Research Paper Holocaust Overview

Ashley Lampe

English 102-102 Mr. Neuburger 11 July 2012

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In these modern times one has the ability to look back at others mistakes and change the way one does things to prevent these mistakes from happening again. There are a lot of events that took place during the Holocaust and not many people know what truly happened. What truly caused this tragic event, what happened during the Holocaust, and how these horrible actions finally came to an end are the questions needing answers in order for people to fully understand this horrible event. In order to truly understand the Holocaust, one needs to understand the series of events that allowed the Nazis to systematically murder 11 million people. The Rise of Nazi Power The website A Teachers Guide to the Holocaust describes how the Nazis wanted power and they had to start somewhere. In 1919 a group of unemployed soldiers became a gang, A WWI ended the Treaty of Versailles punished Germany by making them pay back the other countries money they had lost due to the war. Adolf Hitler joined The German Workers Party and became a leader through his emotional and captivating speeches. Hitler
Nazi Rise to Power http://bit.ly/oWRPAA

targeted the Jews with his anti-Semitic feelings. He changed

the German Workers Party to the National Socialist German Workers Party,and fo r short they were either called the Nazi Party or the NSDAP. By 1920s end, this party had gained 3000 members and Hitler became the official leader within a year. In addition, the website explains Hitlers new leadership and how he Hitler tied to over throw the authorities in Munich, an event that came to be known as the Beer Hall Pustch. The leaders were all thrown into jail and charged with treason. Hitler used the courtroom for

Lampe 3 propaganda and for hours he spoke against Weimar government. This trial ran for 24 days and at the end Hitler actually gained support. Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison but only served a year and was released on parole. Hitler went back to his old group and decided they needed to rebuild and reorganize the Party. (The Rise of the Nazi Party) As the group waited to gain political power, Hitler became known as the main leader of the Party. He was known as the one and only to whom Party members swore loyalty unto death (The Rise of the Nazi Party). Hitler needed to make the Nazi Party have the support they needed to run in the next election. In 1929 the party was at 108,000 members. They failed in the 1928 Reichstag election with only 2.6% votes. They had to grow the Party; so they decided to target different types of groups and use propaganda to gain their support. Continuing, in1929 Germany was hit with the Great Depression. The government had to make decisions to help their country; and the Weimar democracy was unable to handle these economic problems. Unemployment had doubled and the government could not agree on a solution so the presidential advisors persuaded the president to invoke the constitutions emergency political powers. These powers allowed the president to restore law and order in a crisis (The Rise of the Nazi Party). The President decided to rule by emergency decrees and not by laws passed by Reichstag; this started the Weimar democracy demise. Unifying the government failed, and in September of 1930, they decided they needed to hold new elections. This was an important election for the Nazi Party; they ended with 18.3% becoming the second largest group. Moreover, the website describes how in 1932 Hindenburgs presidency ended so he ran for office to prevent Hitler from winning and succeeded but resigned in 1932. At the end of the election, the Nazi Party won 37% of Reichstag seats, thanks to massive propaganda campaign (The Rise of the Nazi Party). During this presidency Hindenburgs old age forced him to give up his presidency giving Hitler what he had wanted, to be leader. (The Rise of the Nazi Party)

Lampe 4 Anti-Semitism According to the Anti-Jewish Legislation in Prewar Germany the 25-point Party Program, published in 1920, the Nazi's intent was to segregate the Jews from Aryan Society. Nazi leaders began to prosecute German Jews; they also wanted to abolish Jewish political, legal and civil rights which was a National matter. Once the decision was made not many were able to override it. As Hitler gained large numbers of supporters the invasions began. The article explained once the invasions began no corner of Germany went untouched.(United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). Hitler began by excluding Jews in German public life, no
Anti-Semitism http://bit.ly/NGDo17

longer allowing Jews to participate in state service. In April of 1933 the Germans made laws to keep the number of Jewish children in

German schools and Universities within a chosen amount. The Nazis first targeted the younger Jews by placing limits on the number of Jewish students being taught in schools and universities, and then adults who had already completed schooling. Jews who were working in the medical field were no longer allowed to treat non-Jews and lawyers and even notaries were no longer able to participate in legal matters. Continuing on, the Anti-Jewish Legislation in Prewar Germany explains, by 1933 National rights were revoked from Jews on most professional levels; Jews were stripped of their rights in school settings, military, and even the Jews who acted on stages or on screens. Although the Nation had taken all the steps to abolish Jewish rights the state was able to also pass laws. While the Nation focused on the laws and legal rights the State targeted their personal rights. The State began with their beliefs and religious practices and even their religious diets. The Anti-Jewish

Lampe 5 Legislation in Prewar Germany was a very helpful source in explaining how Germany felt about and dealt with the Jews. (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) Propaganda According to the Holocaust Encyclopedia Nazi Propaganda; propaganda was used in the public to show the people what the government believed about the subject. Adolf Hitler explained all of the ideals in the book Mein Kampf. Here he spread National Socialism and other ideas such as racism, anti-Semitism and antiBolshevism. Hitler worked hard to show the nation his idea of the Jews. Everywhere you turned the negative ideas of Jews were heard or seen. He used schooling, music, theater, books,
Student Reading Propaganda Book http://bit.ly/dfAuKT

radio, film, art and even the press. This propaganda convinced that the treatment of the

Jews was tolerable and the government was showing the people that the truth of the Jews needs to be told. This propaganda was focused on places such as Poland and Czechoslovakia to gain political loyalty. This was also used to show other countries that the actions the Germans were taking against the Jews were reasonable to keep from getting attacked. Moreover the Holocaust Encyclopedia Nazi Propaganda, as the Nazi's began invading countries; films played a significant role in convincing people of the negatives about Jews. The article writes Nazi films portrayed Jews as subhuman creatures infiltrating Aryan society. For example, The Eternal Jew (1940), directed by Fritz Hippler, portrayed Jews as wandering cultural parasites, consumed by sex and money. Some films, such as The Triumph of the Will (1935) by Leni Riefenstahl, glorified Hitler and the National Socialist movement (United States Holocaust

Lampe 6 Memorial Museum). In newspapers, cartoons were used to demean Jews. German government went as far as convincing others that Jews were the enemy and because Germany caused WWII. Hitler convinced the people that Jews were to blame and were not to be trusted and should be removed permanently from German settlement areas. In order to do this the German government was going to have to pass laws to legally take action against the Jews. (Holocaust Encyclopedia Nazi Propaganda) Nuremberg Laws The website Western and Central Europe Chronology explains these laws as two basic laws as taking natural right and excluding Jews from German life. The Reichsburgergesetz removed Jews citizenship of Germany and only Germans or those with German blood would be considered citizens. The Gesetz zum Schutze des Deutschen Blutes und der Deutschen Ehre, or Blutschutzgesetz for short protected Germans or those of German
Nuremberg Laws http://bit.ly/MzSCFX

blood. This explained that in order to preserve the German people it was necessary to purify the German blood. This revoked all

citizenship of the Jews, they were unable to raise the German flag and they lost all independence. They were unable to vote or hold public offices. They were no longer allowed to seek medical help and all Jews were recognized by the big red J, which was short for Jude, that was stamped on their passports. Jews Forbidden signs also went up all over Germany which made it very difficult for the Jews to get service or lodge in hotels (The Nuremberg Laws). These laws were leading up to the Holocaust and it showed how far Germans would go to make sure their nation was clear of all non-Germans. (The Nuremberg Laws) Kristallnacht

Lampe 7 A Jewish Synagogue Burns During Kristallnacht explains the meaning of the word Kristallnacht is the Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht). After the Nuremberg Laws were in place, the German government had already had concentration camps they marked as work camps but because of the large numbers they began forcing the Jews out of their homes and across the border. One of these Jews forced out of his home was Zindel Grynszpan whose
Kristallnacht http://bit.ly/24Gy5J

son, Herschel, was living in Paris with an uncle. Angered by this incident Herschel set out to assassinate the German Ambassador to

France. After arriving he realized the Ambassador was not in the country so Herschel settled with the Third Secretary, Ernst vom Rath who Herschel critically injured and died two days after the attack. Germany in an outrage; the Chief of Propaganda and the Goebbels saw this as a personal attack and set out to destroy Jewish life. They burned synagogues and looted and broke windows of businesses and homes owned by the Jewish. 101 synagogues were destroyed along with nearly 7,500 businesses; 26,000 Jews were arrested and taken to concentration camps. 91 Jews died from physical attacks and beatings. Continuing, on A Jewish Synagogue Burns During Kristallnacht, The German leaders were not legally allowed to do what they did so they turned the blame onto the Jews once again; showing how dangerous they can be. The fines totaled one billion and six million marks;one billion for the death of Ernst vom Rath and six million for the damage done to the homes, businesses and the synagogues. Kristallnacht turns out to be a crucial turning point in German policy regarding the Jews and may be considered as the actual beginning of what is now called the Holocaust (Kristallnacht). More laws were passed and treatment on Jews became worse and the night was used to mock Jews on the anniversary of the Kristallnacht. (Kristallnacht)

Lampe 8 Rounding up the Jews In Spartacus Educational it is explained the Schutz Staffeinel (SS) were commanded by Hitler to round up all the Jews and place them into places called ghettos. The ghettos were surrounded by barbed wire, brick walls and armed guards. (Jewish Ghettos). Land was confiscated by any Jew living in a rural area as they were rounded up and taken to these ghettos. The Jews were taken by train to the ghettos; most of these
A Child in the Ghetto http://bit.ly/4U5E42

ghettos were located in Poland. They were passenger trains with locked doors and many Jews died before reaching a ghetto. The

Jews were told There are no apartments and no houses- if you build your homes you will have a roof over your head. (Jewish Ghettos) by Adolf Eichmann once they made it to the ghettos. To keep order inside of the ghettos, Germans forced a Jewish police force of 24 men to be formed and all 22 entrances were closed to keep all Jews in. Within the ghettos, there was little food and in two years they estimated 100,000 Jews dying of starvation and disease. This was the Warsaw Ghetto, one of the largest of the ghettos, set up in the capital of Poland. In personal testimonies from Spartacus Educational Macha Rolnikas and her family were deported to the Vilna Ghetto, as she wrote in her Diary, [New decrees have been posted in the town: all the Jews- adults and children- must wear insignias, a white piece of cloth, ten square centimeters, and in the middle the yellow letter J. It is possible that the invaders no longer regard us as human beings and brand us just like cattle? Once cannot accept such meanness. But who dares oppose them?] (Jewish Ghettos)

Lampe 9 These people had no idea that their situation would get much worse than a patch to mark them; sadly it did. (Spartacus Educational) In the article The Ghettos the Warsaw Ghetto was explained the Jewish population during the Holocaust rose to about 450,000 where 2.3% of the city had been blocked off for the Jews. There was little hygiene available and the only food was based on how well you worked. If you were not able to work, they did not give you food tickets and you slowly starved to death. Some Jews believed the Nazis had placed them there to starve them to death or kill them off with illness and disease. If that were not bad enough, the 24 Jews chosen to become the police force inside the walls, Judenrat, were forced to carry out the laws set forth by the Germans and any demand the Germans made, the Judenrat's saw the order followed. They followed these orders due to the fact that if they chose not to follow the members and their families would be taken to an unknown place or shipped out of the current ghetto to make their lives worse. The religious aspects of their life were continued in Spartacus Educational. The Jews continued to practice religious beliefs the best they could. It was all hidden because they would be killed if they were caught. They practiced in the privacy of their homes to avoid getting caught and being executed. (Jewish Ghettos) Resistance From the article Jewish Resistance explains the Jews were fearful when it came time to relocate to a different ghetto. In the Warsaw ghetto, the Jews got wind when they were about to transfer all inhabitants. When the Germans entered in tanks, the Jews were able to fight back with the small amount of weapons they had but only took a few days for the Germans to gain control again. It was nearly a month before people were calm enough to transport while some of the resisters hid in the ruins of the ghetto and waited for the Germans to abandon the place. The Germans continued to watch and patrol the area to keep the Jews from harming any Germans. No

Lampe 10 matter how many Jews there were, the Germans always took control and caught those that had escaped the up rising.
Jewish Fighters captured by the SS Army http://bit.ly/QflA1x

The Jewish Resistance also writes about how the Jews would protest spiritually by creating Jewish cultural institutions, continuing to observe religious holidays and rituals, providing clandestine education, publishing

underground newspapers, and collecting and hiding documentation (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum). The Final Solution The Wannsee Conference and the Final Solution laid out how the Germans decided to kill a mass amount of Jews and how to easily dispose of the bodies. January 20, 1942 there was a gathering of 15 high-ranked Nazi Party and German government officials at a villa in Berlin and discussed the plan they called the Final Solution of the Jewish Question. The Final Solution was code for disposing of the Jews as quickly and secretively as possible. As the Final Solution policy was announced none of the officials objected to Heydrichs' plan.
SS General Reinhard Heydrich in Germany http://bit.ly/NP9ciJ

He indicated that approximately 11,000,000 Jews located in Europe would fall under the title of victims of the Final

Solution. Heydrich announced that during the course of the Final Solution, the Jews will be deployed under appropriate supervision at a suitable form of labor deployment in the East. In large labor columns, separated by gender, able-bodied Jews will be brought to those reigns to build roads, whereby a large number will doubtlessly be lost through natural reduction. Any final remnant that survives will doubtless consist of the elements most capable of resistance. They must

Lampe 11 be dealt with appropriately, since, representing the fruit of natural selection, they are to be regarded as the core of a new Jewish revival (Holocaust Encyclopedia). The Jews had no idea what was in store. They had survived the work camp and in turn they were to be killed. (Holocaust Encyclopedia) Selection In the website Selection at the Concentration Camps- Key Stage 3-Holocaust Explained was explained that new arrivals in late May or early June were separated into lines of male and female and were set up for the selection process. The German SS doctors were responsible for making the decision for the Jew of life or death. The SS doctors would simply point a certain way so the Commander knew what they wanted. Mothers with children did not get into a line, they continued to walk straight to the gas chambers; men
Lines of men and women waiting selection http://bit.ly/O9aM1f

and women who were considered 'unfit for work' were sent to join them in the gas chamber. If men were selected as fit

to work you walked past the gas chambers into registration. After registration they waited to be taken to the blocks to begin their new lives working inside the camp. Women walked toward the blocks to begin their lives of slave labor. (Holocaust Explained) Extermination Methods The website The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies; as it came time to exterminate the Jews several ways were tried: mass shootings, before the shooting the Jews were forced to dig their own grave. Once the graves had been dug they were lined up at the top and shot, causing their bodies to fall into their freshly dug graves. They then tried the Gassing Trucks to try to eliminate the emotional issues the soldiers were developing from the large amount of shootings.

Lampe 12 The gassing trucks were sealed vans where the engine exhaust led to the inside of the van. They drove around until
Gas Chamber http://bit.ly/njL6AL

everyone was dead and would dump the bodies. Then they came up with their final plan. The gas chambers where all the Jews were led into a room and the doors were sealed. Zyklon B fumes were released until everyone was dead. As

many as 3 million Jews were killed in the gas chamber. This was the quickest and most secret way of carrying out these deaths. (Methods of mass murder) The Death Camps In Lest We Forget testimonies from several people were documented, to share a few; Willi Mentz quoted: [When I came to Treblinka the camp commandant was a doctor named Dr. Eberl. He was very ambitious. It was said that he ordered more transports than could be processed in the camp. That meant that trains had to wait outside the camp because the occupants of the previous transport had not yet all been killed. At the time it was very hot and as a result of the long wait inside the transport trains in the intense heat many people died. At the time whole mountains of bodies lay on the platform. The Hauptssturmfuhrer Christian Wirth came to Treblinka and kicked up a terrific row. And then one day Dr. Eberl was no longer there...]. (The Death Camps) There were testimonies from survivors and also from German officials SS-Oberscharfuhrer Kurt Bolender [Before the Jews undressed, Oberscharfuthrer Michel made a speech to them. On these occasions, he used to wear a white coat to give the impression that he was a physician. Michel announced to the Jews that they would be sent to work, but before this they would

Lampe 13 have to take baths and undergo disinfection so as to prevent the spread of diseaseAfter undressing; the Jews were taken through the so-called Schlauch. They were led to the gas chambers not by the Germans but by the UkrainiansAfter the Jews entered the gas chambers, the Ukrainians closed the doors. The motor which supplied the gas was switched on by a Ukrainian named Emil and by a German driver called Erich Bauer from Berlin. After the gassing, the doors were opened and the corpses removed]. (The Death Camps) These testimonies were from the gas chambers in Treblinka. The difference is shown in the way the two people spoke about the day/s. The Jew spoke about the fear and the death around him. He knew the doctors name but did not know what had happened to him after he left and was replaced by another doctor. The SS-Official has a completely different view on day/s of death. He walked you through the process but had no feeling of regret, fear or
Dead bodies at a Death Camp

sadness. Terrible things happened at these camps and while

http://bit.ly/PAJi5B

people are willing to speak about what had happened that does not change the fact that nobody was willing to uncover what the German government was actually doing or do anything to stop these tragedies. (The Death Camps) Liberation The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum begins by explaining June 6, 1944 is DDay. Hope for the Jews who were trapped and on their way to death. The world uncovered what was actually happening to the Jews during the Holocaust. Other countries got involved and sent 150,000 soldiers to invade Germany and free these Jews. Within the month America, Canada, and Britain were also joined in helping the number of troops to reach over 850,000 and this was named the Great Crusade. As the troops traveled across Europe they stumbled across the concentration

Lampe 14 camps, mass graves, and other sites that showed the crimes the Nazis had committed. It did not even take a year for the Nazis to surrender allowing the world to celebrate the liberation of Europe from Nazi control and the freedom of the Jews. (Liberation) After Liberation The website United States Holocaust Memorial Museum explained how after the Holocaust was over and the survivors were freed, they were afraid to go home. The Germans continued to hate Jews, some even went as far as to kill and beat Jews. The United States, Great Britain and France set up displaced persons camps and The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). After realizing these people had nowhere to go they began migrating into the newly established state of Israel. After Harry Truman was elected into office he loosened the quota on immigrates to allow those displaced persons to have the
Children being released during Liberation http://bit.ly/PAJTEA

opportunity to migrate to the Unites State. Later Truman passed the Displaced Persons Act to provided approximately

400,000 visas from January of 1949 to December of 1952. Now that the tragic event has been explained along with the events during and after the Holocaust one can be partially educated on how to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again. The series of events that led to the deaths of Jews was a horrible road. In the end seeing all of the countries band together to defeat Hitler's army and fight for the freedom of the Jews showed the Jewish families that there are people out there willing to help. Events that the Jews went through were tragic but allowing them to restart their live and have a chance at being happy and free was the only thing the countries could do to help them get their lives back after such an appealing event.

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Works Cited
Bulow, Louis. "The Death Camps." The Death Camps. N.p., 2011. Web. 23 July 2012. Ellis, Rabbi E., and Rabbi S. Silinsky. "The Ghettos." Aishcom. N.p., 2012. Web. 23 July 2012. "Holocaust History." Anti-Jewish Legislation in Prewar Germany. N.p., 11 May 2012. Web. 23 July 2012. "Holocaust History." Jewish Resistance. N.p., 11 May 2012. Web. 23 July 2012. "Holocaust History." Liberation. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2012. "Holocaust History." Nazi Propaganda. N.p., 11 May 2012. Web. 23 July 2012. "Holocaust History." The Aftermath of the Holocaust. N.p., 11 May 2012. Web. 23 July 2012.

Lampe 16 "Holocaust History." Wannsee Conference and the "Final Solution" N.p., 11 May 2012. Web. 23 July 2012. <http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005477>. "The Holocaust." Holocaust History. N.p., 2012. Web. 23 July 2012. "Holocaust Timeline: The Rise of the Nazi Party." Holocaust Timeline: The Rise of the Nazi Party. Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology, 2005. Web. 23 July 2012. Koeller, David W. "The Nuremberg Laws." Nuremberg Laws: 1935. N.p., 1996. Web. 23 July 2012. "KRISTALLNACHT." KRISTALLNACHT. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2012. "Selection." At the Concentration Camps. London Jewish Cultural Centre, 2011. Web. 23 July 2012. "Spartacus Educational." Spartacus Educational. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 July 2012. Vogelsang, Peter, and Brian B. Larsen. "Methods of Mass Murder." The Danish Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. N.p., 2002. Web. 23 July 2012.

Ashley, You have done a great job of researching and writing about what you researched. My biggest problem with your paper revolves around a variety of minor issues. I alluded to the use of the semicolon, but you also have issues with comma usage, which is a common problem with almost all writers. I, too, struggle with the issue of using commas properly at all times. Its not a huge problem unless the readers of your writing have to stop and reread something to make sure we understand what you are saying. You fixed a lot of the in text sourcing problems you had the last time I saw your paper, but there were still several places where there were some

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problems occurred. However, the most important thing is you tried to integrate your sources to avoid plagiarizing. Whether or not you did it 100% correctly is not a huge matter. As you write more papers, you will get better. I think most of the problems with your paper come from the fact that you waited so long to get going on it. Given another day or two, the problem areas could all have been worked out and your paper would be fantastic.

Points Available

Score

40 20 40 35 25

Content paper demonstrates understanding and confidence about topic Sources uses only primary and secondary sources In-Text Citations integrates sources within text with effective use of signal words and phrases Formatting properly uses MLA formatting Works Cited works cited page has the required number of sources and is properly formatted Pictures uses pictures to enhance the text with effective captions and source information

28 20 28 28 25 15

15

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25

Writing Mechanics Paper is free from errors in spelling, punctuation, etc.

15
Total Score

Total = 200

159