Nazi Concentration/Extermination Camp Background
The Holocaust began in 1933 and ended in 1945. It started as the Nazis slowly took away all the Jewish peoples' rights. Approximately 11 million people were killed during the Holocaust, 6 million of them being Jews. About two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population were murdered by the Nazis. Around 1.1 million children lost their lives in the Holocaust.
Life in the Ghettos
The ghettos were located in a part of the city that was completely empty. The largest ghetto was Warsaw, in Poland. There were about 400,000 people in the ghettos and if any of them tried to escape, they were assigned a death sentence. There was a division between the Jews and the non-Jews. The conditions were so brutal, that many of them decided to commit suicide rather than stand the physical and emotional pain any longer. In Warsaw, the population was 400,000 people and they lived in only 2.5 square miles. There were also a lot of diseases in the ghettos, and food was scarce. Despite these conditions, the Jews in the ghettos secretly studied, prayed, kept diaries, set up schools, and tried to govern themselves. The Nazis tried everything on their behalf to keep the Jews under control. For example, when the Jews rebelled, the Nazis took action by burning down the entire ghetto until nothing remained. The surviving Jews were then sent to concentration camps.
Life in the Concentration Camps
Life in the concentration camps were terrifying for the prisoners. From 1933 to 1938, most of the civilians in the concentration camps were political prisoners. They were put in these camps because they showed how they were against Hitler or the Nazis. They were called "asocial" by the Nazis. The Jews weren't the only ones who were put into concentration camps. Although they made up majority of the population, gypsies, homosexuals, communists, hobos, blacks, Russians, other Slavs, and anyone else against the Nazi beliefs were put into concentration camps. In Auschwitz, the prisoners lived in either brick or wooden barracks. The roofs of the barracks were usually leaky because they were made out of straw. They lived in very unsanitary conditions so diseases spread rapidly. Three or more people slept on one bunk without any pillows or mattresses. Many Nazi doctors performed brutal medical experiments on these civilians against their choice. Like in the ghettos, there wasn't a sufficient amount of food. In Auschwitz, labor was one of the main ways to destroy the prisoners. The Nazis made the prisoners construct buildings and dig ditches. The people in the camps were also beaten and abused. Many times they died from these harsh treatments. Then the Nazis came up with a more effective way to get rid of the Jews once and for all. They called it the "Final Solution."
The Final Solution
The "Final Solution" was to kill all Jews in the extermination camps. These camps were like the concentration camps, except they were built with gas chambers used to kill large amounts of people in short periods of time. This started in 1942 right after the Wannsee Conference. The conference was a meeting between the Nazi officials in Berlin to discuss the "Final Solution." The decision to start the "Final Solution" was likely in Adolf Hitler's control. The decision was called the "Final Solution" simply to hide the cruelty from the public. In the extermination camps, the people were gassed and shot.
Ghettos --> Concentration Camps --> Extermination Camps
Concentration camps= Work and Starvation
Extermination Camps= Death Camps
Life in the Ghettos
The ghettos were located in a part of the city that was completely empty. The largest ghetto was Warsaw, in Poland. There were about 400,000 people in the ghettos and if any of them tried to escape, they were assigned a death sentence. There was a division between the Jews and the non-Jews. The conditions were so brutal, that many of them decided to commit suicide rather than stand the physical and emotional pain any longer. In Warsaw, the population was 400,000 people and they lived in only 2.5 square miles. There were also a lot of diseases in the ghettos, and food was scarce. Despite these conditions, the Jews in the ghettos secretly studied, prayed, kept diaries, set up schools, and tried to govern themselves. The Nazis tried everything on their behalf to keep the Jews under control. For example, when the Jews rebelled, the Nazis took action by burning down the entire ghetto until nothing remained. The surviving Jews were then sent to concentration camps.
Life in the Concentration Camps
Life in the concentration camps were terrifying for the prisoners. From 1933 to 1938, most of the civilians in the concentration camps were political prisoners. They were put in these camps because they showed how they were against Hitler or the Nazis. They were called "asocial" by the Nazis. The Jews weren't the only ones who were put into concentration camps. Although they made up majority of the population, gypsies, homosexuals, communists, hobos, blacks, Russians, other Slavs, and anyone else against the Nazi beliefs were put into concentration camps. In Auschwitz, the prisoners lived in either brick or wooden barracks. The roofs of the barracks were usually leaky because they were made out of straw. They lived in very unsanitary conditions so diseases spread rapidly. Three or more people slept on one bunk without any pillows or mattresses. Many Nazi doctors performed brutal medical experiments on these civilians against their choice. Like in the ghettos, there wasn't a sufficient amount of food. In Auschwitz, labor was one of the main ways to destroy the prisoners. The Nazis made the prisoners construct buildings and dig ditches. The people in the camps were also beaten and abused. Many times they died from these harsh treatments. Then the Nazis came up with a more effective way to get rid of the Jews once and for all. They called it the "Final Solution."
The Final Solution
The "Final Solution" was to kill all Jews in the extermination camps. These camps were like the concentration camps, except they were built with gas chambers used to kill large amounts of people in short periods of time. This started in 1942 right after the Wannsee Conference. The conference was a meeting between the Nazi officials in Berlin to discuss the "Final Solution." The decision to start the "Final Solution" was likely in Adolf Hitler's control. The decision was called the "Final Solution" simply to hide the cruelty from the public. In the extermination camps, the people were gassed and shot.
Ghettos --> Concentration Camps --> Extermination Camps
Concentration camps= Work and Starvation
Extermination Camps= Death Camps