Prejudice, WWI, the Holocaust, and WWII
Slide 1 – Opening questions
Slide 2 – Introduction slide
It has been said that because one man lived, fifty five million people died. While only
one person cannot be blamed, the Nazi party, led by Adolph Hitler, created a second
global war, which became a nightmare beyond all comparison. Most of the people
who died were soldiers, prisoners of war, and civilians living in combat zones. All of
these war related deaths were called casualties. However, the Nazis wanted to
deliberately destroy all Jews, not because they were a political enemy, but based on
their own prejudices. This prejudice led to the Holocaust.
The Nazi party wanted to eliminate all Jews. This planned destruction of an entire
racial or cultural group of people created a new word, genocide. (Slide 3) It comes
from the Greek geno- for race or tribe and -cide, from the Latin word for killing.
(Slide 4) A holocaust is total destruction caused by fire. This was the Nazi's goal. The
United States Holocaust Memorial Council defines the Holocaust as: "the systematic,
bureaucratic annihilation of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and their
collaborators as a central act of state during WWII." many others were also hurt.
Although Jews were the primary victims, as Nazi tyranny spread across Europe from
1933 to 1945, the Nazis persecuted, tortured, and often murdered millions of other
innocent people. This included up to one half million Gypsies and at least 250,000
mentally or physically disabled persons. Thousands of dissidents such as communists,
socialists, trade unionists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and homosexuals faced persecution
and died as well as millions of Soviet prisoners of war, Poles, and other Slavs suffered
and died as slave labor. More simply put, the goal of the Nazi Germany government
was to kill all the Jewish people in the world in a step-by-step process, and other
people who the Nazis considered unworthy of life also found themselves marked for
death.
How did this happen? What made this horrific event possible?
Recognizing Stereotyping, Scapegoating, Prejudice, and Discrimination
(Slide 5) Stereotyping is grouping people into broad categories rather than looking for
the individual aspects of each personality. For example:
Red heads
short tempered
Blondes
ditzy
Athletes
dumb
Geeks
smart
Old people
useless, forgetful
Teenagers
irresponsible, trouble causers
Teachers
book worms, boring
Parents
nosy, power hungry, and occasionally dumb
The Nazis used stereotyping to turn other Germans against Jewish German citizens.
The Nazis portrayed the Jews with hateful posters depicting them as greedy with big
noses and large hidden amounts of ill-gotten money, often in alliance with Russia.
(Slide 6, the Eternal Jew) Due to the economic problems the Germans faced since
losing World War I and the Great Depression, many people blamed the government for
the problems they faced on a daily basis. The Nazis directed this anger and
frustration away from their government and onto the Jews by blaming them for the
country's economic problems.
Blaming an innocent person or group of people for problems is called scapegoating.
(slide 7) The Nazis turned the anger of the Germans onto the Jews thus making them
the scapegoat for all of Germany's problems. This kept the peoples' anger directed
away from the Nazi government that could not fulfill the promises made to the
people. Remember that scapegoating does not have to be based on fact.
As a totalitarian government which is a government whose political belief is on of
absolute rule (slide 8). In this totalitarian government, the Nazis controlled
everything, including information people received via radio and newspapers. This
made it very easy for them to create or warp data into blaming the Jews.
Prejudice is strong feelings of intolerance or hatred for another group or groups of
people, often based on inaccurate or incorrect information about that group (slide 9).
Many people in Germany and other countries of the time felt prejudice against the
Jews for many reasons that didn't make sense and went farther back in time than they
could even remember. Prejudice is often passed on from parent to child and usually
has no basis in truth or reality. Think of the phrase "those people". This can mean any
group, yet it rarely has a positive meaning. Think about hearing "Well, what can you
expect from those people?" or "You know how those people are." All people
experience prejudices of one kind or another, and the Nazis used this to turn the
Germans against the Jews. It is important to remember most people feel prejudice of
one kind or another, but acting on those feelings in any way that harms others is
wrong.
Discrimination is acting on prejudicial feelings. Discrimination is to exclude or abuse
people without logical reasons. Discrimination is often based on a person's race,
religion, nationality, or anything else that sets them apart from others (slide 10). The
most obvious group in America is the Ku Klux Klan, but many other groups
discriminate, just less obviously. In most developed and civilized countries today,
discrimination is frowned upon if not illegal.
Most people will fight to defend family and friends, yet most will not interfere if the
victim is someone they do not know and they believe they will be in too much
personal danger. Imagine being at the mall with a group of your friends. Someone
you barely know, maybe you've only passed them in the hall at school, is being bullied
at the mall. The gang of bullies is hurting this person and stealing this person's
money. What would you do? (Pause for students' responses.) Now imagine it is your
best friend or little brother or next door neighbor. What would you do now? This is
what happened in Germany when Nazis attacked German Jews. Almost always people
looked the other way rather than risk themselves by becoming involved. While we
would all like to think we would have stood up and done the right thing, less than five
percent of the German people helped those being persecuted.
Why did the Germans and others around the world, including America, stand by and
pretend not to know what was happening? Standing up for what is right is not always
easy, especially when that thing is bigger and stronger. Most people backed down
from the Nazis out of fear. This story helps make this clearer.
"The Terrible Things" by Eve Bunting (slide 11)
(slide 12)
The clearing in the woods was home to the small forest creatures. The birds
and squirrels shared the trees. The rabbits and porcupines shared the shade beneath
the trees and the frogs and fish shared the cool brown waters of the forest pond.
Until the day the Terrible Things came.
(slide 13)
Little Rabbit saw their terrible shadows before he saw them. They stopped at
the edge of the clearing and their shadows blotted out the sun.
(slide 14)
“We have come for every creature with feathers on its back,” the Terrible
Things thundered.
“We don’t have feathers,” the frogs said.
“Nor we,” said the squirrels.
“Nor we,” said the porcupines.
“Nor we,” said the rabbits.
The little fish leaped from the water to show the shine of their scales, but the
birds twittered nervously in the tops of the trees. Feathers! They rose in the air,
then screamed away into the blue of the sky.
(slide 15)
But the Terrible Things had brought their terrible nets, and they flung them
high and caught the birds and carried them away.
The other forest creatures talked nervously among themselves.
“Those birds were always noisy,” Old Porcupine said. “Good riddance, I say.”
“There’s more room in the trees now,” the squirrels said.
“Why did the Terrible Things want the birds?’ asked Little Rabbit. “What’s
wrong with feathers?”
“We mustn’t ask,” Big Rabbit said. “The Terrible Things don’t need a reason.
Just be glad it wasn’t us they wanted.”
(slide 16)
Now there were no birds to sing in the clearing, but life went back almost as
before. Until the day the Terrible Things came back.
“We have come for every creature with bushy tails,” roared the Terrible
Things.
“We have no tails,” the frogs said.
“Nor do we. Not real tails,” the porcupines said.
The little fish jumped from the water to show the smooth shiny of their finned
tails and the rabbits turned their rumps so the Terrible Things could see for
themselves.
“Our tails are round and furry,” they said. “By no means are they bushy.”
(slide 17)
The squirrels chattered their fear and ran high into the treetops, but the
Terrible Things swung their terrible nets higher than the squirrels could run, and
wider than the squirrels could leap and they caught them all and carried them away.
(slide 18)
“Those squirrels were greedy,” Big Rabbit said. “Always storing away things
from themselves. Never sharing.”
“But why did the Terrible Things take them away?” Little Rabbit asked. “Do
the Terrible Things want the clearing for themselves?”
“No. They have their own place,” Big Rabbit said. “But the Terrible Things
don’t need a reason. Just mind your own business, Little Rabbit. We don’t want
them mad at us.”
Now there were no birds to sing or squirrels to chatter in the trees, but life in
the clearing went on almost as before. Until the day the Terrible Things came again.
(slide 19)
Little Rabbit heard the rumble of their terrible voices.
“We have come for every creature that swims,” the Terrible Things thundered.
“Oh, we can’t swim,” the rabbits said quickly.
“And we can’t swim,” the porcupines said.
The frogs dove deep in the forest pool and ripples spiraled like corkscrews on
the dark brown water. The little fish darted this way and that in the streaks of silver.
But the Terrible Things threw their terrible nets down into the depths and they
dragged up the dripping frogs and the shimmering fish and carried them away.
(slide 20)
“Why did the Terrible Things take them?” Little Rabbit asked. “What did the
frogs and fish do to them?
“Probably nothing,” Big Rabbit said. “But the Terrible Things don’t need a
reason. Many creatures dislike frogs, lumpy, slimy things. And fish are so cold and
unfriendly. They never talk to any of us.”
Now there were no birds to sing, no squirrels to chatter, no frogs to croak, no
fish to play in the forest pool. A nervous silence filled the clearing, but life went on
almost as usual. Until the day the Terrible Things came back.
Little Rabbit smelled their terrible smell before they came into sight. The
rabbits and the porcupines looked all around, everywhere, except at each other.
“We have come for every creature that sprouts quills,” the Terrible Things
thundered.
The rabbits stopped quivering. “We don’t have quills,” they said, fluffing their
soft, white fur.
(slide 21)
The porcupines bristled with all their strength. But the Terrible Things covered
them with their terrible nets, and the porcupines hung in them like flies in a spider’s
web as the Terrible Things carried them away.
“Those porcupines always were bad tempered,” Big Rabbit said shakily.
“Prickly, sticky things!”
This time Little Rabbit didn’t ask why. By now he knew that the Terrible
Things did not need a reason. The Terrible Things had gone, but the smell still filled
the clearing.
“I liked it better when there were all kinds of creatures in our clearing,” he
said. “And I think we should move. What if the Terrible Things come back?”
“Nonsense,” said Big Rabbit. “Why should we move? This has always been our
home. And the Terrible Things won’t come back. We are White Rabbits. It couldn’t
happen to us.”
(slide 22)
As day followed day Little Rabbit thought Big Rabbit must be right. Until the
day the Terrible Things came back.
Little Rabbit saw the terrible gleam of their terrible eyes through the forest
darkness. And he smelled the terrible smell.
(slide 23)
“We have come for any creature that is white,” the Terrible Things thundered.
“There are no white creatures here but us,” Big Rabbit said.
“We have come for you,” the Terrible Things said.
The rabbits scampered in every direction. “Help!” they cried. “Somebody
help!” But there was no one left to help. And the big circling nets dropped over
them, and the Terrible Things carried them away.
(slide 24)
All but Little Rabbit, who was little enough to hide in a pile of rocks by the
pond and was smart enough to stay so still that the Terrible Things thought he was a
rock himself.
When they had all gone, Little Rabbit crept into the middle of the empty
clearing. “ I should have tried to help the other rabbits,” he thought. “If only we
creatures had stuck together, it could have been different.”
(slide 25)
Sadly, Little Rabbit left the clearing. He’d go tell other forest creatures about
the Terrible Things. He hoped someone would listen.
Another example of this can be seen in the poem:
“First They Came for the Jews” by Martin Niemoller
First they came for the Jews
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
And there was no one left to speak out for me.
Effects of WWI, which led to WWII
Prejudice and fear caused the German citizens to blindly follow the Nazi government,
but this did not happen overnight. It actually began following World War I.
1919
Germany sank into a serious economic depression following their loss in World War I.
Germany not only lost in its attempt to take over parts of Europe, the rest of the
world blamed Germany for having causing the war in the first place. The other war
ravaged countries wanted Germany to pay for the war damages At the Paris Peace
Conference, the Treaty of Versailles made Germany responsible for paying war
damages. (Slide 26 shows Prime Minister Lloyd George, Italian foreign minister
Giorgio Sonnino, French premier Georges Clemenceau, and American President
Woodrow Wilson.) The German people lost all faith in their government and suffered
from a shattered economy. Because of the cost of running a war, inflation rose so
high that a fortune could not buy a pound of sugar or a bunch of carrots. Most people
went through their lives' savings quickly and became desperate. Laborers went on
strike, companies closed, and workers lost their jobs, as the government tried to
handle the war debts.
Two extreme plans came forward to solve these problems. One solution came from
the Communist party who wanted Germany to become a satellite country of Russia.
Under this plan the government would seize control of all property and businesses,
and ideally, all workers would share in the wealth.
The other solution came from the National Socialist party, the Nazis, led by Adolf
Hitler. This political party promised to give every worker a job and food, war
payments to other countries would stop, and restoration of the world prestige and
military supremacy that Germany had known before WWI. He said he could do this by
creating a master race of "pure Aryans", through the scientific belief of the time
called eugenics, and a Third Reich, a state composed of all German speaking people
who would rule the world. The people wanted to change their lives of poverty, and
many backed the Nazi party based on the promises offered, very much like people
today will vote for the political candidate who promises what they want to hear.
1924 (slide 27 Picture of European money)
Other countries around the world objected to either group controlling Germany, so
they came to the rescue of Germany and poured money into their economy. The
economy improved, people returned to work, prices came down, and good times
returned to Germany. While good for the German people, the Communists and Nazis
found their political plans stalled. During this time, no one would really listen to or
support either party or their messages against private businesses and the Jews.
1929 (slide 28 and 29 - People suffering from poverty due to the Great Depression)
Unfortunately when the American stock market crashed in October 29, 1929, a
worldwide depression resulted, and economies around the world collapses, including
Germany’s. Money problems from one country always affect other countries because
money has no borders and moves back and forth between countries all over the world.
There were four stages of the Holocaust beginning in the early 1930s. At any time
bureaucrats, government officials, Nazi Party members, and ordinary citizens could
have chosen not to cooperate with the Nazi's plan, yet because the German
legislature, under Nazi influence, legalized these actions, most people of the time
felt they must follow them.
Early 1930s (Slide 30 Pictures of Jewish ID cards)
Stage one: Definition. In this stage the German government, being heavily
influenced by the Nazis, began classifying German citizens as Jewish or Non Jewish.
This was done through an irrational system that determined religion based on the
religion of one’s grandparents. If someone had one or more Jewish grandparents,
they would then be Jewish. This was determined through the religions listed on birth
certificates and other government and church documents. The Nazis defined Judaism
based on irrational pseudo-scientific belief that this was a genetic, not spiritual
choice. This required all people defined as Jews to carry identity cards marked with
a large “J”.
By 1931 countless businesses and factories closed and five million Germans lost their
jobs. With no jobs, no food, no heat, and in many cases, no homes, the Germans
distrusted their government more than ever before. This brought the Communists and
the Nazis back into popularity, and many joined both parties hoping change would
improve their lives. The two parties fought each other and created so much confusion
that the German government lost control. Many, fearing a Communist take over
would mean a take over by Russia, viewed the Nazi party as "more German", thus
making it possible for Hitler and the Nazi party to continue to gain power.
Late 1932 (Slide 31 - Picture shows Nazi soldier hanging sign telling Germans to
boycott Jewish owned businesses)
Stage two: Expropriation
During this stage the government seized Jewish businesses and property. Jews were
forbidden to hold certain jobs, live in certain places, or have bank accounts. All Jews
who worked for the government lost their jobs, universities fired professors, and Jews
could no longer work in theaters, movies, arts, court systems, press, education,
medicine, or law. Jewish owned or run businesses were also boycotted. The
government easily completed this economic attack on the Jews because stage one
created government rolls of the Jews.
1933 (Slide 32 - Nazi soldiers marching in parade formation)
At this time the Nazi party took control of the German political system, declared
themselves the only legal political party in Germany, and burned down part of the
German parliament building, the Reichstag, destroying important documents and
further disrupting the daily functioning of the country. As soon as Hitler took power,
he intensified his campaign against the Jews. He first suspended all freedoms of
speech, press, or assembly, making it easy for him to control all information received
by the German people. Through anti-Semitic propaganda, he made the Jews
scapegoats for all of Germany's problems, accusing them of being the internal enemy
who caused inflation, the depression, and Germany's loss in WWI. This way Hitler
distracted from his own failure to meet his promises to the people. While none of his
accusations made sense, people joined the Nazi party in large numbers and began to
act against German Jews, beginning the legal harassment that eventually led to the
Holocaust. This is also when the Nazis began planning expanding Germany's
boundaries as established by the Treaty of Versailles. Note the boundaries on the
map. (Slide 33)
1934 (Slide 34 - Adolf Hitler)
Hitler guaranteed his place as dictator of Germany with the “Night of the Long
Knives” in which his private troops assassinated other Nazi leaders he considered
possible political threats. Shortly thereafter the president of Germany, Paul von
Hindenburg died (Ayer 59). This made it possible for Hitler to move forward with his
plan to control Germany. He named himself chancellor and set up his dictatorship,
threw out the German constitution, and declared no laws could be passed without his
approval.
1935 - 1937 (Slide 35 - Jewish woman on Jews only bench)
Legal Harassment of the Jews continued, including segregation and signs denoting “No
Jews Allowed” or “For Jews Only”, and other persecutions continued with the
Nuremberg Laws that were passed in 1935. These laws denied citizenship to anyone
the Nazis defined as Jewish. Without full citizenship, the people had no legal rights.
Some of this discrimination was very similar to the “whites only” or “colored” signs in
the American South prior to the Civil Rights movement.
When the Olympic games scheduled to take place in Germany opened, many people
from other countries objected to the Anti-Semitic signs, so the Nazis removed them.
Of course the signs and abuse of the Jews resumed as soon as the games concluded.
The Olympics angered and disappointed Hitler when Jesse Owens, a black American
won four gold medals, defeating his, perfect Aryan athletes. (Slide 36 - Jesse Owens
in the 200 meter race where he set a new Olympic record of 20.7 seconds and slide
37, Owens saluting American flag when receiving gold medal while Nazi athlete
makes their salute.)
1938
In March of 1938, the Nazis annexed Austria. (Slide 38 - Map of Annexation of Austria)
Great Britain and France, as well as other smaller countries, objected to this act of
war, but no one officially acted.
(Slide 39- Political cartoon from New York Times, July 3, 1938)
Up until this time, other countries’ governments, including the US, remained silent
about the news coming out of Germany concerning the persecution of the Jews. In
July of 1938, the Evian conference convened to discuss the situation. Of the thirtytwo countries represented, only the Dominican Republic, a very small country, would
open its immigration quotas to offer haven to Jewish refugees. No other country
offered help to these political refugees, despite knowing, or at the very least strongly
suspecting, the plight of Jews living in Nazi governed areas.
(Slide 40 - Picture of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain showing signed
Munich Agreement) Great Britain and France agreed to Nazi claims to Austria and part
of Czechoslovakia as long as Germany made no further aggressive moves. This was
the Munich Agreement, an appeasement, a political agreement to keep the peace.
(Slide 41)
(Slide 42 - Picture of burning synagogue, Slide 43 – Boerneplatz synagogue, Slide 44 –
Private home in Vienna)
Kristallnacht, also known as Crystal Night, occurred during this time. During the
nights of November 9 and 10, 1938, Nazi forces destroyed Jewish homes, businesses,
and synagogues. It was reported that this event was in retaliation for the
assassination of Third Secretary Ernst vom Rath by seventeen year old Herschel
Grynszpan, who was angry about the unjust arrest and deportation of his family to
Poland. Goebbels, Hitler's Chief of Propaganda, used this as the excuse he needed to
launch a pogrom against German Jews. Grynszpan's attack was interpreted by
Goebbels as a conspiratorial attack by "International Jewry" against the Reich and,
symbolically, against the Fuehrer himself." This legal act emotionally hurt the Jews as
well as hurt them financially and physically. As a legal act, it was illegal to try to
stop them or fight back. Imagine how terrifying and frustrating it would be to wake in
the dark to hear someone violently breaking in and destroying your home. Now
imagine that someone is the police, people you thought would protect you.
1939
In May of 1939, a ship called the St. Louis filled with Jewish refugees left Germany for
promised sanctuary in Cuba (Slide 45). When they arrived there, only a very few were
allowed off the ship and into the country. The ship went to several other countries,
including America, seeking asylum but was turned away. The ship returned to Europe
where the people were allowed to disembark, but most were later killed when the
Nazi’s invaded these areas. (Slide 46 – Children aboard the St. Louis)
By 1939 half of the German Jews, or those defined as Jews by the Nazis, had left
Germany.
(Slide 47 - Picture of invasion of Poland)
The Soviet Union signed a non-aggression pact with the Third Reich, basically agreeing
to allow Germany to invade Poland, which the USSR had protected up until that time.
The Nazis then took over the rest of Czechoslovakia and attacked Poland on
September 1, 1939, which was helpless without the Soviet Union’s protection. This
England and France found this intolerable since it broke the Munich Agreement, so
they declared war against the Nazis on September 3, 1939. (Slide 48 – German
territory after invasion of Poland)
1939 also saw the beginning of stage three: Concentration. At this time German Jews
no longer could attend school. They could not travel without special government
permission, and were forced to move from various parts of the cities and the
countryside into walled sections in the cities called ghettos. Jews were also not
allowed to own or use phones, radios, cameras, or even have pets. They could not buy
rationed foods such as meat, butter, bread, or milk. The Nazis use the Jews in the
ghettos as forced labor, yet the people had to survive on limited supplies of food,
shelter, and heat. This was nothing more than a slow death sentence. (Slide 49 –
Concentration – Auschwitz, Slide 50 – Dachau, Slide 51 – Barracks for prisoners at
Flossenberg)
1940
Germany invaded Denmark and Southern Norway, expanding the Nazis’ reach into
Europe. They also built Auschwitz in Poland, opening their first killing center
beginning stage four: Annihilation. In this final stage, the Nazis organized and
executed Jews and any others considered dissidents. Some were shot or gassed by
mobile killing units while others were transported to killing centers where their
personal property, including clothing, shoes, eyeglasses, hair, books, toys, or anything
else of monetary or sentimental value, was taken from them before they were
murdered. (Slide 52 Picture of Auschwitz and Gypsies being processed, Slide 53 –
Wedding rings, slide 54 shoes, slide 55 gas chambers, slide 56 crematoriums)
Learning of the concentration camps and fearing attacks on their own countries,
Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia joined the other Allies, England and France. As the
same time, Japan and Italy joined with Germany, creating the Axis powers. The Axis
forces then invaded Holland, Belgium, and France. France surrendered, but some
tried to save lives and fought back through the Underground Resistance. Holland did
the same, as the queen and other officials escaped to London and worked from there
to overthrow the Nazis.
1941
Germany continued to wreak havoc on the world, invading North Africa, Yugoslavia,
Greece, and Russia as far as Stalingrad. They seemed unstoppable as the atrocities
continued.
December 7, 1941 (Slide 57 - Bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S.S. Shaw exploding)
Up until this time, America refused to become involved in the war, believing
isolationism the best approach. After all, Americans weren’t being hurt, so why be
involved? This all changed with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The Japanese
wanted Hawaii as a jumping off point for other attacks in the Pacific and access to
other oil fields, and to destroy the American Navy so it couldn’t defend other areas.
This "Day of Infamy" pushed America into the war, and America now threw its
immense military power in with the Allies.
1942 (Slide 58 - Map of Europe by 1942)
By 1942 The Nazis controlled large part of Europe and North Africa. The Allies, led by
the British, began to push the German troops out of North Africa. With America now
in the war, the Axis powers realized it was possible they could lose. The Nazis held a
meeting, called the Wannsee Conference, in which they kept official minutes and sent
out memos of the decision to implement their “Final Solution”. Reinhard Heydrich,
second in command of the SS, led the conference (Slide 59 - picture of Reinhard
Heydrich).
1943
The Allies gained victories against the Nazis and reclaimed Italy. The Nazis rescued
the Italian dictator Mussolini, hoping to be able to return him to power if they won.
(Slide 60 - Mussolini escorted by Nazi soldiers) Italy then became a member of the
Allied forces, giving more strength to that side of the war. At the same time, the
Russians reclaimed Stalingrad, pushing the Nazis back.
1944 (Slide 61 - pictures taken by Robert Capa of landing on Omaha Beach,
Normandy, France. Of the 106 pictures he took that day, only 10 survived when a
technician rushed the developing process.)
Germany invaded Hungary but began losing ground elsewhere. On June 6, better
known as D-Day, Allied troops landed in Normandy, France. Despite the loss of 3000
Allied soldiers as casualities that day alone, they moved west against the Nazis while
the Soviets pushed the Nazis back from the East.
Some questioned Hitler’s actions, and a group of German soldiers tried to assassinate
him. Unfortunately they failed, and Hitler's private troops captured, tortured, and
then executed them. Their families and friends were transported to the camps from
which few returned. The Nazis intensified their Final Solution, increasing the number
of Jews massacred daily, working harder on rounding up the remaining Jews, and
increasing the workloads of those in the labor camps.
1945 Russian troops reached Auschwitz, sending the news and pictures out to the
world of just how horrific things truly were for the prisoners. (Slide 62 – the dead at a
camp, slide 63 – findings at Auschwitz, slide 64 Dachau survivors, slide 65 – children
survivors at Auschwitz, most likely very new arrivals)
The Nazis lost ground everywhere, and their plan to rule the world ended with
Hitler’s suicide on April 30. Germany surrendered on May 8, and the world celebrated
the end of the war in Europe with V-E day, Victory in Europe day. (Slide 66 - Picture
of German officials signing surrender papers.)
The Japanese though refused to surrender. American President Franklin D. Roosevelt
warned the Japanese government that atomic weapons would be used if necessary,
yet they still would not surrender. To surrender would be too great a dishonor. (Slide
67 - Picture of plane piloted by Colonel Paul W. Tibbets, Jr. ) The Enola Gay flew out
on August 6 bombing Hiroshima, Japan, (slide 68 - nuclear explosion)- killing 78,000,
and injuring 51,000 (Slide 69 - Picture of Hiroshima after the bombing.) Despite the
devastation of a nuclear war, the Japanese still would not give up the fight. On
August 9 a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki, killing 35,000 and wounding
60,000. (Slide 70 - Picture of Nagasaki after bombing.) Five days later, under the
threat of more bombings, the Japanese signed surrender papers, ending World War II.
(Slide 71 - Picture of Japanese surrender.) The world celebrated with V – J Day,
Victory in Japan Day. (Slide 72 -Famous picture of celebration in Times Square.) The
brave men and women who made personal sacrifices to defend the rights and
freedoms of the world are remembered yearly on Veteran's Day.
(Slide 73 - Picture of Nuremberg Trial) The world wanted justice for the atrocities
committed by the Nazis. The first official trial for war crimes against humanity was
the Nuremberg Trials. This began on November 20, 1945, and the trial ended almost
a year later on October 1, 1946, with three of the Nazi defendants freed while twelve
others were sentenced to hang. Other trials followed, and some still continue today.
Many have been punished for their actions, but many other Nazi officials escaped.
Conclusion
This war drastically changed the world. By the time the Allies defeated the Nazis, the
Nazis and their collaborators killed an estimated 11 million innocent civilians. The
victims had been starved, tortured, shot, gassed, beaten, worked, or burned to
death. Very few of those targeted survived. Of the 11 million victims, an estimated 6
million of the 9 million Jews in Europe died. The Nazis destroyed two thirds of the
European Jews, almost achieving the goal of total annihilation. Had they not been
stopped, they would have continued to attack and destroy all Jews and anyone else in
the way of their plan of world domination. Of those killed, one and a half million
children had been under the age of fourteen. This destroyed an entire generation of
European Jews. Because of this, the world will never know if the way the world is
and what it lacks today is due to the murder of these innocent souls. The Nazi’s goal
of genocide for the Jews brought out the evil in many, but even worse, for the most
part, the world stood by and let this happen. (Slide 74 -Picasso's dove of peace) Pray
all have learned from this, and no one will stand by silently and let it happen again.
Prejudice, World War I, World War II, and the Holocaust
I.
Introduction
Because one man lived, fifty five million people died. Hitler created a
second global war, which became a nightmare beyond all comparison. Most of
the people who died were soldiers, prisoners of war, and civilians living in
combat zones. All of these war related deaths were called casualties.
However, the Nazis wanted to deliberately destroy all Jews, not because they
were a political enemy, but based on Hitler's own prejudices. This planned
destruction of an entire racial or cultural group of people created a new word,
genocide.
II.
Mind
A.
B.
C.
D.
III.
“The Terrible Things” by Eve Bunting
IV.
“First They Came for the Jews” by Martin Niemoller
V.
1919
A.
Treaty of Versailles
B.
Effects on Germans
C.
Communist and Social Nationalist Opportunities
VI.
1924 Bailout of German economy
VII.
1929
A.
B.
Control
Stereotyping
Scapegoat
Prejudice
Discrimination
Black Tuesday, the crash of the New York stock market
Choice between Communist or Nazis
VIII.
1930
A.
Stage one: Definition
B.
Registration Cards
IX.
1932
A.
Stage two: Expropriation
B.
Boycott of Jewish businesses
X.
1933
A.
Destruction of Reichstag by Nazis
B.
C.
Suspension of Civil Rights
Anti-Semitic Propaganda
1934
A.
B.
C.
D.
Night of the Long Knives
Death of German president
Hitler as Chancellor
Suspension of German Constitution
XII.
1935 A.
B.
C.
1937
Continued harassment of Jews
Protest of Olympic fans
Jesse Owens
XIII.
1938
A.
B.
C.
D.
Third Reich's annexation of Austria
Munich Agreement
Evian Conference
Crystal Night
XI.
XIV.
1939
A.
St. Louis
B.
C.
D.
German invasion of Czechoslovakia and Poland
Declaration of war by England and France
Stage 3: Concentration
XV.
1940
A.
Invasion of Denmark and Southern Norway
B.
Stage 4: Annihilation
C.
Expansion of Allies and Axis powers
D.
Invasion of Holland, Belgium, and France
E.
Surrender of France and escape for Holland’s leaders
XVI.
1941
A.
Invasion of North Africa, Yugoslavia, Greece, and Russia
B.
Pearl Harbor
XVII. 1942
A.
North African British victory
B.
Wannsee Conference
XVIII. 1943
A.
Surrender of Italy
B.
Rescue of Mussolini
XIX.
XX.
XXI.
C.
Russian victory in Stalingrad
1944
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
German invasion of Hungary
D-Day
Soviet victories
Attempted assassination of Hitler
Intensification of "Final Solution"
1945
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
Russian liberation of Auschwitz
Hitler's suicide
Surrender of Germany and V-E day
Hiroshima
Nagasaki
Surrender of Tokyo
V-J day
Nuremberg Trials
Conclusion
The actions of one man drastically changed the world. By the time the Allies
defeated the Nazis, Hitler and his troops killed 11 million innocent civilians
(Frequently 2). The victims had been starved, tortured, shot, gassed, beaten,
worked, or burned to death. Very few of those targeted survived. Of the 11
million victims, an estimated 6 million of the 9 million Jews in Europe died
(Rossel 59). Hitler destroyed two thirds of the European Jews, almost
achieving his goal of total annihilation. Had he not been stopped, he would
have continued to attack and destroy all Jews and anyone else in his way. Of
those killed, one and a half million children had been under the age of fourteen
(An Overview 17) . This destroyed an entire generation of European Jews.
Because of Hitler’s actions the world will never know if the way the world is
and what it lacks today is due to the murder of these innocent souls. Hitler’s
goal of genocide for the Jews brought out the evil in many, but even worse, for
the most part, the world stood by and let this happen. Pray all have learned
from this, and no one will stand by silently and let it happen again.
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