Introduction to the Holocaust
- 1. World History Introduction to the Holocaust
- 2. Definition of Holocaust “ Holocaust” is a word of Greek origin meaning “sacrifice by fire” or... the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during World War II
- 3. “ One more thing I would like now to state on this day…I have often been a prophet in my life and was generally laughed at. During my struggle for power, the Jews primarily received with laughter my prophecies that I would someday assume the leadership of the state and thereby the entire volk and then, among other things, achieve a solution to the Jewish problem. I suppose the then resounding laughter of Jewry in Germany is now choking in their throats. Today I will once more be a prophet: if the Jews succeed in plunging the nations once more into a world war, then the result will be the annihilation of the Jewish race in Europe” Adolf Hitler
- 4. How did it happen? Hitler’s anti-Semitic beliefs were promoted through propaganda, education, and indoctrination State-sponsored discrimination begins in 1933 Death camps start in 1942 Gradual process Germany fought two wars - one against the Allies and one against the Jews
- 5. How did it happen? For the extermination of the Jews to occur, four principal conditions were necessary: The Nazis had to decide to undertake the extermination Germany had to gain control over the Jews and the territory in which they resided They had to organize the extermination and devote to it sufficient resources They had to induce a large number of people to carry out the first three elements
- 6. here... Central question: how do we get from
- 7. to...
- 8. here?
- 10. Animated Map of the Holocaust