8.9 The Holocaust

Anti-Semitism in Germany

There was a long-standing history of anti-Semitism in Europe. Jews were excluded, tortured, and exiled by many European countries in the Medieval period, as well as throughout the Protestant Reformation. However, the rise of nationalism saw a particular resurgence in anti-Semitism, as no European country identified with a Jewish heritage. 

The Nuremberg Laws

Many European countries began actively excluding races, ethnicities, religions, and cultures that were not their own to create consistent values, histories, languages, and customs. In Germany, the Nuremberg Laws were passed in 1935, which defined a Jewish person as anyone with three to four Jewish grandparents, regardless of whether they identified personally as Jewish. They also limited Jews from marrying or having children with Germans, forced them to seek permission to marry other Jews, and eventually prohibited marriage altogether. Jewish people were also required to register their identity as Jewish and wear a gold Star of David visible on their clothing. 

After World War I, Jews were falsely accused of causing Germany's defeat and the country's subsequent economic difficulties, fueling a widespread portrayal of Jewish people as unpatriotic, greedy, and responsible for Germany's problems through nationalist, antisemitic propaganda. 

Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass

As a result, Jews faced discrimination, persecution, and violence, including the boycott of Jewish businesses and Kristallnacht, the "Night of Broken Glass." Kristallnacht consisted of a series of coordinated attacks against Jews in Germany and Austria on November 9-10, 1938, carried out by paramilitary forces and civilians. Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues were destroyed, and the broken glass from the destruction gave the infamous attacks their name.

Approximately 100 Jews were murdered, while thousands more were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Kristallnacht is considered a turning point in the persecution of Jews and is widely recognized as the beginning of the Holocaust. 

The Holocaust

Fueled by racism and anti-Semitism, Nazi Germany sought to establish a “new racial order” in Europe under the racist Nazi ideology of an "Aryan race," which culminated with the Holocaust.

The Holocaust was the systematic extermination of millions of Jews, the Romani people, people with disabilities, homosexuals, political opponents, and anyone the Nazi regime deemed "unworthy of life." The German government carried out mass genocide through ghettos, concentration camps, and gas chambers in addition to using forced labor for their war efforts. It is one of the worst atrocities in human history. 

Ghettos and Camps

Jewish people in Germany were removed from cities and deported to Poland, where over a thousand ghettos intended to eliminate Jewish people from German societies. These ghettos were extremely cramped, dirty, and breeding grounds for disease. Many died due to a lack of medical attention. Others were shot by Nazi soldiers or sent to German death and concentration camps. 

• Labor Camps: In the early years of WWII, deported Jews in ghettos or in the first concentration camps were forced to make German propaganda about the “relocation” of Jews, munitions, and other items the German military needed in war.
• [object Object]: Many concentration camps began as labor camps aimed at working Jews to death. However, it became increasingly expensive to build camps and house Jewish people. Many Jews in ghettos, labor camps, and concentration camps died of disease, malnutrition, or by execution.
• Death Camps: Beginning in 1942, the Germans initiated Hitler’s Final Solution. This plan aimed at the murder of over 11 million Jews through gassing and mass extermination. Jewish people were lined in front of open graves, shot, and burned to hide the evidence of genocide. Chemicals, such as Zyklon-B and lethal fumes from combustion engines, were used in chambers designed as showers for mass murder. The Germans committed genocide of over six million Jews before liberation efforts in 1944.- The largest and most infamous death camp was Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Liberation

To avoid being accused of war crimes, many camps were liberated in the early months of 1944 as Allied forces moved into Poland. Allied forces approached many camps that had no guards and found sick, starving, and dead prisoners. In some instances, the Nazis took prisoners from the camps on Death Marches to continue carrying out the Final Solution. 

Liberation helped the Allies to understand the scope of violence in Germany, Poland, and other occupied areas during the war. Many had no idea these atrocities were happening. Even after liberation, Jews had a long road to recovery. Their malnourished bodies were still highly prone to disease. Just about everyone had to cope with the loss of family members, possibly entire families. Others, who had sent their children away, began the search for them. Some never succeeded. The psychological weight was heavy and, to some, unbearable. 

The Holocaust is a difficult topic to cover. However, it is important and necessary for the world to remember the victims and take responsibility to prevent such horrors from ever happening again. By remembering the Holocaust, present and future generations can learn about the dangers of hatred, prejudice, and anti-Semitism.