Kelley Holocaust Paper

7/30/2019 Kelley Holocaust Paper

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Research Paper

Holocaust Overview

Whitney Kelley

Mr. Neuburger

Eng. 102-127

9 December 2012


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It is difficult to imagine someone wishing to eliminate an entire race. Human life isnt

something we usually take lightly. Some might wonder what would make someone view a

certain group of people so differently. During World War II and the years before there was a

man who felt that some people were less than others. That man was Adolf Hitler. Through his

rise to power, Hitler was able to turn many against the Jewish people. Due to his radical views

millions of lives were lost and destroyed. It seemed that the rest of the world ignored the sudden

uprising. There were many things that led to the Holocaust. Some were not as obvious as others.

In order to begin comprehending this tragedy one must know of the years before. Within these

years lies a story of how such a thing could arise with little conflict.The Fall of Germany


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World War I was a rough time for Germany. The nation had

been led to believe that they were winning the war. According to The

History Learning Site only a handful of military leaders such as

Ludendorff; a high ranking German general, and Hindenburg; Chief of

the Greater German General Staff, knew the true state of Germany's

military downfall. The British navy had blocked their ports to the north

which hindered trade for Germany (Impact of World War One on the

Weimar Republic). Due to Germanys dwindl ing military numbers they

did not stand a chance when the Allies launched a massive attack. Within a few short weeks theGerman army collapsed. Many German citizens had still been led to believe they were winning

the war. The loss came as quite a shock to most of Germany. Aside from the large hit to the

German military there was also massive loss for many civilians. Citizens faced starvation and

homelessness as most of the farmers had lost their lives in the war. While Germany was already

trying to cope with losing the war and being impoverished they were also forced to sign treaties

with the European Allied Powers. One of these treaties was the Treaty of Versailles. The United

States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) states that this ensured that Germany would

never be able to regain their power thus preventing them from instigating another war. On May

7, 1919 German leaders signed the treaty. This forced Germany to concede territories to

Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Poland. The part of the treaty that buried Germany further in debt

and loss was known as the War Guilt Clause. This forced Germany to accept complete

responsibility for starting World War I; therefore, Germany was reliable for all material

damages. The holders of this treaty knew that the debt could not be paid for and feared Germany

would retaliate, so to further prevent their enemy from regaining strength Germany was granted

Treaty of Versailles

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a limited military. There were to be no more than 100,000 men in the army, Navy vessels were

restricted to less than 100,000 tons, and finally Germany was forbidden to maintain an Air force.

Due to the treatys harsh guidelines many German people saw this as Dictated Peace. The

treaty did not seek to settle the disputes that had instigated the war; it instead made tensions rise

between Germany and the Allies (Treaty of Versailles).

Nazi Party Begins

Many men found the new left-winged Democratic government that had formed as a result

of this treaty was not the way to regain Germany to its former strength. A small party of men

formed and began their own rebel force known as the German Workers Party (GWP.) GWPespoused a right-wing ideology states A Teachers Guide to the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler

discovered this party and joined their ranks. Due to his charisma, determination, and captivating

speeches Hitler quickly rose to leadership within the GWP. He encouraged national pride,

militarism, and wished to make a pure nation. He began to

uncover anti-Semitic feelings that had prevailed in Europe

for centuries. As Hitler gained more followers he changed

the name of the German Workers Party to, the National

Socialist, German Workers Party, shortened to the Nazi

party (or NSDAP.) By 1920 the Nazi party had gathered nearly 3,000 members. Hitler became

the official party leader (Fhrer) in 1921. The time came when Hitler felt the party should

attempt to overthrow the current government. So in 1923 the Nazi Party attempted an armed

overthrow of authorities in Munich, known as the Beer Hall Putsch. The mission failed miserably

and the Nazi Party seemed doomed to fail. Many of its leaders were imprisoned for their acts of

treason. Hitler was given a trial for his crimes and used the courtroom as a propaganda platform

Beer Hall Putsch

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for the Nazi views. The trial lasted 24 days and by the end of this Hitler had gained support and

sympathy for his cause. Furthermore, the right-wing judges sympathized with Hitler and

sentenced him to five years in prison, with eligibility for early parole. One year later Hitler was

released from prison knowing that his party had support from many citizens in Germany (The

Writing of Mein Kampf).

Hitlers Rise to Power

As the Nazi Party grew stronger the democratic government foresaw the danger of their

strength. In 1932, German President Paul von Hindenburg was re-elected. Hindenburg knew that

much of the public was falling in with the National Socialist ideology and would not support himas their leader. Though Hindenburg did not agree with the extreme Nazi views he agreed to try

to appease the people and denounced his Chancellor, Heinrich Bruining, for Franz von Papen

who was willing to lift the ban on Nazi practices and, according to the History site, unilaterally

cancel Germanys reparation payments imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Though this helped

pave the road for the Nazi party Hitler wanted the Chancellorship for himself. Papen lost support

of many people due to his authoritarian views. People were still sore on many authority figures

after the lies they had been told about World War I. Papen, however, realized this and made

peace with Hitler to appoint him as Chancellor and himself as Vice Chancellor. As much of the

government had lost support of the public Hitler had begun to gain many followers. He was able

to gather large crowds and gain support anywhere he went. Alas in 1933 Hitler was announced

Chancellor of Germany. The Nazi party was on the rise. But this was still not enough for Hitler.

In order to do what he planned he would need more power. In February 1933 Hitler blamed a

terrible fire in Reichstag on communists. He convinced Hindenburg to sign a decree suspending

individual and civil liberties. Hitler used this to silence his political opponents with false arrests


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which helped him gain power even faster. Almost all opposition was gone when one man, Ernst

Roem, began voicing his disapproval of the Nazi Party. Hitler had him executed without trial.

This encouraged many reactionary forces to urge Hitler to further consolidate his power by

merging the presidency and the chancellorship. This would make him the commander of the

army as well. A plebiscite vote was held on August 19 th. Many people feared Hitler and wanted

to see their country as powerful as it once was. Due to this Hitler brought in a 90 percent

majority vote. He was now a dictator who was free to force his views on the nation (Adolf Hitler

Becomes President of Germany).

Changing the Nation

As Hitler was now in control of almost every aspect of the nation he felt it was time to

change things to what he felt was best. Hitler wanted to see the country restored to its greater

success. He immediately got Germany back on its feet economically. He began making the

country produce weapons as war is one of the

best ways to make money. He nearly eliminated

unemployment due to the production of arms.

Now he had the support of the people as well as

the military. With all this support Hitler could

enact his much darker plans. In 1935 Hitler

composed something known as the Nuremberg Race Law. This Law,

according to the History Place, deprived German Jews of their rights

of citizenship. The new law restricted Jews in many ways. Jews were

Adolf Hitler Becomes President of Germany

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Nuremberg Race Laws

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no longer aloud to marry anyone who was an Aryan (A blond haired, blue eyed German.) This

law was soon followed by the Law for the Protection of Genetic Health of the German Blood and

Honor. This forced anyone wishing to marry to submit a medical examination to prove they were

fit enough to marry. Furthermore, the new laws caused much confusion. It was unclear how to

know who was a full Jew. The Nazis issued instructional charts to help distinguish Jews from

Mischlinge (Germans of mixed race) and Aryans. As the law became more widely recognized

Jewish people were forced to wear symbols on their clothing so everyone could see who was a

Jew. Not only did they have to wear this on their clothing, but their homes and businesses had to

display this symbol. With symbols pinpointing who was a Jew it would be easy to determinewhich businesses were the ones Hitler and his Nazis wanted to ruin (The Nuremberg Race

Laws).

Kristallnacht

On the night of November 9, , 1938, many were awakened by

the sounds of shattering glass and the smell of smoke. Throughout

Germany Nazi troops were destroying the homes and businesses of

Jewish citizens. The Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) indicates that

the Nazis destroyed 7,000 Jewish businesses, set fire to more than 900

synagogues, killed 91 Jews and deported 30,000 Jewish men to

concentration camps. Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass)

provided the Nazi government an opportunity to completely remove

Kristallnacht

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Jews from German life. This event provided solidity in everything Hitler had been saying since

1933. Hitler did not like the Jews, his government did not like the Jews, and they would be

wiped out of the nation if left for Nazis to decide (Kristallnacht).

World War II Begins Germanys Nazi government was gaining support and power fast.

Hitler felt they needed to expand. On March 13, 1938, Germany took over Austria. This had

been specifically disallowed in the Versailles Treaty. Still, this was not enough; and on

September 28-29, 1938, the French and British handed Germany a large part of Czechoslovakia.

Hitler was eager to gain power and in 1939 took the rest of Czechoslovakia. After gaining both

of these countries Hitler felt it would be easy to continue expanding. He wanted Poland. To gainPoland Hitler signed a pact with the Soviet Union (The Nazi-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact.) This

stated that if Poland were attacked, the Soviet Union would not fight back. Ask.com states that

Germany could not appear to be the aggressor and that on the night of August 31, 1939, Nazis

took a prisoner from one of the concentration camps, dressed him as a Polish soldier, and staged

an attack to appear as if the man had attacked a German radio station. Furthermore with

Germany appearing innocent Hitler could invade Poland. So on September 1, 1939, the Germans

defeated Poland and divided it into three regions. Yad Vashem includes that approximately 1.8

million Jews were trapped in the German-occupied zone of Poland, and more than a million

Polish Jews in the eastern areas of Poland came under Soviet rule (World War II Starts). Hitler

saw that his country was powerful and knew they could now stand for themselves in war. So

after invading Poland the Germans freed themselves of the restraints that had been placed on

them during peacetime. No longer would the nation bow to the demands of other nations. The

country was strong enough and wealthy enough to retaliate. Hitler still wanted more expansion.

German troops kept advancing deeper into Poland. Great Britain and France sent Hitler and


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ultimatum- either withdraw German forces from Poland or Great Britain and France would wage

war against Germany. While the two countries waited for their response Germany kept

advancing into Poland. Great Britain and France saw this and declared war on Germany. World

War II had now begun (The Outbreak of World War II and Anti-Jewish Policy ).

The Final Solution

As the war waged on millions of Jews were captured by Nazi troops. An estimated nine

million Jews were under Nazi control out of the 11 million in Europe. Many began to question

what would be done with the incarcerated Jews. There had been many methods pra cticed to get

rid of them. Nearly 1.5 million Jews had been machine -gunned; but this was not an efficientway to kill so many people. It was messy, too slow,

and too much money was being used for ammo. So

on January 20, 1942, Nazi officials embarked on a

policy called The Final Solution which was

decided upon at a conference held in Wannsee, near

Berlin. There it was decided that the Final Solution

would be mass murder using gas chambers; a more

efficient way to murder the Jews. If they did not use

gas chambers it was just not possible to kill as many people as was needed very efficiently.

According to Simple to Remember, there were six death camps set up. There was: Auschwitz-

responsible for 1.5 million murders, Chelmno- responsible for 320,000 deaths, Treblinka-

responsible for 870,000 deaths, Sobibor- responsible for 250,000 deaths, Maidenek- responsible

for 360,000 deaths, and Belzec- Responsible for 600,000 deaths (The Final Solution). With the

new efficient ways to murder, millions of Jews were wiped out. These deaths camps were cold,

World War II Begins

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The Final Solution

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cruel, and heartless. It had begun to appear as if nothing could be done to save the millions of

innocent lives lost.

Liberation

As the Nazi death camps spread their plague Allied forces planned on taking them down.

With the United States brought into the war from the bombing of Pearl Harbor, they would have

a much stronger military. USHMM states that on June 6, 1944 (known as D-Day), Allies

launched the single largest invasion force in world history, landing nearly 150,000 soldiers on

the beaches of Normandy, France. By the end of the month more than 850,000 American,

British, and Canadian troops had come ashore to end the Nazis re ign of terror. As the Alliesmoved across Europe they stumbled upon concentration camps, mass graves, and many other

sites of Nazi crimes. The first to overrun a major Nazi camp was the Soviet forces. They

discovered Lublin/Majdanek, near Lublin, Poland. Furthermore USHMM states that the soviet

forces liberated the Auschwitz concentration camp complex, where they discovered

approximately 7,000 prisoners, some were even young children who had been left behind when

the Nazis evacuated. As the Allies marched on they witnessed more terror and death. US troops

liberated Buchenwald, Dachau, and Mauthausen, along with hundreds of smaller sub-camps. The

Allies were winning. Nazi troops were falling fast and their government was falling. As Allied

troops annihilated the Nazis, Hitler decided to hide underground in his bunker. He remained

there until April 30 th; where he and his wife, of only two days, took cyanide pills and shot

themselves with Hitlers service pistol, killing both of them. With the suicide of the Naz i Party

leader it was very clear that the party would not rise again. Many had not known of the

seriousness of the camps Jews had been held in. The world soon saw what horrors had been

hidden and was disgusted with what had been done. The Allies had won, and the world saw what


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hideous crimes had been committed. USHMM also states that on May 8, 1945, less than one year

after D-Day, Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender became official, and the world could

celebrate the liberation of Europe from Nazi rule (Liberation).

The Long Wait

The Allies had rescued tens of thousands of Jewish people. They provided them, with

food and clothing. But most Jewish people were afraid to return home as many parts of Europe

still showed extreme anti-Semitism. They simply could not return home. So the Allies were

faced with a difficult problem; where were they going to place all of these people. USHMM

states thattens

of thousands of homeless Holocaustsurvivors migrated westward to other European territories

liberated by the western Allies. There they were housed in

hundreds of refugee centers and displaced

persons (DP) camps (The Aftermath of the

Holocaust). These people had gone from one

camp to another. At least after being liberated they

were properly cared for. But they had no home,

nothing that was theirs, and nowhere to go. Many

Jews aimed to facilitate the exodus of Jewish refugees from Europe to Palestine. Until 1948 the

displaced Jews were trapped with no place to call home. But finally in May of 1948 the State of

Israel was established and refugees streamed into the new state. Also included, is that possibly

170,000 Jewish displaced persons had immigrated to Israel by 1953. Finally, after years of

waiting they had a place to call home. The long wait had ended.

Liberation

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Displaced Persons

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Many things will happen in this world that are out of our control. Things will go

unnoticed and unheard of. But we learned from the Holocaust that we should open our eyes and

listen a little harder. From 1935 to 1948 millions of people were murdered, abused, and left

homeless. Though the Allied troops rescued many of them there is no way to make up for what

was lost. Millions of innocent people were killed due to ignorance. We can only hope that we as

the human race can learn from this. Hatred for race, religion, sexual orientation, and physical

ability will get us nowhere. Nothing like the Holocaust will ever happen again. The world is no

longer blind to such things. But we need to use what we learned to eliminate hate on all levels.

The only reason to learn of such a horror is to hope that we can use this to adapt as a people andbecome better and stronger. If the world betters itself from this experience then the millions of

lives lost were not for nothing.


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Works Cited

"Adolf Hitler Becomes President of Germany." The History Place . A&E Television Networks,

n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"Adolf Hitler Commits Suicide in His Underground Bunker." The History Place . A&E

Television Networks, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"THE AFTERMATH OF THE HOLOCAUST." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum .

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"Kristallnacht." The American Experience . Corporation for Public Broadcasting, n.d. Web. 20

Nov. 2012.

"LIBERATION." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum . United States Holocaust

Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"The Nuremberg Race Laws." The History Place . N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.

"Nuremberg Race Laws." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum . United States Holocaust

Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"The Outbreak of World War II and Anti-Jewish Policy." Yad Vashem . N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov.

2012.

Rosenberg, Jennifer. "World War II Starts." About.com . N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

Spira, Ken. "The Final Solution." Simple To Remember . N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"Treaty of Versailles." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum . United States Holocaust

Memorial Museum, 11 May 2012. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

Trueman, Chris, BA. "Impact of World War One on the Weimar Republic." History Learning

Site . N.p., 2. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"The Writing of Mein Kampf." About Nazism . N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.


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Whitney,

You strayed from the subheadings I asked you to research, but I enjoyed a more detailed account

of how the Nazis came to power. Your paper is informative and fairly well organized.

You do a nice job of integrating your sources in-text. However, sometimes, you started

out writing under a new subheading and presented some information that should probably

be sourced, but just as I would think uh-oh, along would come your sourcing. All-in-all,

your paper demonstrates a solid effort on your part, and you should be proud of it. Good

luck to you in your future endeavors. See below for your score.


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Points AvailableScore

40Content paper demonstrates understanding andconfidence about topic

35

20 Sources uses only primary and secondary sources 17

40In-Text Citations integrates sources within text witheffective use of signal words and phrases

35

35 Formatting properly uses MLA formatting 32

25Works Cited works cited page has the requirednumber of sources and is properly formatted

25

15Pictures uses pictures to enhance the text witheffective captions and source information

15

25Writing Mechanics Paper is free from errors inspelling, punctuation, etc.

20

Total = 200

Total Score

176

Kelley Holocaust Paper

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