The holocaust was the persecution and murder of Jews by the Nazi regime in Germany. Jews weren’t the only ones affected, however, many other groups of people who were considered “racially inferior” were persecuted. This included Roma, disabled people, Slavic peoples, Communists, Socialists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals. These people were gathered up and murdered, simply for being of the wrong race, religion, or for having the wrong ideological or political views. By the end of the war, up 80 million people died as a result of the holocaust.
Ghettos
Nazi Germany set up ghettos during World War II in order to segregate the Jewish population. The goal was to keep them separate from the non-Jewish population, and from other Jewish communities. Thousands of ghettos were set up across Germany, Poland, and other occupied states. Thousands of Jews were kept in areas barely large enough for them. Often times, the areas provided wouldn’t have been enough for even half of the population. Conditions in the ghettos were terrible. Jews were subject to forced labor, not receiving any pay for their work. Due to the terrible conditions, a vast amount of people died due to disease, starvation, or, not to uncommonly, Nazi soldiers.
All of the ghettos, whether they lasted for days or for years, were temporary. They were designed to hold the Jewish people until it was decided what should be done with them. In 1941 the decision came, known as the “Final Solution”, it was a plan to kill all the European Jews. The Germans then began emptying the ghettos, either by shooting the residents in mass graves or by deported them to killing centers. A very small amount of Jews were sent to forced-labor and concentration camps ("Ghettos").
All of the ghettos, whether they lasted for days or for years, were temporary. They were designed to hold the Jewish people until it was decided what should be done with them. In 1941 the decision came, known as the “Final Solution”, it was a plan to kill all the European Jews. The Germans then began emptying the ghettos, either by shooting the residents in mass graves or by deported them to killing centers. A very small amount of Jews were sent to forced-labor and concentration camps ("Ghettos").
People
The vast majority of people sent to concentration camps were Jews. However, people from other backgrounds could be found there as well. These included political prisoners (Communists, Socialists, and trade unionists), common criminals, Roma, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals. Jews and Roma were usually treated worse, as they were the ones subject to the Final Solution. The other groups weren’t subject to systematic murder, however many of them died by execution or mistreatment ("Prisoners of the Camps").
Experiments
The most well-known atrocity committed by the Nazis is the experimentation on concentration camp prisoners. Nazi physicians performed many gruesome and terrible experiments at many concentration camps. These experiments were conducted for three main purposes.
The first purpose for the experiments was to improve the Axis military personnel, by making them perform better or finding ways to better their chance of survival. Experiments were conducted to find the maximum altitude one could safely parachute from, to find the best way to treat hypothermia, and to find ways to make seawater safe to drink. Other experiments were conducted to test and develop new drugs and treatments. Inmates were given diseases such as malaria, typhus, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and several fevers, in order to test way to prevent and treat them. The camp physicians also experimented with bone grafting and mustard gas.
Lastly, scientists such as Joseph Mengele performed experiments looking for ways to promote the Aryan race, and to limit the others. Mengele experiment on twins, finding ways to produce Aryan twins, which would greatly increase the rate at which the Aryan race grew. He and Werner Fischer also conducted experiments on Roma and Jews in order to see how different races reacted to certain diseases. Certain camps even tried to find ways of mass sterilization, in order to prevent “undesirables” from reproducing ("Prisoners of the Camps").
The first purpose for the experiments was to improve the Axis military personnel, by making them perform better or finding ways to better their chance of survival. Experiments were conducted to find the maximum altitude one could safely parachute from, to find the best way to treat hypothermia, and to find ways to make seawater safe to drink. Other experiments were conducted to test and develop new drugs and treatments. Inmates were given diseases such as malaria, typhus, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and several fevers, in order to test way to prevent and treat them. The camp physicians also experimented with bone grafting and mustard gas.
Lastly, scientists such as Joseph Mengele performed experiments looking for ways to promote the Aryan race, and to limit the others. Mengele experiment on twins, finding ways to produce Aryan twins, which would greatly increase the rate at which the Aryan race grew. He and Werner Fischer also conducted experiments on Roma and Jews in order to see how different races reacted to certain diseases. Certain camps even tried to find ways of mass sterilization, in order to prevent “undesirables” from reproducing ("Prisoners of the Camps").
Citations
"Ghettos." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 29 Jan. 2016. Web. 11 May 2016. <https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005059>.
"Prisoners of the Camps." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, n.d. Web. 11 May 2016. <https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007754>.
White, Matthew. "Twentieth Century Atlas - Death Tolls." Twentieth Century Atlas - Death Tolls. N.p., Feb. 2011. Web. 11 May 2016. <http://necrometrics.com/20c5m.htm#Hitler>.
"Ghettos." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 29 Jan. 2016. Web. 11 May 2016. <https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005059>.
"Prisoners of the Camps." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, n.d. Web. 11 May 2016. <https://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007754>.
White, Matthew. "Twentieth Century Atlas - Death Tolls." Twentieth Century Atlas - Death Tolls. N.p., Feb. 2011. Web. 11 May 2016. <http://necrometrics.com/20c5m.htm#Hitler>.