Research Paper Holocaust Overview

Ashley Speer

Eng. Comp. 102-106 Mr. Neuburger 2 April 2012

Speer 2 The Events of the Holocaust To understand the Holocaust and the events that took place, one must be aware of the situation, circumstances, and the outcome for the Jews. The actions that took place during the Holocaust are notorious for the destructive and catastrophic events the Jews faced throughout this time period. This paper will demonstrate how the Nazi Party came to power, problems the Jews had to endure, and the outcome for the Jews.

Nazi rise to power According to The United States Holocaust Memorial Muesem (USHMM), in 1931 the Nazi rise to power began. Germanys government was unstable from the economic depression and sought a new leader for their country. Adolf Hitlers extraordinary gift for speaking made him seem eligible for the job. Germanys people were desperate for a revolution of their country so they would be able to find work and have a more efficient way of living. The majority of Germany believed that Hitler had the
Nazi Rally in Buckeburg, after Hitler was appointed chancellor. Souce: http://bit.ly/IzdN9M

knowledge and power to bring their country back to a normal life (Hitler Comes to Power). Hitler appointed chancellor. Another article from USHMM describes how Hitler was appointed chancellor of Reichstag in 1933. Immediately, Hitler made extreme changes to the government. His first objective in ruling the country was to turn Germany into a dictatorship and take away individual freedoms. Hitler believed by making Germany into a dictatorship that the country would be more easily controlled. He accomplished this task by manipulating the people

Speer 3 with fear (The Nazi Terror Begins). The SS or Schutzstaffel made the people of Germany fearful because they killed people who did not follow the German rule established by Hitler.

Anti-Semitism Anti-Semitism against the Jews was prominent in Germany. The USHMM revealed that the hatred the Germans expressed for the Jewish people was so profound that they would do anything to discriminate against the Jews. False rumors about their religion were told, pogroms were held, book burnings, and many other discriminatory acts occurred (Anti-Semitism). The Yad Vasham website reported that before the beginning of the Holocaust a person of Jewish decent was usually able to evade discrimination by claiming a different religion. Although whenever the Holocaust began the Germans saw the Jewish nation as a subhuman race that would eventually lead to the termination of all people (AntiAnti-Semitism illustration. The sign reads Jews are not wanted here. Source: http://bit.ly/hI6aZd

Semitism). The Germans thought that by destroying the

Jews this would eliminate future problems that may occur.

The Nuremburg Laws According to Larry Neuburger, the Nuremburg Laws were established in 1934. The Holocaust: A Call to Conscience website states the Nuremburg Laws consisted of two laws: The Reich Citizen Law and the Law for the Protection of the German Blood and Honor. The Reich

Speer 4 Law stated that the Jews would not be included in the Germans People Community because of their race. The Law for the Protection of the German Blood and Honor specified that Jews and Germans were forbidden from intermarriage or having any other relations with one another. The civil rights of all Jews were also taken away whenever these laws were established (The Nuremburg Laws).
Chart of Nuremburg Laws. Source: http://bit.ly/IxqXEg

Propaganda During the Holocaust, propaganda was used against the Jews to promote Hitler and German rule and to discriminate against the Jews. According to the USHMM, propaganda was seen in all types of literature including text books in schools, art work, music and many other sources (Nazi Propaganda). The use of propaganda seemed to be successful because tolerance for Jewish people in a German society started to become low. Propaganda helped to encourage discrimination against the Jews and encouraged the Nazi Party to act as enforcement against them (Nazi Propaganda). The website USHMM declares that in Hitlers novel, Mein
Nazi propaganda poster from Germany. Source: http://bit.ly/HRKHTc

Kampf, he states Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole

people... Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them ripe for the victory of this idea" (Nazi Propaganda). This clearly expresses the idea that Hitler

Speer 5 knew how the use of the propaganda would affect the German society. Hitlers statement proved to be true too.

Kristallnacht PBS reports that Kristallnacht or the night of broken glass transpired in 1938. Kristallnacht was an attempt to eradicate Jews from Germany. The Nazi Storm troopers were ordered to burn Jewish synagogues and businesses, break out windows, and destroy the Jewish buildings (Kristallnacht). They also deported many Jews to concentration camps that night. After Kristallnacht the life for the Jews became more difficult. The Nazi government established a Decree on Eliminating the Jews for a German Economic Life. This law declared that children were unable to attend school with Germans, Jewish businesses could not be reopened, and Jews were not allowed to sell or distribute
Jewish synagogue being burnt down. Source: http://bit.ly/HEjhdG

any services (Kristallnacht). Unable to make money and support their families the Jews faced misery.

Ghettos Life for the Jews continued to worsen as they were placed in ghettos. Ghettos were isolated communities usually containing a massive amount of Jewish people. According to Larry

Speer 6 Neuburger, the ghettos were formed to centralize the Jews. The ghettos were placed in the worst part of the city and surrounded by a wall or a fence or barbed wire so Jews could not escape. Inside the ghettos the Jews made communities where they worked and tried to survive. The British Librarys website describes how ghettos were miserable, unsanitary, and hard to live in (Ghettos and Deportations). Most people were forced to live with multiple families in one home or apartment. There was starvation because the food that was brought into the ghettos was overpriced and unaffordable for the poor and middle-classed Jews (Ghettos and Deportations). The more wealthy people could afford to eat, while everyone else starved. The life of a child was very demanding during the time of the holocaust. The British Library describes the type of role plays the children had to perform to in the ghettos. Most children had to smuggle food, help pay finances and take care of their siblings. Some
Children in the streets of the ghetto. Source: http://bit.ly/p8PHez

children had to raise their siblings when their parents

were either deported or killed (Ghettos and Deportations). Escape from the ghettos. Some people tried to escape from the ghettos. Few succeeded at escaping, but some of the people who did escape survived. According to the USCShoah Foundation, one survivor family that managed to escape and survive was Kristine Kerens family. She and her family escaped by digging out a tunnel from the basement of their apartment to the sewer. Her family had to crawl for miles in the dark inside the sewer to get to a place where they could live without have the fear of falling into the water and drowning. Kristine and her brother were fairly young at the time they left the ghettos which made it more difficult for her parents to take care of them while they were crawling through the sewer. Her father tried to

Speer 7 take care of the family the best he could. He crawled for two to three miles with a teacup in his teeth to get fresh water for his family to drink. There were twenty other people with them so they divided the drinking water into parts. They stayed in the sewer for fourteen months before they were able to leave without being caught. Poverty in the ghettos. Towards the time that the deportations started occurring, life in the ghettos was unbearable. Death was rampant because of no food and much disease that the Jews had to face. The majority of the Jews could not afford to buy food; as a result many died. People would take their relatives that had died into the streets and leave their bodies there because they had no money to bury them.

Resistance Yad Vashem website reports that the Jews made several attempts of resistance by fighting against the Nazi officers. Organized groups of Jews were formed in hopes of dominating the Nazis and finally being free. Resistance plans against the Nazis occurred in ghettos and were carried out, but
Attempt at Jewish Resistance. Source: http://bit.ly/HT1cP7

were unsuccessful (Jewish Resistance). The USHMM states that resistance attacks occurred at three of the killing centers. The Jews used stolen weapons that they had gathered. Most of the Jews involved in this uprising were killed either during the fight or whenever they were found from escaping (Jewish Resistance). During the resistance, some Jews were able to escape through the forests and were unable to be found (Jewish Resistance).

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Wannsee Conference The Holocaust Archive and Research Team states the Wannsee Conference was held in 1942 in Berlin. The conference consisted of the Nazi party and the German government leaders (Wannsee Conference). This conference was held to discuss what precautions should be taken next with the Jews. The Final Solution was the plan that was decided at the meeting. The Final Solution was a plan to place all
Wannsee Villa where the Wannsee Conference was held. Source: http://bit.ly/J5qgyE

Jews in labor camps with harsh environments so that many people would die in these conditions (The Wannsee

Conference). Jews that survived the labor camps would eventually be killed. At the Wannsee Conference the plan for immediate termination of the Jews was never discussed, but soon occurred after the Final Solution was issued. Extermination methods such as gas chambers were starting to be used on the Jews (The Wannsee Conference). Several gas chambers were placed at labor camps throughout Europe.

Deportation The Holocaust Explained website describes how the Jews were transported to the concentration camps. Jews from all over Europe were transported to the camps. The Jews were deported on trains and forced to travel in small cattle carts for days or weeks without food and
Deportation of the Jews. Source: http://bit.ly/I7zagQ

Speer 9 hardly any water (Transport and Arrival). According to Larry Neuburger, many of the Jews died on their way to the camps because of the harsh conditions.

Selection Once the Jews were deported to the concentration camps the selection process began. The females and males were separated and doctors examined the people to see if they were in good working condition. If they were able to work they were sent to labor camps, but if they were elderly or ill they were sentenced to death. Josef Mengele studies. The USHMM states that Mengele, or the Angel of Death, was a camp doctor who decided which Jews lived and which were to be sentenced to death (Josef Mengele). Mengele had an interest in twins. He told the doctors that if they or any officers noticed any twins they were to report them to him at once (Josef Mengele). The experiment Mengele was most interested in performing on the twins was
Josef Mengele. Source: http://bit.ly/IOI1QQ

heterochromia. Heterochromia is the color differentiation between one

persons two irises in the eye (Josef Mengele). Mengele desired to figure out how to change eye color. Many of his victims died or were killed for experimentation. Mengele kept the eyes of his patients for research after they died (Josef Mengele). Some of his patients that he experimented on died from the medication given to them. Others that survived the holocaust were tortured with extreme health defects and abnormalities.

Speer 10 Extermination Camps According to the holocaust history website, at the extermination camps, Jews were killed in massive amounts at one time. These camps were not used for labor or holding, but for killing centers. Jews that were unable to work or were extremely ill were sent
Dead bodies at an extermination camp. Source: http://bit.ly/HU5GAu

to these camps to be exterminated at once (The Killing Process). Many Jews died in the extermination camps

from the gas chambers they were sent too.

Extermination Methods The Nazis had several different extermination techniques, but their most well-known method was using gas chambers for multiple people at once. The USHMM website states that the first type of gassing system the Nazis used was mobile gas vans which were also known as Einsatzgruppe.
Bodies being burned. Source: http://bit.ly/gNT2HD

These vans pumped the exhaust from the vehicle into the back of the van where the Jews were. The Jews then died from the carbon monoxide they breathed in (Gassing Operations). The women and men were usually shaved and striped of their belongings before entering the gas chambers. According to Larry Neuburger, their hair and belongings were kept and their hair would be made into stuffing for pillows. The Nazis experimented with Zyklon B as an extermination method. They found it to be useful and convenient because they could kill many people at once in a shorter amount of time

Speer 11 than by using the mobile gas vans (Gassing Operations). One of the first camps they used the Zyklon B gas at was Auschwitz. Firing Squads. The PBS website says that firing squads were used to kill many Jews at once. Firing squads were not used for an extreme amount of time. General Erich was concerned that this method of extermination would have a psychological impact on his army of men (The Killing Evolution).

Liberation The USHMM website states that in 1944 the Soviet forces traveled through Europe to liberate the concentration camps. The first camp liberated was Auschwitz. The Nazis attempted to cover up the evidence from the killings by destroying the crematory and disassembling parts of the camps (Liberation of the Nazi Camps). Other camps were liberated in the following months by British and United States forces. The United
Celebration of the camp liberation. Source: http://bit.ly/pmu5cv

States forces liberated over 14,000 Jews and the British liberated over 60,000 Jews from Northern Germany

(Liberation of the Nazi Camps). Many of the Jews died after being liberated from disease and malnutrition (Liberation of the Nazi Camps). Liberation was not easy for the survivors though. They had no home to return to, no money, and most had no family. The Jews were also fearful of anti-Semitism in their

Speer 12 hometowns (The Aftermath of the Holocaust). This made it difficult for the Jewish people to go back to living normal lives once again.

After Liberation The USHMM website describes how the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee helped to restore normal life for the Jews again (The Aftermath of the Holocaust). They provided the Jews with food and clothing. Many organizations helped displaced people find their families. Many survivors were searching for their families once the camps were liberated. The Central Tracing Bureau assisted the Jews in finding lost family that had survived (The Aftermath of the Holocaust). Radio broadcasts, newspapers, and other types of
After liberation ended. Source: http://bit.ly/HWKCwE

media also contributed in helping survivors find their families (The Aftermath of the Holocaust). A vast majority of people stayed in displaced person camps until they found a place to go. The camps held and encouraged weddings and births (The Aftermath of the Holocaust). They held many Jewish weddings in the camps. Soon after liberation schools were formed inside the displaced persons camp. Teachers traveled from Israel and the United States to teach the children in these camps (The Aftermath of the Holocaust). Children were finally able to receive an education. The adults were trained in vocational occupations to help them with finding jobs (The Aftermath of the Holocaust).

Speer 13 Several thousand Jews survived after the extreme measures and torment they endured during the holocaust, but many died. Some Jewish people that survived the holocaust are still alive today and are grateful for the life and family they have. They can finally live in peace knowing that they will never have to endure the holocaust again.

Speer 14 Works Cited "Background: Ghettos and Deportations." THE BRITISH LIBRARY. Web. 18 Apr. 2012. "Holocaust | The Nazi Regime." Projet ALADIN. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. "The Holocaust." - Yad Vashem. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. "The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students." Hitler Comes to Power. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. "The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students." The Nazi Terror Begins. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. "The Holocaust." Antisemitism. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. "Holocaust History." Antisemitism. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. "Holocaust History." Gassing Operations. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. "Holocaust History." Jewish Resistance. Web. 14 Apr. 2012. "Holocaust History." Josef Mengele. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. "Holocaust History." Liberation of Nazi Camps. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. "Holocaust History." Nazi Propaganda. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. "Holocaust History." The Aftermath of the Holocaust. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. Holocaust Survivor Kristine Keren Testimony. Dir. USCShoahFoundation. Perf. Kristine Keren. YouTube. YouTube, 30 Jan. 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2012. "The Holocaust." Yad Vashem. Web. 11 Apr. 2012. "The Killing Evolution." PBS. PBS. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. "The Minutes of the Wannsee Conference Http://www.HolocaustResearchProject.org." Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team. Web. 17 Apr. 2012. The Holocaust Overview. Larry Neuburger. 23 Mar. 2012 "The Nuremburg Laws." Holocaust: A Call to Conscience. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. "The Operation Reinhard Extermination Camps." The Holocaust History Project Homepage. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. PBS. PBS. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

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"Transport and Arrival." Auschwitz Transport and Arrival. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.

Well done Ashley. You started out nicely with your in text citations and then you seemed to forget that one rule of only citing parenthically when you stop using a source. Other than that and a few mechanical issues, your paper is well done. I enjoyed reading it.
Score Points Available

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

37 20 32 33 25 15

15

Pictures uses pictures to enhance the text with effective captions and source information

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25

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

22
Total Score

Total = 200

184