...Despite all that we know about the Holocaust and death camps, Dachau was never a death camp like Auschwitz. ¨ Dachau - The significances of the name will never be erased from Germany history. It stands for all concentration camps which the Nazis established in their territory.¨ (This quote was from Eugen Kogon a historian and also a survivor of the holocaust.) Hundreds of thousands of people died at Dachau not only from gas chambers but also by getting shot, diseases and starvation. The Dachau concentration camp was established in March 1933. It was the first regular concentration established by the National Socialist ( Nazi ) government. During the first year, the camp held 4,800 prisoners. The number of jewish prisoners at Dachau rose....
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...English II – 1 Period 27 May 2014 Dachau Concentration Camp Established on March 22 by Heinrich Himmler, Dachau was first of the Nazi concentration camps to open in Germany, and was in operation the longest from 1933 to 1945; all twelve years of the Nazi regime. Dachau is located on the grounds of an abandoned World War I munitions factory. The first buildings served as the main camp until 1937, when prisoners were forced to expand the camp and demolish the original buildings. The new camp, completed in mid 1938, included 32 barracks and was designed to hold 6,000 prisoners; however, the camp population was usually over that number electrified fences were installed and seven watchtowers were placed around the camp (20th Century History 19) . At the entrance of Dachau was an iron gate with the infamous phrase, "Arbeit Macht Frei" ("Work Will Make You Free”). The first commandant of Dachau, Hilmar Wäckerle, was replaced in June 1933 after being charged with murder of a prisoner. Although Wäckerle’s conviction was overruled by Hitler, who stated that Dachau and all other concentration camps were not to be subjected to German law, Heinrich Himmler wanted to bring in new leadership for the camp. Dachau’s second commandant, Theodor Eicke, established a set of regulations for daily operations in Dachau that would soon become the model for all Nazi concentration camps. A variety of SS officers trained under Eicke,...
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...years ago. The Holocaust is not another shrapnel of ancient antiquity to be disserted – it is a chapter of modern history which must be deliberated and reflected upon. For this time, history cannot repeat itself. The nefarious concentration camps had their own social climate, as Jews braced themselves every day for the same endless battle of survival and did anything they had to do in order to outlive their relentless enemy – death. The story of how countless people were ripped from their homes and thrown into death camps is told firsthand, by the autobiographical novel, Night, written by Holocaust survivor Eliezer Wiesel. According to Wiesel’s recollection, it all commenced when German officers began to enter Jewish towns and occupy them. There was talk of German tensions, but almost everyone was indifferent. Before they knew it, Jews were being placed into ghettos, curfews were being imposed on them, and they were having more rights taken away from them. Anti-Semitism became...
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...The Holocaust was an act of genocide that claimed the lives of many innocent people in many cruel ways. The victims’ fates were chosen by Nazi doctors through a process called selection. The Schutzstaffel (SS men) would take victims from their homes and families and put them into concentration camps where they would find out if they were to live or die. There were two main options in the concentration camps: labor or gas chamber. If the fate of the prisoner wasn’t labor or the gas chamber then they were likely shot or died because of the harsh conditions that they had to live in. That’s mainly how the victims were murdered. Another way their lives were taken was by the Einsatzgruppen (mobile killing units). These killing units would...
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...as a residence for the worst enemies of the Germans. Madagascar became the most seriously discussed location for a Jewish relocation. Madagascar was perfect because it was a remote location that had unfavorable conditions so it would hasten deaths. This plan was approved by Hitler in 1938 and was carried out until the mass murder began in 1941(Facts about the holocaust). This first step was an important psychological step on the path to the mass murders of the Holocaust. Concentration camps were where the Nazis kept Jews, political prisoners, criminals, homosexuals, gypsies, and the mentally disabled. These camps were founded at first as a place of incarceration (HISTORY). The death rate at the camps was very high, 50 percent, when they were only designed as incarceration centers. After 1939 the camps became places where the prisoners were either killed or made as slave laborers (TIMELINE). The prisoners were also undernourished and often tortured. It is estimated that the Nazis had fifteen thousand camps and...
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..."Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames, which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments, which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never" (Elie Wiesel, holocaust survivor). The Holocaust. Just thinking about...
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...World War II was a horrific time in history. The war was mostly fought in Europe, but it affected people across the world. When thinking of the internment camps during the war, Texas probably does not come to mind, however, Texas had the largest of any of the World War II internment camps. The camp held American civilians of German, Japanese, and Italian ancestry. In Europe, concentration camps were growing rampant and innocent people were being shipped like cattle in train cars to work there or sadly be killed. Comparing and anaylzing the differing camps between Europe and Texas, reveals that they had their differences, but there were also too many similarities to the mindest against prisoners of war. Crystal City had humble beginnings early...
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...World War II: The American Experience Kristi Dodd History/120 November 13, 2014 Christina Winn World War II: The American Experience It is no known secret that America attempted to reframe from becoming a part of what was projected as being a major war which started with the European culture. Historians believe that the second war was a contribution of the Great Depression which caused for America to seize from their investments in Europe. This caused for a struggle of power in Europe which provide an opportunity for Hitler and Stalin to obtain control over Europe. However receiving control over Britain would become a challenge. The prime minister at that time knew in order to survive he would need an alliance; the United States. With Germany, Italy, and Japan seizing majority of Europe, President Roosevelt agreed to support Britain in the war in order to promote the “Four Freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom for want, and freedom for fear” (Schultz, 2012). With the booming of Pearl Harbor on December 7, President Roosevelt requested that Congress declare war. The beginning of World War II took place right after war was declared by the Congress and with Hitler also declaring war on the United States. The Military Experience At the Casablanca Conference held in Casablanca, Morocco in January 1943; the decision was made to invade Italy. The Allies had their first war conference to discuss the invasion. This launched the Italian Campaign which placed...
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...can be difficult to determine where to start. This reading list is collected from recommendations from other members of The Holocaust History Project. It is not a complete bibliography but represents our opinion as to what are the most useful starting places for research. Since this list concentrates on works that are easily available and useful to a person unacquainted with the history of the Holocaust, many excellent books which are rare or out of print are not listed. Another class of books that are not included is works that are controversial because of their contents or the unusual theories they propose. Some of these are excellent works, others are not. But we feel that the reader for whom this list was compiled would not have the knowledge needed to evaluate these discussions of the legitimate controversies about the Holocaust. Just as a medical student must learn anatomy before he or she is taught surgery, someone studying the Holocaust must know the factual background before some of the more technical studies can be understood. As well as general works we have included books of specialized interest concerning the matters about which we at The Holocaust History Project are most frequently asked. Many of these books deal with more than one subject, but in the interest of brevity we have not cited a book more than once. General history of the Holocaust The Holocaust was not just an event. It was a process that continued for over a decade and involved millions of people...
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...Themes in This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen The Holocaust was a depressing time in history that caused many people grief, anguish, and fear. Many people from the Holocaust have written about their experiences and trials they faced not only in concentration camps, but in their lives living under Hitler’s rule. Prisoners in the concentration camps would often have journals hidden so others could read about their lives. Surviving several concentration camps while in his twenties the author of This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen, Tadeusz Borowski, faced difficult times. Often taking extreme measures to ensure his survival, he was able to live at the expense of others’ lives. While living among the other prisoners of the concentration camp, Birkenau, Borowski does some seemingly unthinkable things. He was one of the more privileged prisoners because of the job he kept. When new transports would come in, he would take their belongings which included food, clothing, and supplies. The people would be sent immediately to the gas chambers, and the supplies taken had to be given back to the guards for upkeep of the camps, but the men who unloaded the prisoners got to keep the food. “Canada” as it was called among the prisoners, symbolized wealth and survival because this was where all the clothing and valuables were taken to distribute to Germany (Borowski 1454). The men working to unload the cattle cars were also like Canada...
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...University of California. She teaches history specialized in World War II and what happened between the US and Japan, which brings the topic of writing this book. She wrote this book to show the horrifying things that the government did to the Japanese after the attacks of Pearl Harbor. To show the real history and the real events that government does not show in the history books. The Murray’s main purpose is to spread what happened to the all Japanese people during the World War II. She uses five other researchers and activist specialized in this topic, to support her argument and also to let the reader hear the opinion of other researchers. The author uses many of evidence to make her argument stronger...
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...The Holocaust was traumatizing event in the 1900s. It was a life changing event for the Jews. This time period went down in history. Rudolf Hoss, estimated during the Nuremberg Trial that nearly three million people died while being held hostage in death camps. Also, ninety percent of the ones killed were known as Jews. In death camps the people who were known as “different” suffered from cruel treatment, harsh environment and immoral medical experiments. Well, we all know Hitler had millions of people killed in death camps. It seemed, due to the history that Hitler was a racist man. Hitler disliked any other race that were not considered his race. “That if they eliminated the people who stood in their way and the degenerates and racially inferior, they-the great Germans would prosper” (Schwartz). So, Hitler wanted to kill a lot of...
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...Liberation of Concentration Camps in Europe If you were to endure years of extreme, inhumane treatment from an overpowering regime- just because you’d be considered a minority- how would you imagine yourself feeling the moment of liberation? Take a moment to picture this in your mind: after being in the concentration camp where you’d starve, be mistreated, and abused, you hear rumors of foreign troops on their way to free you. Consequently, upon hearing this, the cruel Nazi leaders tried to move you all from the camp, where hundreds died on these death marches, and yet they still tried to destroy all the evidence of their crimes that they could. The soldiers came and freed all the people in the...
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...as the National Socialist German Worker's Party, planned to murder the Jewish people. They called this plot, “the final solution.” The Holocaust was a devastating time during World War Two,that changed the lives of many people all over the world. The name holocaust comes from the Greek word “holokauston”, meaning sacrifice from fire. The holocaust killed many groups of people such as the Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the disabled for persecution, but mostly the Jews. When Hitler first gained power, he formed an advanced police and military force to smother anyone who criticized his authority. With this force, Hitler developed the first concentration camp, Dachau. A concentration camp was used to work and starve prisoners to death. Later Dachau became a huge concentration camp to exterminate Jews. Hitler made life miserable for Jews. On April of 1933, the Nazis initiated by boycotting all Jewish ran businesses. The Nuremberg Laws issued in September of 1935, made it so Jews were excluded from most public life. The law included exposing the German Jews of their citizenship, and outlawed marriages and extramarital sex between Jews and Germans. This law was the start of all legal standards for additional anti-Jewish legislation. After the Nuremberg Laws, many new laws against Jews were created. These laws kept Jews away from parks, fired them from civil service jobs, forced Jews to register their property, and prohibited Jewish...
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...context. Second: to investigate how music was a form of healing and a form of torture. Thirdly: to study the remarkable lives of Viktor Ullmann and Alma Rose (Gustave Mahler’s niece). Viktor Ullmann was in the Terezin camp in which he composed a great deal, some of which this essay will discuss. Alma Rose was in Auschwitz and survived. Both composed music during their time in the different concentration camps. They found healing in music in the traumatic and horrifying time that was the Holocaust....
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