4.6 Holocaust

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4.6 Holocaust

Genocide

• Meaning:  The deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group.

The meaning of Holocaust

• Meaning:  a Jewish sacrificial offering that was burned completely on an altar. 
• Shoah: Used 12 times in the old Testament. Means Destruction, annihilation,  demise, etc.
• ''Shoah'' is a better name. 

Phase 1

Bullying and humiliating

Fase 1

Pesten en vernederen

Kristallnacht

9th of November 1938

• Germans destroy jewish property after a radio speech from  Joseph Goebbels, 
  

Phase 2

Exclude

Fase 3

Ghettos

(name comes from the Medieval times: 

Jewish neighbourhood in Venice)

Life was hard in the Gettos: 

There was not enough living space for 

the thousands of people who had to live there. 

Another problem in the Ghettos was the

shortage of food. Many people died of

malnutrition.

• Concentration camps were much 'easier to oversee'  'and more efficient' to solve the ''Jewish problem''.
• In Gettos you could find ways to hide from the Germans. In concentration camps, this was pretty much impossible. 

Warning!

The images in this part of the lesson can be experienced as shocking.

Phase 4a

Elimination of the Jews

The murder of Jews started early on in the war. However it wasn't systematic yet.

Lots of executions were done by the SS-Einsatzgruppen.

Phase 4b

Systematic elimination of the Jews

Endlösung (=final solution)

Wannsee Conference (1942)

• The Endlösung  (= final solution) was discussed here.
• The Nazis started to use extermination camps.

Transportation Camps

• People were send here before being send to concentration- or extermination camps.

• Examples: Westerbork and Vught.

Concentration camps

• Contain prisoners in one place without trial.
• Prisoners were usually subjected to forced labor.
• Initially: primarily political prisoners (''enemies of the state'')
• Example: Dachau (1933-1945).

Extermination camps

•  People were transported here from deportation camps (ex. Westerbork). 
• People were seperated at arrival. 
• Those not fit to work went to the gas chamber.
• Only in Eastern Europe (Auschwitz, Sobibor, Treblinka).

A picture made in secret by the resistance of

women who are walking towards the gas chambers.

Zyklon B

• It was originally a pesticide against vermin and existed before the war.

• Zyklon B consists of granules (=korrels) that evaporate (prussic acid= blauwzuur) when they come into contact with air.

All evidence had to be destroyed.

clothes, pictures.....bodies. 

Life in the camps