How did the Nazis' racial policies develop during WW2? Flashcards
What was Einsatzgruppen?
(SS Einsatzgruppen =special squads)
SS troops sent in to destroy all the elements of resistance
What was the initial impact of the Einsatzgruppen?
about 16,000 Poles executed in mass shootings in autumn of 1939
immediately started violent persecution of Polish Jews
army encouraged its soldiers in the torture of Jews
Why was the role of the Einsatzgruppen expanded and when?
in 1941 when the Third Reich invaded the Soviet Union
marked decisive development in racial war
What did the four special Action Units, A,B,C and D do?
responsible for rounding up local Jews and Communist party officials, they were then murdered in a series of mass shootings
How many Russian Jews had been killed by the end of 1941?
estimated that by the end of 1941, 600,000 Russian Jews had been killed
Why did Ghettoisation develop?
because as the policy towards the Jews evolved 1939-41, it became increasingly important for the SS to concentrate Jews into controlled areas
When did the Nazis create ghettos?
During WW2, forcibly moved Jews into them
What were the ghettos like?
they were surrounded by high walls, barbed wire & guards, escape was difficult, smuggling food or goods into ghettos was difficult, meant many inhabitants died of starvation or disease
What happened to ghettos from spring 1940?
ghettos became sealed from spring 1940, with the penalty of death for anyone caught trying to escape
What were the conditions in the ghettos like after this?
conditions in the ghetto deteriorated, eg cramped living conditions, limited heating fuel, disease, death, poor sanitation
What happened as a result of the poor conditions in the ghettos?
In the first two years of the war, half a million Polish Jews died
What was the Final Solution?
Orchestrate the killing of every Jew in Europe
What evidence shows that Hitler was against Jews?
Jan 1944, Himmler publicly stated in a speech to army officers that Hitler had given him a ‘Fuhrer Order’ to give priority to the ‘total solution of the Jewish question’.
What happened in the Autumn of 1941 (racial policy against Jews) ?
Sept 1941, all Jews were forced to wear the yellow star of David
What was the impact of the German occupation of Poland 1939?
it brought some 3 million Jews under Nazi control, before this the regime had encountered only a few hundred thousand Jews
How many Jews had the SS Einsatzgruppen murdered by Spring 1942?
SS Einsatzgruppen had murdered over 500,000 Jews by Spring 1942
What was the impact of the invasion of the USSR?
brought another 3 million Jews under Nazi control
What is often portrayed as the ‘decisive’ meeting for the Final Solution?
The Wannsee Conference in West Berlin on the 20th January 1942
What plans were drawn up at Wannsee Conference in Jan 1942?
plans to conscript Jews into labour gangs in Eastern Europe in which it was expected a large number would die
By this point the decision to kill using poison gas had been decided upon as cost effective & efficient
What happened to camps in the course of 1942?
a no. of camps in Poland were developed into mass extermination centres, most notably Auschwitz, Sobibor & Treblinka
When was the Warsaw Ghetto destroyed?
Feb 1943
What was the process leading up to the deaths in the gas chambers?
most of the Polish Jews were cleared from their ghettos, then transported by train in appalling conditions to their deaths in the gas chambers
What was the impact of the death chambers (deaths) ?
it is believed that of the original 3 million Polish Jews, only 4000 survived the war
By 1945, how many European Jews had been murdered in the Holocaust?
It is estimated that 6 million had been murdered altogether
What other groups were targeted by racial policies?
Gypsies, political opponents, Jehovah Witnesses, asocials and Soviet prisoners of war
Most dies through starvation, disease, overwork, or were shot or beaten
How many Gypsies were sent to Auschwitz?
23,000 were sent to Auschwitz in 1943 and 1944
What do Functionalists argue the reason the regime abandoned plans for resettlement and adopted policy of extermination was?
functionalists argue extermination became likely once it was clear the war would not be won quickly
the resettlement would create huge organisational problems for the regime, which would get in way of the priority of equipping the army to fight. Therefore extermination would help resolve this problem.
What do Intentionalists argue the reason the regime abandoned plans for resettlement and adopted policy of extermination was?
challenge Functionalists, argue it was not just a response to military situation
argue that Hitler was committed to such a policy from early in his career & gradually increased pressures of Jewish population, leading ultimately to extermination because that is what he wanted
What events suggest that adopting the policy of extermination/ the final solution was haphazard (unplanned) ?
Invasion of USSR- 3 million more Jews
became clear that war in Russia would not be over quickly, resettling large numbers in Poland or elsewhere became impossible + would have got in way of war effort
it was only after this that clear plan emerged in Wannsee Conference
What else do Functionalists argue?
Hitler did not have control over many policies
Nazi Germany was chaotic – a ‘polycracy’
Hitler: The Weak Dictator
The Holocaust was a result of chaotic policy and individuals seeking to impress Hitler
What else to Intentionalists argue?
Hitler had personal responsibility for decisions
Hitler: The Strong Dictator
Hitler took responsibility for ‘big’ decisions
The mass murder of the Jews was always intended – Hitler willed it.
What are the key racial policies to talk about?
SS Einsatzgruppen
Ghettoisation
The Final Solution
What did Heydrich Himmler tell the assembly at the Wannsee Conference 1942?
that the Madagascar plan wouldn’t work anymore, instead the Fuhrer had agreed that all Jews would be evacuated to east + made to work
those who survived the harsh conditions would be sent to death camps
When did the gassing of Jews at Auschwitz begin?
March 1942
What happened to the Jews on arrival at the camps? (the Final Solution in practice)
newcomers had their clothes & possessions confiscated
hair was cropped short, then sprayed with disinfectant, photographed, tattooed with their numbers
issued with blue-striped grey uniforms
What was the daily ration in the death camps?
daily ration of food limited to 1300 calories, then expected to work from dawn to dusk
how many were housed in a hut in the death camps?
40-50 housed in a hut, no personal hygiene
When was the first Jewish ghetto set up?
In Lodz in April 1940
What was the impact of ghettos of Jews?
Jews were gradually eliminated due to famine, cold + epidemics
Who were the Ordnungspolizei?
special units of the police
What did the Einsatzgruppen + Ordnungspolizei do?
followed immediately behind the invading armies to begin the process of ethnic cleansing
What was the impact of the Einsatzgruppen + Ordnungspolizei process of ethnic cleansing?
inhumane killing of thousands of Jews occurred widely across the country
eg up to 33,000 perished at Babi Yar in Sept 1941, 20,000 at Kharkov and 30,000 at Bialystok in Aug 1943
