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THE B
OOK THIE
F
HI S
TO
RI C
AL B
AC
KG
RO
UN
D
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
Holocaust means “Completely burnt” and is used to describe the mass murder of Jews (Genocide) during WWII.
1933
The Nazi Party takes over Germany
Adolf Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany (prime minister)
The Nazis “suspend” civil freedoms
The first concentration camp “Dachau” is set up – to imprison Communists.
Books with ideas considered dangerous to Nazi beliefs/German
ideologies are burnt.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1934
Hitler combines the chancellor and President role to become “Fuhrer”, or the sole leader of Germany.
*What percentage was Hitler elected by?*
Jewish Newspapers can no longer be sold in the street.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1935
Jews are deprived of citizenship and other basic rights
Nazis intensify persecution of people with different political beliefs
*What is Hitler’s purpose in depriving Jews of citizenship and basic rights?*
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1936
Nazis boycott Jewish owned businesses
The Olympic Games are held in Germany, signs barring Jews are removed until after the event
*Which Olympic runner did Rudy dress up as?*
Jews no longer have the right to vote.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1938
On Kristallnacht, “The Night of Broken Glass”, in one night over 30,000 Jews are arrested and deported to concentration camps, synagogues were ransacked and 92 Jews were murdered.
Concentration camp: original purpose– detention sites for forced labor. Meant to help the
German army in production of necessities
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1938 continued
Jews must carry ID cards and passports must be marked with a “J”.
Jews could no longer run business or attend public events.
All Jewish children were removed to Jewish schools
Jewish businesses were shut down, valuables and jewels had to be handed over.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1939
Germany takes over Czechoslovakia and invades Poland.
World War II begins as Britain and France declare war on Germany
Hitler orders that Jews must follow curfews, they must turn in radios to the police and must wear yellow stars of David.
*Why would radios matter?*
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1940
Nazis begin deporting Jews to Poland
Jews are forced into Ghettos (confined areas)
Mass Murders of Jews begin in Poland
Jews are put into concentration camps
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1941
Germany attacks Soviet Union
Jews throughout Western Europe are forced into ghettos
Death Squads are formed to kill Jews (shooting and hand grenades) throughout Eastern Europe. By December 1941, 300,000 people were killed by these squads alone.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1942
Nazis discuss the “Final Solution” – their plan to exterminate all the Jews in Europe.
Jews are forbidden to subscribe to newspapers, keep pets, own bicycles, buy meat or eggs, use public transport, or attend school
Final solution explained:
Hitler became increasingly paranoid and aware that Germany would be defeated in WWII. The anger mixed with his ideology lead him to order mass executions more rapidly than before.
NAZI CONCENTRATION AND EXTERMINATION CAMPS
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1943
By February, about 80% of Jews who died in the Holocaust had been murdered. Mostly by gas chambers in Extermination Camps, otherwise by starvation or literally worked to death.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1944
Hitler takes over Hungary and begins sending 12,000 Jews each day to Poland, where they are murdered.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
1945
Hitler is defeated and commits suicide.
Death camps are emptied
Many survivors are left without family or homes.
FACTS ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST
It is estimated that over 6 million Jews were killed between 1933 and 1945.
Statistically, 7 out of 10 Jews in Europe were killed.
Millions of others were killed for other reasons: Catholics, Communists, homosexuals, the disabled, Romany Gypsies, Serbians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, politicians, teachers, or anyone else who spoke out against Hitler
FACTS ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST
Auschwitz – Birkenau Camp
Arrival at the camp, prisoners directed to the right went to work, those to the left went to the gas chambers.
THE BOOK THIEF
The Book Thief is set in Munich, which is in the south of Germany.
Near Munich is the Dachau Concentration Camp
The first labour camp opened by the Nazis.
The camp held over 200,000 prisoners.
25,613 people are believed to have died in Dachau due to disease, malnutrition and suicide (+ another 10,000 in subcamps)
-Prisoners were also used for medical experiments.
-Dachau was liberated on 29 April, 1945 by the US Army, who found piles of corpses.
DACHAU DEATH MARCH
Prisoners were marched through the surrounding towns on “death marches” from Dachau, just days before liberation.
LIBERATION OF DACHAU APRIL 29, 1945
1600 people were found crammed into each of 20 barracks – originally designed to hold 250 people.
OTHER INFORMATION
The SS – Shutzstaffel, meaning “protection squad”, was a major Nazi organization that was created as Hitler’s personal guard and then grew to carry out Hitler’s anti-Semitic ideology. They were primarily responsible for ruling Germany by fear and the extermination of the Jews by capturing, enslaving and murdering them on mass.
*Anti-Semitic: prejudice, hatred, and/or discrimination against Jews as a national, ethnic, religious, or racial group.
OTHER INFORMATION
Hitler Youth – a military youth organisation that recruited young people to train them in Nazi ideals and military
practices.
By 1940, it had 8,000,000 members
By 1943, the Nazi Party were recruiting the Hitler youth as manpower as they began to struggle during the war.
12 year olds were being recruited by 1945.
OTHER INFORMATION
Mein Kampf (My Struggle)
Book by Adolf Hitler written in 1925 It contained his political ideology as well as some elements of autobiography.
-He claimed the German (Aryan) race was superior to all others and should take over the world.–
*what did this instil in the German people?
-Focused on the inferiority and evil of Jews.
-The book became the Nazi bible, 10 million copies sold by the end of the war.
