Nazis because they did not fit the perfect Aryan standard or simply did not follow along:

JewsGypsiespolitical opponentstraitorshomosexualsJehovah’s WitnessesCommunists“undesirables” or “enemies of the state”

Between 1933 and 1939, about half the German Jewish population and more than two-thirds of Austrian Jews fled Nazi persecution emigrating to Palestine, the U.S., Latin America, China, and Western Europe (they would later be recaptured). Albert Einstein and Anne Frank were two Jews that fled.

This Star of David This Star of David badge was required badge was required to be worn by Jews in to be worn by Jews in Germany. Germany.

September 1, 1939 - Germany invaded Poland and WWII began

Nazis began to destroy the Polish Army and eventually Polish culture; they viewed Poles as “subhuman”.

German soldiers carried out massacres against Polish leaders.

To create new living space for the “superior Germanic race”, large segments of the Polish population were resettled and German families moved in. This is known as Lebensraum, or “living space”.

Nazis “kidnapped” as many as 200,000 Polish children who had “Aryan” features; they were then given to German families to learn Nazi ways.

Because they did not have German blood they were sent to camps and eventually killed by starvation, lethal injection, and disease.

Himmler wanted to Himmler wanted to create a “Nazi utopia” create a “Nazi utopia” in the Polish and in the Polish and Russian countryside. Russian countryside. This meant that with This meant that with the new the new LebensraumLebensraum, , Nazis could move in Nazis could move in and create a strictly and create a strictly Nazi society. Nazi society.

Hitler ordered the involuntary killing or death of those deemed “incurable” – they were mostly the mentally and physically handicapped.

Majority of those killed were children; parents were told they died of natural causes.

Mobile killing units; 4 units dispatched into the Soviet Union following behind the army.

1941 - Germany invaded the Soviet Union; Jews, political leaders, communists, and many Gypsies were killed in mass executions (the overwhelming majority were Jews).

Victims were shot by Nazi soldiers and even local police forces and buried in mass graves.

Babi Yar - September 29 and 30, 194133,000 people were murdered in two days time. Most victims were Jews.

Hitler did not like this technique

Thought it was too slow

Many members of the SS complained of how difficult it was on them to continue the pace of killing in such a way. They had to look their victims in the eye.

This photo was taken This photo was taken at a mass killing. at a mass killing. Notice the Jewish Notice the Jewish man kneeling before man kneeling before the mass grave while the mass grave while a member of a member of Einsatzgruppe D has a Einsatzgruppe D has a pistol aimed at his pistol aimed at his head. All 28,000 Jews head. All 28,000 Jews in Vinnitsa, Ukraine in Vinnitsa, Ukraine were murdered in were murdered in this way.this way.

These were sectioned off parts of cities to keep Jews away from other citizens.

Walls were built to keep them “hidden”; they were forced to live in crowded, abandoned homes - many families living together with no heat and plumbing.

Their food intake was restricted; anyone caught smuggling food into the ghetto ran the risk of being shot on the spot.

Starvation and disease was a serious problem that claimed many lives (tens of thousands).

Warsaw and Lodz in Poland were the largest of the ghettos.

Jews tried to keep their culture alive while living under such harsh conditions.

Ghettos provided a forced labor pool for the Germans, and many forced laborers died from exhaustion or maltreatment.

This is a photo taken This is a photo taken of a child dying of of a child dying of starvation on the starvation on the Warsaw Ghetto Warsaw Ghetto streets. This was a streets. This was a common occurrence.common occurrence.

Jews in ghettos Jews in ghettos across Europe were across Europe were rounded up and sent rounded up and sent by train to one of six by train to one of six death camps located death camps located in Nazi-occupied in Nazi-occupied Poland after 1942.Poland after 1942.

January 20, 1942

Wannsee Conference – outside Berlin where 15 Nazis met; Hitler did not attend.

Committee came up with the “final solution to the Jewish problem”.

It became state policy to kill all Jews in Europe

Between 1942 and 1944, the Germans moved to eliminate the ghettos in occupied Poland and elsewhere, deporting occupants to “extermination camps”

TrainsTrains

Jews and other potential victims were transported to the killing centers on trains in cattle cars – trips could last for days.

This is a map of the This is a map of the path of major path of major deportation routes in deportation routes in Nazi-occupied Nazi-occupied territories. The territories. The victims were rounded victims were rounded up from ghettos and up from ghettos and work camps across work camps across Europe and sent by Europe and sent by train to one of six train to one of six death camps, death camps, signified by a white signified by a white square.square.

Jews were put onto Jews were put onto cattle cars. One cattle cars. One hundred people hundred people would be put into a would be put into a car designed to carry car designed to carry much fewer. Many much fewer. Many did not survive the did not survive the trip.trip.

Death camps were set up with capabilities to kill thousands of Jews by gassing them.

Six of these camps were created either from the ground up or out of camps that already existed. They are:

Belzec ChelmnoSobibor MajdanekTreblinka Auschwitz

These sites were chosen due to the proximity to rail lines. They were all located in Nazi-occupied Poland..

This is the infamous This is the infamous entrance to the entrance to the largest of the six largest of the six death camps, death camps, Auschwitz-Birkenau.Auschwitz-Birkenau.The largest number The largest number of European Jews was of European Jews was killed at this camp killed at this camp during its operation.during its operation.

To many Jews, Auschwitz was synonymous with death.

This camp served as a concentration camp and slave labor camp; it eventually became the killing center where the largest numbers of European Jews and Gypsies were killed.

More than 1.25 million were killed at Auschwitz – 9 out of 10 were Jews

Auschwitz has three main camps. It measured 4,695 acres in size, which is approximately 12 square miles.

The methods of murder were the same in all the killing centers, which were operated by the SS.

The victims arrived in railroad cattle cars, mostly from Polish ghettos and camps, but also from almost every other eastern and western European country.

“selection” – on arrival, men were separated from women and children.

Healthy men were used as workers while most of the women, children, and elderly were sent to the gas chambers.

Prisoners were forced to undress and hand over all valuables.

This is a group of This is a group of Jews from the Jews from the country of Hungary. country of Hungary. They are going They are going through selection. through selection. Men were separated Men were separated from women and from women and children. If you were children. If you were not selected for work not selected for work you would be sent to you would be sent to your death in the gas your death in the gas chamber.chamber.

Mengele was Mengele was responsible for the responsible for the terrible experiments terrible experiments conducted on conducted on prisoners at prisoners at Auschwitz. He was Auschwitz. He was particularly particularly interested in twins, or interested in twins, or zwilingezwilinge. He wanted . He wanted to be able to create to be able to create the Aryan race as the Aryan race as quickly as possible.quickly as possible.

Prisoners would be Prisoners would be spared the chamber if spared the chamber if they were needed for they were needed for work. The jobs they work. The jobs they did kept the camp in did kept the camp in operation. Notice all operation. Notice all of their heads are of their heads are shaved. They did this shaved. They did this to cut down on lice to cut down on lice and to take away and to take away their identity.their identity.

They were driven naked into the gas chambers, which were disguised as shower rooms, and either carbon monoxide or Zyklon B was used to asphyxiate (suffocate) them.

The minority selected for forced labor were, after initial quarantine, vulnerable to malnutrition, exposure, disease, medical experiments, and brutality – many died as a result.

After the gassing, the bodies were removed and sent to the crematoriums or ovens; the bodies were burned to hide the evidence and cut down on disease.

The Nazi motto: “dispose of the body, use the byproduct”

Nazis used as much as possible off of the victims’ bodies:hair prostheses (artificial limbs)gold teeth eye glasses

Bodies were also burned in mass graves and Jews were forced to fill these pits with fellow prisoners’ bodies.

The Allies expressed outrage at the horrors of the Holocaust and vowed to punish those responsible.

Took place in Nuremberg, Germany

21 leading Nazis on trial for “war crimes” or “crimes against humanity”

11 received the death sentence

500,000 lesser Nazis received jail time and fines

Individuals are ultimately responsible for their own actions, even in times of war.

6 million Jews and 12 million overall were killed by the Nazis.

Here are some of the Here are some of the defendants at the defendants at the Nuremberg Trials. Nuremberg Trials. Hermann Goring and Hermann Goring and Rudolf Hess are seen Rudolf Hess are seen first row, far left. first row, far left. Goring eventually Goring eventually killed himself before killed himself before the Allies could put the Allies could put him to death. Many him to death. Many of them still of them still defended Hitler and defended Hitler and their actions.their actions.

Gen. Eisenhower and Gen. Eisenhower and other U.S. military other U.S. military witness the reality of witness the reality of what the Nazis had what the Nazis had done. This is one of done. This is one of many examples of many examples of how the Nazis tried how the Nazis tried to get rid of the to get rid of the bodies. They were bodies. They were stacked and burned.stacked and burned.

Scenes like this were Scenes like this were playing out across playing out across Europe as the Allies Europe as the Allies discovered camp discovered camp after camp. Now the after camp. Now the real tragedy begins. real tragedy begins. These liberated These liberated prisoners are learning prisoners are learning that the world no that the world no longer wants them longer wants them and their families are and their families are most likely gone.most likely gone.