persecution of minorities

• NAZI PERSECUTION OF MINORITIES: Nazi racial beliefs

  • aryan race was the master race and others were sub humans
  • Nazis believed Germanys future was dependant on the creation of pure aryan state which could be acheived by breeding more Aryans and destroying jews and other subhumans
  • ideal germans socially useful to nazi Germany, those that didnt work or racially impure were worthless and a cost to Germany
• Eugenics, Untermenschen, Lebensunwertes

  Untermenschen: the 'lesser races' like the salves of eastern Europe- sub humans- including africans

  Lebensunwertes: ' gypsies' and jews. unworthy of life

  UNDESIRABLES: tramps, beggars, alchoholics/ 500,000 sent to camps in 1933.
• the disabled persecution

  WHY? a burden to society, useless

  HOW?

  • in 1933, Nazis passed the sterilisation law which forcibly sterilised the mentally ill, alcoholic, deaf, blind, deformed. 400,000 sterilised in 1939.
  • 1939, T4 programme (euthanasia) where young people with mental/ physical disablities were killed by starvation or lethal injection. over 5000 children were killed.
• HOMOSEXUALS PERSECUTION

  WHY? they were immoral, lowered racial purity

  HOW?

  • Nazis passed laws against homosexuality. 4000 were arrested in 1936. over 5000 homosexuals sent to camps
• GYPSIES:

  WHY? non aryan and a threat to racial purity to be cleansed. didnt work

  contribute to taxes enough

  HOW?

  • in 1933 they were arrested
  • sent to camps
  • in 1938, they were deported