AuschwitzBy: Eric Reynolds and Frank Reed

Auschwitz, the HorrorDuring WWII Auschwitz was a symbol of fear

It was an extermination camp in Poland

More than 510,000 people were killed

Why Auschwitz?1940, Germans built Auschwitz for expansion

The facility was needed due to overcrowding in jails

Needed for the continuation of “The Final Solution” plan

“The Final Solution to the Jewish Question”Hitler’s plan to exterminate 11 million Jews

From Germany, occupied territories, states opposing the Third Reich, and Allied and Neutral countries

Was carried out at the concentration camps, one being Auschwitz

What went on? June 1941, 575 prisoners were the first killed

Gas chambers were used to kill the majority of people

German doctors used prisoners for medical experiments

Auschwitz IThe original camp

Administrative center for the multiple facilities

Block 11, many people were tortured Standing cells and starvation cells were main ways

of torture

Auschwitz II-BirkenauBuilt due to overcrowding at the main camp

Had a greater gassing capacity than the original camp Zyklon-B gas was used to kill many prisoners

Auschwitz III-MonowitzLargest of the work camps

11,000 workers lived at the camps

Doctors from Auschwitz II often came to take weak workers to gas chambers

Life in the CampsDays started at 4:30 am

Normal days lasted 12 hours, sometimes less in the winter

Prisoners had no breaks

Bread and water were the daily rations

Death TollThe exact number of deaths is impossible to

figure Nazis destroyed many records

Official toll is 1.1 million, but estimates from 800,000 to 5 million

"Arbeit macht frei"Means “works makes free”

Used to motivate prisoners to work hard

Wasn’t true, many times working didn’t keep people from being killed

Sources"Auschwitz (concentration Camp, Poland) -- Britannica

Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 24 Mar. 2010. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/43486/Auschwitz>.

 "Auschwitz, Nazi Death Camp." The Holocaust, Crimes, Heroes and Villains. Web. 24 Mar. 2010. <http://www.auschwitz.dk/Auschwitz.htm>.

 "Auschwitz-Birkenau - Home Page - History." Auschwitz-Birkenau - Main Page. Web. 24 Mar. 2010. <http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/h/>.

 Boyer, Paul S. American Nation in the Modern Era. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2003. Print.