The Holocaust

• The Final Solution resulted in the deaths of an estimated six million Jews before the end of World War II.
• The Holocaust was a mass genocide in which millions of Jews and other party's were killed.
• A genocide is the planned mass murder of a particular group of people.
• Some main factors that contributed to Hitler's rise to power were: The Treaty of Versailles, The Great Depression, anti-Semitic ideology, propaganda and The Reichstag fire.
• In January 1933, Hitler became Chancellor of Germany
• Adolf Hitler wrote a book called "Mein Kampf- My Struggle"
• Propaganda was used by Hitler to promote Nazi ideas such as Aryan supremacy and anti-semitism.
• Propaganda is the spreading of ideas and information through a variety of media. It is always biased.
• The Aryan race was seen as the most superior.
• A Fuhrer is a single strong leader who hold's great power
• The code name for the mass killing of Jews was "The Final Solution"
• The SS were Hitler's personal bodyguards and eventually guards of concentration camps.
• Jewish people were blamed for Germany losing WW1 and being forced to pay reparations.
• In March 1933, The Enabling Act gave Hitler the power to rule Germany as a dictatorship.
• In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were introduced, which stated that Jews were no longer German citizens and they could not have sexual relationships with Germans.
• Any Jewish people had to have either 'Israel' or 'Sara' on their passports, and following this, a "J" stamp.
• On November 9-10th, 1938, 'Kristallnacht' took place, a wave of state-organised attacks targeting Jewish businesses, synagogues and apartments.
• Kristallnacht means Night of the Broken Glass, and it is called this because the Nazis broke the windows of Jewish homes and businesses, littering glass everywhere.
• Around 100 Jews were killed during Kristallnacht.
• Jews were forced to wear the star of David on their clothes, identifying them as Jewish
• As well as Jews, Roma (gypsies), homosexuals, political opponents, and Jehovah's Witnesses were also persecuted.
• The Reichstag Fire was a mysterious fire set in the German parliament, causing the government to pass emergency laws.
• The Wannsee Conference was held on the 20th of January 1942, and it was where the final plans for the Holocaust were discussed, also known as "The Final Solution" (execution camps).
• The Gestapo was the secret police of Nazi Germany, responsible for enforcing Nazi policies and suppressing opposition. They were known for their brutality.
• Gestapo agents had the power to arrest anyone, including Jews, and to torture them to extract information.
• The SS stands for Schutzstaffel.
• Censorship is the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security.
• Some examples of how the Nazi's used censorship were: mass book burnings of all books considered 'un-German', controlling the press and what was shown in schools, and censoring soldiers letters home during World War 2.
• The first concentration camp was established in 1933 in Dachau, and it became a model for all other camps.
• After the Nazi's invaded Poland in 1939, they began segregating Jews into ghettos, usually in the most rundown part of the city.
• By mid 1941, nearly all Jews in Poland had been forced into ghettos.
• Most ghettos were shut in by walls, fences or barbed wire, and you needed special permission to exit, usually for a job.
• Jews were given around 184 calories a day.
• Diseases such as typhus and tuberculosis were rife in ghettos.
• Jews were expected to pay Nazi's to live in ghettos.
• After the Wannsee conference, ghettos were liquidated meaning all Jews were forced out, and transported to concentration camps.
• Jews were transported from ghettos to concentration camps in "cattle cars", which were open to the elements.
• The cattle cars would be locked from the outside and prisoners would go days without food or water.
• Upon arrival at camp, prisoners were registered and given a number either tattooed on their arm or stomach, or sewed onto clothing. They were then given a barrack and a job.
• Prisoners were forced to shave their heads, and forced to shower in front of hundreds, including SS guards.