5.2.1
Ghettos & Executions
The Persecution of the Jews - The Holocaust
The Persecution of the Jews - The Holocaust
The Jews were persecuted (treated unfairly) the most out of all ethnic minorities in Germany. The Holocaust describes the murder of around 6 million Jews in Nazi Germany.
The ghettos
The ghettos
- In the Second World War, the persecution (unfair treatment) of the Jews escalated.
- From 1939 Jews began to be placed in ghettos. A ghetto was an area of a city solely occupied by Jews, separate from the rest of the city’s population.
- The first ghettoes were built in Poland and eventually over 1,000 were built in Poland and the Soviet Union. Many people died from starvation and disease in the ghettoes.
Execution
Execution
- After the Germans invaded the Soviet Union, all Jews they crossed were killed by the Einsatzgruppen (SS killing squad). This led to over 1 million Jews being killed.
- By December 1941, Jews were being gassed at Chelmno death camp.
The 'Final Solution'
The 'Final Solution'
- After the Wannsee Conference in January 1942, the ‘Final Solution of the Jewish Question’ was decided.
- Six death camps with gas chambers were built in Poland.
- Out of all the Jews killed, 60% were killed after 1942, after the Wannsee Conference.
Public reaction
Public reaction
- No one spoke out to help the Jews.
- Many helped the Nazis. Others stood back and did nothing because either it did not affect them or they were too scared of the Nazis.
- Many Jews and others did not know what happened at the camps. They took suitcases and bought their own train tickets to get to the death camps.
1Dictatorship
1.1Hitler & The Nazi Party in 1933
1.2Establishing Dictatorship, 1933-1934
2Control & Opposition
2.1The Machinery of Terror
2.2Nazi Propaganda
3Changing Lives, 1933-1939
3.2The Lives of Young People
4Germany in War
4.1The Impact of War
4.2Growing Opposition from the German People
5Occupation
5.1Nazi Rule in Eastern and Western Europe
5.2The Final Solution
Jump to other topics
1Dictatorship
1.1Hitler & The Nazi Party in 1933
1.2Establishing Dictatorship, 1933-1934
2Control & Opposition
2.1The Machinery of Terror
2.2Nazi Propaganda
3Changing Lives, 1933-1939
3.2The Lives of Young People
4Germany in War
4.1The Impact of War
4.2Growing Opposition from the German People
5Occupation
5.1Nazi Rule in Eastern and Western Europe
5.2The Final Solution
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