Final Exam Flashcards
General Plan East
: A Nazi German plan for the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Eastern Europe.
General Government
An administrative unit in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II.
Quisling:
A term derived from the name of Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian collaborator with the Nazis, used to describe someone who collaborates with an enemy occupying force.
Fall of France
Refers to the rapid German invasion and defeat of France during World War II in 1940.
Vichy
Refers to the government of Nazi-occupied France during World War II, led by Marshal Philippe Pétain.
Battle of Britain
A series of air battles between the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the German Luftwaffe in 1940, during which the British successfully defended against German air attacks.
Blitzkrieg:
A German term meaning “lightning war,” describing a military tactic characterized by sudden, overwhelming attacks to quickly incapacitate the enemy.
The Blitz
Refers to the sustained bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany during 1940-1941.
Operation Barbarossa
The code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, breaking the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.
Einsatzgruppen
Mobile killing squads deployed by the Nazis during World War II for mass murder, particularly of Jews, behind the German front lines.
Babi Yar
A ravine in Ukraine where the Nazis massacred tens of thousands of Jews and others.
Wannsee Conference
A meeting in 1942 where high-ranking Nazi officials coordinated plans for the systematic genocide of European Jews.
Intentionalism
Historical interpretation that emphasizes the idea that the Holocaust was a result of Hitler’s deliberate, premeditated plan.
Functionalism
Historical interpretation that emphasizes the bureaucratic and decentralized development of the Holocaust without a centralized master plan.
Concentration Camps
Detention centers where people, often political dissidents or minority groups, were imprisoned, subjected to harsh conditions, and forced labor.
Extermination Camps
Camps specifically designed for the mass murder of people, primarily Jews, using gas chambers and other means.
Dual-Purpose Camps
Camps initially established for forced labor but later turned into extermination camps.
Auschwitz medical experiments
Inhumane and often deadly medical experiments conducted on inmates at Auschwitz concentration camp by Nazi doctors.
“Selection”
The process in concentration and extermination camps where prisoners were chosen for forced labor or immediate death.
Kanada/Canada
Slang used by prisoners in Auschwitz to refer to the area where confiscated belongings were stored.
Killing process(es)
Methods used in extermination camps for mass murder, including gas chambers, mass shootings, and other brutal means.
Sonderkommando
Special units of Jewish prisoners forced to work in and around gas chambers and crematoria.
Puffkommando
A term used to describe groups of prisoners in Nazi concentration camps who were forced to work in the gas chambers.
Operation Gomorrah
The Allied bombing campaign targeting the German city of Hamburg in 1943 during World War II.
Battle of Berlin
The final major offensive of the European Theatre of World War II, where the Allies sought to capture the German capital.
Liberation
The term used to describe the Allied forces’ arrival at concentration and extermination camps, freeing surviving prisoners
Death Marches
Forced marches of prisoners, particularly towards the end of World War II, as the Nazis evacuated camps to prevent their liberation.
Displaced Persons
People who were forced to flee their homes during and after World War II, including Holocaust survivors.
UNRRA
An international organization founded in 1943 to provide relief to areas liberated from Axis powers.
IMT
The Nuremberg Trials, where top Nazi leaders were prosecuted for war crimes, crimes against peace, and crimes against humanity.
Nuremberg Trials
A series of military tribunals held to bring Nazi war criminals to justice after World War II.
Eichmann Trial
The trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the key organizers of the Holocaust, held in Israel in 1961.
Adolf Hitler
The dictator of Nazi Germany and the orchestrator of the Holocaust.
Hermann Göring
A leading member of the Nazi Party, founder of the Gestapo, and a key figure in the Nazi regime.
Joseph Goebbels
The Minister of Propaganda in Nazi Germany, responsible for spreading anti-Semitic propaganda.
Heinrich Himmler
Chief of the SS and one of the key architects of the Holocaust.
Reinhard Heydrich
A high-ranking SS officer and key planner of the “Final Solution.”
Adolf Eichmann
A key architect of the Holocaust, responsible for organizing the logistics of mass deportations.
Rudolf Hoess (Höss)
The commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp.
Maria Mandl
A female concentration camp guard and one of the key figures at Auschwitz.
Josef Mengele
Infamous for his inhumane experiments on prisoners, especially twins, at Auschwitz.
Liana Millu
An Italian Holocaust survivor and writer who documented her experiences in the concentration camps.
