The word Holocaust originates from Greek words meaning “whole burned” and was usually associated with a burned sacrifice at an altar. Yet since 1954, a bitter vision of the word paints a picture in people’s head. The Holocaust on World War Two refers to the murder of 9 million European Jews that stemmed from Adolf Hitler’s anti-Semitic views. He believed that Jews were inferior and impure. His only solution: kill the Jews. For this, concentration camps were built for the mass murders.
Jews only accounted for one percent of Germany’s population in 1933 however, when the Nazis came into power, Arynazition began to take place, in which all of Germany would be dominated only by the Aryan race, that of which Jews did not fit into. Jewish businesses were destroyed. Jewish lawyers and doctors were stripped of their licenses. Anyone who had three or four grandparents that were Jews, were considered Jews themselves under the Nuremberg Laws of 1935. Jews now became a target of persecution in a night known as Kristallnacht. On this night on November 1938, German SS began to raid Jewish businesses and burn them down. Thousands of Jews were arrested. This began a flow of Jews leaving Germany, yet those who were left behind lived in anxiety.
When Poland was invaded and war was initiated, Polish Jews were evicted from their homes and were given to ethnic Germans. The evicted Jews were sent to live in ghettoes. The conditions of the ghetto were deplorable as many of its inhabitants were unemployed and uncared for.
In Euthanaisan Programs sent 70,000 mentally ill or disabled germans to be gassed to death. The program was condemned by priests; the program was ended, publicly, but was carried out privately. When looking at it now, it seemed that the Euthanaisa Program was the trigger of the Holocaust.
As Germany began to expand its power, more and more Jews fell under the terror of Nazi rule. Many gypsies and Jews were sent to Polish ghettos. When Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, the murder escalated and up to 500,000 Soviet Jews were murdered. On September 1941, Jews were made to wear yellow stars, known as Star of David, to differentiate them between people. Now, people were being sent to camps such as Auschwitz. There, people were gassed with pesticides.
During late 1941, SS were ordered to transport Jews from Poland’s ghetto to concentration camps. People who were deemed unhelpful were sent to be killed. The first of these mass killings took place at Belzec on March 17, 1942. Soon after that came many other mass killings, including one in the largest of them all, Auschwitz. Between 1942 – 1945, Hitler made sure that Jews from all over Europe were sent to these camps. The fall of 1942 saw the greatest deportation of people to camps when 300,000 Jews were taken from the Warsaw ghetto alone.
The operations were not held public to avoid criticism but the mass murders were impossible to keep a secret. Allied governments were notified by eye witnesses of the atrocities, yet they did not respond to them. It showed the prioritization of the Allies’ on winnings than the matter of innocent lives.
The mass murders were increasing as time progressed with 2 million people now being killed at Auschwitz. Labor camps also ended the lives of many people who weren’t Jew due to starvation and disease. As the end of the War approached and the Axis continued to loss battles, larger scales of Jews were being murdered with up to 12,000 dying a day.
As Hitler began to realize he was losing the war, he went out publicly to say that it was caused by “International Jewry and its helpers,” and also asked the Germans to continue their anti-Semitic ways. The day after that, Hitler committed suicide. Germany’s surrender came just a week later on May 8, 1945.
As the Jews began to evacuate, many found it difficult to restore their former lifestyles. Those we managed to stay alive through the ordeal lost many family members and were rejected by their non-Jewish neighborhoods. This resulted in a large number of refugees moving across Europe in hopes of a better life.
During the Nuremberg Trials, the heads of these concentration camps were brought to justice as the atrocities were now being brought to light. The Allies were under pressure to for a home for the Jews that they ended up giving them land for the creation of a new state known as Israel, established recently in 1948.
Till this day, Germans carry the burden of the Holocausts dark legacy. Many hope to erase that fragment from the history of their country as it continues to bring shame. In 1953, Germany began to pay individual Jews back for the crimes committed against them and their families due to the Holocaust.
Jews only accounted for one percent of Germany’s population in 1933 however, when the Nazis came into power, Arynazition began to take place, in which all of Germany would be dominated only by the Aryan race, that of which Jews did not fit into. Jewish businesses were destroyed. Jewish lawyers and doctors were stripped of their licenses. Anyone who had three or four grandparents that were Jews, were considered Jews themselves under the Nuremberg Laws of 1935. Jews now became a target of persecution in a night known as Kristallnacht. On this night on November 1938, German SS began to raid Jewish businesses and burn them down. Thousands of Jews were arrested. This began a flow of Jews leaving Germany, yet those who were left behind lived in anxiety.
When Poland was invaded and war was initiated, Polish Jews were evicted from their homes and were given to ethnic Germans. The evicted Jews were sent to live in ghettoes. The conditions of the ghetto were deplorable as many of its inhabitants were unemployed and uncared for.
In Euthanaisan Programs sent 70,000 mentally ill or disabled germans to be gassed to death. The program was condemned by priests; the program was ended, publicly, but was carried out privately. When looking at it now, it seemed that the Euthanaisa Program was the trigger of the Holocaust.
As Germany began to expand its power, more and more Jews fell under the terror of Nazi rule. Many gypsies and Jews were sent to Polish ghettos. When Hitler invaded the Soviet Union, the murder escalated and up to 500,000 Soviet Jews were murdered. On September 1941, Jews were made to wear yellow stars, known as Star of David, to differentiate them between people. Now, people were being sent to camps such as Auschwitz. There, people were gassed with pesticides.
During late 1941, SS were ordered to transport Jews from Poland’s ghetto to concentration camps. People who were deemed unhelpful were sent to be killed. The first of these mass killings took place at Belzec on March 17, 1942. Soon after that came many other mass killings, including one in the largest of them all, Auschwitz. Between 1942 – 1945, Hitler made sure that Jews from all over Europe were sent to these camps. The fall of 1942 saw the greatest deportation of people to camps when 300,000 Jews were taken from the Warsaw ghetto alone.
The operations were not held public to avoid criticism but the mass murders were impossible to keep a secret. Allied governments were notified by eye witnesses of the atrocities, yet they did not respond to them. It showed the prioritization of the Allies’ on winnings than the matter of innocent lives.
The mass murders were increasing as time progressed with 2 million people now being killed at Auschwitz. Labor camps also ended the lives of many people who weren’t Jew due to starvation and disease. As the end of the War approached and the Axis continued to loss battles, larger scales of Jews were being murdered with up to 12,000 dying a day.
As Hitler began to realize he was losing the war, he went out publicly to say that it was caused by “International Jewry and its helpers,” and also asked the Germans to continue their anti-Semitic ways. The day after that, Hitler committed suicide. Germany’s surrender came just a week later on May 8, 1945.
As the Jews began to evacuate, many found it difficult to restore their former lifestyles. Those we managed to stay alive through the ordeal lost many family members and were rejected by their non-Jewish neighborhoods. This resulted in a large number of refugees moving across Europe in hopes of a better life.
During the Nuremberg Trials, the heads of these concentration camps were brought to justice as the atrocities were now being brought to light. The Allies were under pressure to for a home for the Jews that they ended up giving them land for the creation of a new state known as Israel, established recently in 1948.
Till this day, Germans carry the burden of the Holocausts dark legacy. Many hope to erase that fragment from the history of their country as it continues to bring shame. In 1953, Germany began to pay individual Jews back for the crimes committed against them and their families due to the Holocaust.