Persecution of Minorities

• What type of state was Nazi Germany?


  Totalitarian state
• What did the Nazi government control in people's lives?

  All aspects of Germans' lives
• Who were considered 'enemies of the state' in Nazi Germany?

  Minorities and dissenters
• What were the main groups targeted for persecution by the Nazis?

  • Slavs (Eastern Europeans)
  • Gypsies
  • Homosexuals
  • Disabled individuals
  • Jews
• What did the Nazis believe about Aryans?

  Aryans were the superior human race
• What did Nazi racial philosophy teach about other races?

  Some races were 'untermensch' (sub-human)
• What is eugenics?

  The idea of eliminating 'degenerates'
• What was the purpose of Nazi sterilization policies?

  To keep the Aryan race pure
• Who were sterilized under Nazi policies?

  The mentally and physically disabled
• What was the Nazi euthanasia program?

  Systematic murder of people with disabilities
• How many people with disabilities were murdered by the Nazis?

  At least 200,000
• Who else was persecuted and sent to concentration camps?

  Homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and criminals
• What percentage of Germany's gypsies died in concentration camps during WWII?

  85 percent
• Who were the most heavily targeted group by the Nazis?

  The Jews of Germany
• What event marked a turning point in the persecution of Jews?

  Kristallnacht in November 1938
• What actions did the Nazis take against Jewish businesses in 1933?

  Organized a boycott of Jewish businesses
• What were the Nuremberg Laws?

  Anti-Semitic laws formalizing discrimination
• What rights were stripped from Jews by the Nuremberg Laws?

  Civil and political rights
• What restrictions were placed on Jews in 1938?

  Jews could not be doctors or own businesses
• What name were Jewish men and women required to add to their names?

  Israel for men, Sarah for women
• What happened during Kristallnacht?

  Attacks on Jewish homes and businesses
• What did many Jews conclude after Kristallnacht?

  Their time in Germany was up
• What was the Kindertransport?

  A scheme to evacuate Jewish children
• By 1939, what were Jews forbidden to own?

  A business or even a radio
• What was the status of Jews by the outbreak of World War II?

  Stateless and severely restricted