holocaust research paper-ashley speer

8/2/2019 Holocaust Research Paper-Ashley Speer

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Research Paper

Holocaust Overview

Ashley Speer

Eng. Comp. 102-106

Mr. Neuburger

2 April 2012


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The Events of the Holocaust

To understand the Holocaust and the events that took place, one must be aware of the

situation, circumstances, and the outcome for the Jews. The actions that took place during the

Holocaust are notorious for the destructive and catastrophic events the Jews faced throughout

this time period. This paper will demonstrate how the Nazi Party came to power, problems the

Jews had to endure, and the outcome for the Jews.

Nazi rise to power

According to The United States Holocaust Memorial Muesem (USHMM), in 1931 the

Nazi rise to power began. Germanys government was unstable from the economic depression

and sought a new leader for their country. Adolf

Hitlers extraordinary gift for speaking made him seem

eligible for the job. Germanys people were desperate

for a revolution of their country so they would be able

to find work and have a more efficient way of living.

The majority of Germany believed that Hitler had the

knowledge and power to bring their country back to a normal life (Hitler Comes to Power).

Hitler appointed chancellor. Another article from USHMM describes how Hitler was

appointed chancellor of Reichstag in 1933. Immediately, Hitler made extreme changes to the

government. His first objective in ruling the country was to turn Germany into a dictatorship and

take away individual freedoms. Hitler believed by making Germany into a dictatorship that the

country would be more easily controlled. He accomplished this task by manipulating the people

Nazi Rally in Buckeburg, after Hitler was

appointed chancellor.

Souce: http://bit.ly/IzdN9M


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Anti-Semitism illustration. The sign reads Jews

are not wanted here.Source: http://bit.ly/hI6aZd

with fear (The Nazi Terror Begins). The SS or Schutzstaffel made the people of Germany

fearful because they killed people who did not follow the German rule established by Hitler.

Anti-Semitism

Anti-Semitism against the Jews was prominent in Germany. The USHMM revealed that

the hatred the Germans expressed for the Jewish people was so profound that they would do

anything to discriminate against the Jews. False rumors about their religion were told, pogroms

were held, book burnings, and many other discriminatory acts occurred (Anti-Semitism).

The Yad Vasham website reported that before the

beginning of the Holocaust a person of Jewish decent was

usually able to evade discrimination by claiming a different

religion. Although whenever the Holocaust began the

Germans saw the Jewish nation as a subhuman race that

would eventually lead to the termination of all people (Anti-

Semitism). The Germans thought that by destroying the

Jews this would eliminate future problems that may occur.

The Nuremburg Laws

According to Larry Neuburger, the Nuremburg Laws were established in 1934. The

Holocaust: A Call to Conscience website states the Nuremburg Laws consisted of two laws: The

Reich Citizen Law and the Law for the Protection of the German Blood and Honor. The Reich


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Nazi propaganda poster from

Germany.

Source:http://bit.ly/HRKHTc

Chart of Nuremburg Laws.

Source: http://bit.ly/IxqXEg

Law stated that the Jews would not be included in the

Germans People Community because of their race. The

Law for the Protection of the German Blood and Honor

specified that Jews and Germans were forbidden from

intermarriage or having any other relations with one another.

The civil rights of all Jews were also taken away whenever

these laws were established (The Nuremburg Laws).

Propaganda

During the Holocaust, propaganda was used against the Jews to promote Hitler and

German rule and to discriminate against the Jews. According to the USHMM, propaganda was

seen in all types of literature including text books in schools, art work, music and many other

sources (Nazi Propaganda). The use of propaganda seemed to be

successful because tolerance for Jewish people in a German society

started to become low. Propaganda helped to encourage

discrimination against the Jews and encouraged the Nazi Party to act

as enforcement against them (Nazi Propaganda).

The website USHMM declares that in Hitlers novel,Mein

Kampf, he states Propaganda tries to force a doctrine on the whole

people... Propaganda works on the general public from the standpoint of an idea and makes them

ripe for the victory of this idea" (Nazi Propaganda). This clearly expresses the idea that Hitler


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knew how the use of the propaganda would affect the German society. Hitlers statement proved

to be true too.

Kristallnacht

PBS reports that Kristallnacht or the night of broken glass transpired in 1938.

Kristallnacht was an attempt to eradicate Jews from Germany. The Nazi Storm troopers were

ordered to burn Jewish synagogues and businesses, break out windows, and destroy the Jewish

buildings (Kristallnacht). They also deported many Jews to concentration camps that night.

After Kristallnacht the life for the Jews became

more difficult. The Nazi government established a Decree

on Eliminating the Jews for a German Economic Life.

This law declared that children were unable to attend

school with Germans, Jewish businesses could not be

reopened, and Jews were not allowed to sell or distribute

any services (Kristallnacht). Unable to make money and support their families the Jews faced

misery.

Ghettos

Life for the Jews continued to worsen as they were placed in ghettos. Ghettos were

isolated communities usually containing a massive amount of Jewish people. According to Larry

Jewish synagogue being burnt down.

Source: http://bit.ly/HEjhdG


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Children in the streets of the ghetto.

Source: http://bit.ly/p8PHez

Neuburger, the ghettos were formed to centralize the Jews. The ghettos were placed in the worst

part of the city and surrounded by a wall or a fence or barbed wire so Jews could not escape.

Inside the ghettos the Jews made communities where they worked and tried to survive.

The British Librarys website describes how ghettos were miserable, unsanitary, and hard to live

in (Ghettos and Deportations). Most people were forced to live with multiple families in one

home or apartment. There was starvation because the food that was brought into the ghettos was

overpriced and unaffordable for the poor and middle-classed Jews (Ghettos and Deportations).

The more wealthy people could afford to eat, while everyone else starved.

The life of a child was very demanding during

the time of the holocaust. The British Library describes

the type of role plays the children had to perform to in

the ghettos. Most children had to smuggle food, help

pay finances and take care of their siblings. Some

children had to raise their siblings when their parents

were either deported or killed (Ghettos and Deportations).

Escape from the ghettos. Some people tried to escape from the ghettos. Few succeeded

at escaping, but some of the people who did escape survived. According to the USCShoah

Foundation, one survivor family that managed to escape and survive was Kristine Kerens

family. She and her family escaped by digging out a tunnel from the basement of their apartment

to the sewer. Her family had to crawl for miles in the dark inside the sewer to get to a place

where they could live without have the fear of falling into the water and drowning. Kristine and

her brother were fairly young at the time they left the ghettos which made it more difficult for

her parents to take care of them while they were crawling through the sewer. Her father tried to


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Attempt at Jewish Resistance.

Source:http://bit.ly/HT1cP7

take care of the family the best he could. He crawled for two to three miles with a teacup in his

teeth to get fresh water for his family to drink. There were twenty other people with them so

they divided the drinking water into parts. They stayed in the sewer for fourteen months before

they were able to leave without being caught.

Poverty in the ghettos. Towards the time that the deportations started occurring, life in

the ghettos was unbearable. Death was rampant because of no food and much disease that the

Jews had to face. The majority of the Jews could not afford to buy food; as a result many died.

People would take their relatives that had died into the streets and leave their bodies there

because they had no money to bury them.

Resistance

Yad Vashem website reports that the Jews made

several attempts of resistance by fighting against the Nazi

officers. Organized groups of Jews were formed in hopes of

dominating the Nazis and finally being free. Resistance plans

against the Nazis occurred in ghettos and were carried out, but

were unsuccessful (Jewish Resistance). The USHMM states that resistance attacks occurred at

three of the killing centers. The Jews used stolen weapons that they had gathered. Most of the

Jews involved in this uprising were killed either during the fight or whenever they were found

from escaping (Jewish Resistance). During the resistance, some Jews were able to escape

through the forests and were unable to be found (Jewish Resistance).


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Wannsee Villa where the Wannsee Conference

was held.Source: http://bit.ly/J5qgyE

Wannsee Conference

The Holocaust Archive and Research Team states the Wannsee Conference was held in

1942 in Berlin. The conference consisted of the Nazi party and the German government leaders

(Wannsee Conference). This conference was held to

discuss what precautions should be taken next with the

Jews. The Final Solution was the plan that was decided at

the meeting. The Final Solution was a plan to place all

Jews in labor camps with harsh environments so that many

people would die in these conditions (The Wannsee

Conference). Jews that survived the labor camps would eventually be killed.

At the Wannsee Conference the plan for immediate termination of the Jews was never

discussed, but soon occurred after the Final Solution was issued. Extermination methods such as

gas chambers were starting to be used on the Jews (The Wannsee Conference). Several gas

chambers were placed at labor camps throughout Europe.

Deportation

The Holocaust Explained website describes how

the Jews were transported to the concentration camps.

Jews from all over Europe were transported to the camps.

The Jews were deported on trains and forced to travel in

small cattle carts for days or weeks without food and

Deportation of the Jews.

Source: http://bit.ly/I7zagQ


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hardly any water (Transport and Arrival). According to Larry Neuburger, many of the Jews died

on their way to the camps because of the harsh conditions.

Selection

Once the Jews were deported to the concentration camps the selection process began.

The females and males were separated and doctors examined the people to see if they were in

good working condition. If they were able to work they were sent to labor camps, but if they

were elderly or ill they were sentenced to death.

Josef Mengele studies. The USHMM states that Mengele, or the

Angel of Death, was a camp doctor who decided which Jews lived and

which were to be sentenced to death (Josef Mengele). Mengele had an

interest in twins. He told the doctors that if they or any officers noticed

any twins they were to report them to him at once (Josef Mengele). The

experiment Mengele was most interested in performing on the twins was

heterochromia. Heterochromia is the color differentiation between one

persons two irises in the eye (Josef Mengele). Mengele desired to figure out how to change eye

color. Many of his victims died or were killed for experimentation. Mengele kept the eyes of his

patients for research after they died (Josef Mengele). Some of his patients that he experimented

on died from the medication given to them. Others that survived the holocaust were tortured

with extreme health defects and abnormalities.

Josef Mengele.

Source: http://bit.ly/IOI1QQ


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Bodies being burned.

Source: http://bit.ly/gNT2HD

Dead bodies at an extermination camp.

Source: http://bit.ly/HU5GAu

Extermination Camps

According to the holocaust history website, at the extermination camps, Jews were killed

in massive amounts at one time. These camps were not

used for labor or holding, but for killing centers. Jews

that were unable to work or were extremely ill were sent

to these camps to be exterminated at once (The Killing

Process). Many Jews died in the extermination camps

from the gas chambers they were sent too.

Extermination Methods

The Nazis had several different extermination

techniques, but their most well-known method was using gas

chambers for multiple people at once. The USHMM website

states that the first type of gassing system the Nazis used was

mobile gas vans which were also known as Einsatzgruppe.

These vans pumped the exhaust from the vehicle into the back of the van where the Jews were.

The Jews then died from the carbon monoxide they breathed in (Gassing Operations). The

women and men were usually shaved and striped of their belongings before entering the gas

chambers. According to Larry Neuburger, their hair and belongings were kept and their hair

would be made into stuffing for pillows.

The Nazis experimented with Zyklon B as an extermination method. They found it to be

useful and convenient because they could kill many people at once in a shorter amount of time


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Celebration of the camp liberation.

Source: http://bit.ly/pmu5cv

than by using the mobile gas vans (Gassing Operations). One of the first camps they used the

Zyklon B gas at was Auschwitz.

Firing Squads. The PBS website says that firing squads were used to kill many Jews at

once. Firing squads were not used for an extreme amount of time. General Erich was concerned

that this method of extermination would have a psychological impact on his army of men (The

Killing Evolution).

Liberation

The USHMM website states that in 1944 the Soviet forces traveled through Europe to

liberate the concentration camps. The first camp liberated was Auschwitz. The Nazis attempted

to cover up the evidence from the killings by destroying

the crematory and disassembling parts of the camps

(Liberation of the Nazi Camps).

Other camps were liberated in the following

months by British and United States forces. The United

States forces liberated over 14,000 Jews and the British

liberated over 60,000 Jews from Northern Germany

(Liberation of the Nazi Camps). Many of the Jews died after being liberated from disease and

malnutrition (Liberation of the Nazi Camps).

Liberation was not easy for the survivors though. They had no home to return to, no

money, and most had no family. The Jews were also fearful of anti-Semitism in their


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After liberation ended.

Source:http://bit.ly/HWKCwE

hometowns (The Aftermath of the Holocaust). This made it difficult for the Jewish people to go

back to living normal lives once again.

After Liberation

The USHMM website describes how the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee

helped to restore normal life for the Jews again (The Aftermath of the Holocaust). They

provided the Jews with food and clothing. Many

organizations helped displaced people find their

families. Many survivors were searching for their

families once the camps were liberated. The Central

Tracing Bureau assisted the Jews in finding lost family

that had survived (The Aftermath of the Holocaust).

Radio broadcasts, newspapers, and other types of

media also contributed in helping survivors find their families (The Aftermath of the Holocaust).

A vast majority of people stayed in displaced person camps until they found a place to

go. The camps held and encouraged weddings and births (The Aftermath of the Holocaust).

They held many Jewish weddings in the camps.

Soon after liberation schools were formed inside the displaced persons camp. Teachers

traveled from Israel and the United States to teach the children in these camps (The Aftermath of

the Holocaust). Children were finally able to receive an education. The adults were trained in

vocational occupations to help them with finding jobs (The Aftermath of the Holocaust).


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Several thousand Jews survived after the extreme measures and torment they endured

during the holocaust, but many died. Some Jewish people that survived the holocaust are still

alive today and are grateful for the life and family they have. They can finally live in peace

knowing that they will never have to endure the holocaust again.


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Works Cited

"Background: Ghettos and Deportations." THE BRITISH LIBRARY. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.

"Holocaust | The Nazi Regime." Projet ALADIN. Web. 14 Apr. 2012.

"The Holocaust." - Yad Vashem. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

"The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students."Hitler Comes to Power. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.

"The Holocaust: A Learning Site for Students." The Nazi Terror Begins. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.

"The Holocaust."Antisemitism. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.

"Holocaust History."Antisemitism. Web. 12 Apr. 2012.

"Holocaust History." Gassing Operations. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

"Holocaust History."Jewish Resistance. Web. 14 Apr. 2012.

"Holocaust History."Josef Mengele. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

"Holocaust History."Liberation of Nazi Camps. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

"Holocaust History."Nazi Propaganda. Web. 12 Apr. 2012.

"Holocaust History." The Aftermath of the Holocaust. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

Holocaust Survivor Kristine Keren Testimony. Dir. USCShoahFoundation. Perf. Kristine Keren.

YouTube. YouTube, 30 Jan. 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2012.

"The Holocaust." Yad Vashem. Web. 11 Apr. 2012.

"The Killing Evolution." PBS. PBS. Web. 19 Apr. 2012.

"The Minutes of the Wannsee Conference Http://www.HolocaustResearchProject.org."

Holocaust Education & Archive Research Team. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.

The Holocaust Overview. Larry Neuburger. 23 Mar. 2012

"The Nuremburg Laws."Holocaust: A Call to Conscience. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.

"The Operation Reinhard Extermination Camps." The Holocaust History Project Homepage.Web. 19 Apr. 2012.

PBS. PBS. Web. 17 Apr. 2012.


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"Transport and Arrival."Auschwitz Transport and Arrival. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.

Well done Ashley.

You started out nicely with your in text citations and then you seemed to forget

that one rule of only citing parenthically when you stop using a source. Other than

that and a few mechanical issues, your paper is well done. I enjoyed reading it.

Points AvailableScore

40 Content paper demonstrates understandingand confidence about topic

37

20Sources uses only primary and secondary

sources20

40

In-Text Citations integrates sources within

text with effective use of signal words and

phrases

32

35 Formatting properly uses MLA formatting 33

25

Works Cited works cited page has the

required number of sources and is properly

formatted

25

15Pictures

uses pictures to enhance the text

with effective captions and source information15


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25Writing Mechanics Paper is free from errors

in spelling, punctuation, etc.22

Total = 200

Total Score

184

holocaust research paper-ashley speer

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