This document outlines the historical background, build up to and development of the Holocaust. It also includes various interpretations of the Holocaust (includes wide-ranging schools of thought eg. intentionalism and historians with their unique views). Also includes tips and a 'how to structure ...
The Holocaust and its interpretations
General Knowledge
The theories for the rise of anti-semitism
Modernisation theory
Modernisation embodied the rise of liberalism and capitalism which led to the social,
political and economic emancipation of Jews
Variant:
● Arendt believed that by the end of the 19th century, european countries became less
dependent on Jewish wealth and, so, Jews experienced a major loss of power whilst
remaining the holders of major wealth
● All wealth, no power made them easy targets
Argument for:
● The ‘losers’ (social groups or nations) in the modernization process tended to
harbour strong anti-Jewish feelings
● Much like Hitler and the basis of his party
Issues:
● Fails to give a convincing argument for the temporal and spatial variations
Scapegoat theory
Jews constituted a minority group dispersed amongst many nations (due to the ToV) and
served as a convenient target for the majority’s problems
Argument for:
● In times of national crisis, people instinctively seek groups upon whom to assign the
blame
Issues:
● Fails to inform us why Jews were chosen instead of other minorities
● Fails to inform us why, in societies where Jews were present, other minorities were
chosen
Strong state theory
A strong state is perceived as having imposed on society the emancipation of Jews,
anti-semitism tends to be strong (eg. France and Germany). But where the state is relatively
weak and Jews obtained equal rights through society rather than the state, antisemitism
tends to be muted (eg. Britain and the USA).
● The stronger acceptance is forced in people, the more they reject it
Issues:
● Fails to explain temporal variations
,Political and culture theory
Weiss points to a ‘powerful culture of racism’ existing in Germany. For Goldhangen,
anti-semitism was an axiom of German culture which provided Germans with ‘a model of
cultural coherence’. In Germany, it embodied an ‘eliminationist’ ideology interpreting
Jewish influence as a destructive force.
Issues:
● Fails to explain temporal variations
Ghettoisation and Jewish responses to the Holocaust
Creation of ghettos
● German occupation authorities established the first ghetto in Poland in Piotrków
Trybunalski in October 1939
● Aims:
○ To isolate Jews from the rest of society and prevent them from influencing or
contaminating the Aryan population
○ To subject them to harsh living conditions, limited resources, and frequent
violence and abuse by Nazi officials and local collaborators.
○ By forcing Jews into ghettos, the Nazis could control their economic activities
and confiscate their property.
○ By confining Jews to a small, restricted area, the Nazis could closely monitor
their activities and prevent them from organising or resisting their persecution.
○ Facilitating deportation: By concentrating Jews in one area, the Nazis could
more easily transport them to their eventual destination.
Conditions within the ghettos
● Overcrowding: The ghettos were designed to hold far more people than they could
accommodate, leading to extreme overcrowding.
● Lack of food: The Nazis severely restricted the amount of food that was available in
the ghettos, leading to widespread hunger and malnutrition.
● Poor sanitation: The ghettos lacked adequate sanitation facilities, leading to the
spread of disease and illness. The lack of clean water, proper sewage systems, and
garbage collection created unsanitary conditions.
● Forced labour: Many Jews were forced to work in the ghettos, often under brutal
conditions and with little pay. The work was often physically demanding and
dangerous, and many Jews were forced to perform tasks that were beyond their
abilities or training.
● Violence and abuse: Jews in the ghettos were often subject to violence and abuse
by Nazi officials and local collaborators. They were frequently beaten, robbed, and
harassed, and many were subjected to arbitrary arrests and execution.
Timeline
Sept, 1791: Jews emancipated in France - the removal of all legal discrimination against
Jews and the granting of rights equal
, 1930s: 500,000 German Jews make up less than one percent (0.8%) of the German
population
Jan. 30th, 1933: Hitler is reluctantly appointed as chancellor by Paul von Hidenburg
➔ Start of anti-jewish laws
March 10th, 1933: Hitler publicly expressed opposition to spontaneous acts of anti-semitism
April 1st, 1933: April boycott - SA guards blocked access to Jewish-owned businesses and
daubed anti-Jewish slogans on the shops
➔ Only lasted 1 day due to the lack of resonance with German shoppers
Sept 15th, 1935: the Nuremberg Race Laws - first announced at a Nazi Party rally held in
the German city of Nuremberg, they aimed to conserve aryan ‘purity’. They were composed
of two laws:
● The Reich Citizenship Law: defined a citizen as a person who is “of German or
related blood.” This meant that Jews, defined as a separate race, could not be full
citizens of Germany, and had no political rights.
● The Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour: against what the
Nazis viewed as race-mixing or “race defilement” (“Rassenschande”). It banned
future intermarriages and sexual relations between Jews and people “of German or
related blood.”
1936: Olympic Games - the Nazi regime actually toned down much of its public anti-Jewish
rhetoric and activities by removing some of the signs saying "Jews Unwelcome" from public
places
● Still gave the other countries an idea of what was going on
1938: Anti-Jewish laws are passed in Italy (except for deportation)
July 6-14th, 1938: Evian Conference - 32 countries involved, to discuss ways to help
Jewish refugees fleeing Germany. At the end, only the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica
agreed to raise their quotas.
Nov 9-10th, 1938: Kristallnacht (“Crystal Night”) - SS and SA officers dressed as German
citizens burnt or damaged Jewish properties, including synagogues.
● Significant as it is the first openly violent action against Jews by the government
Nov 11th, 1938: 30 000 Jewish men were sent to concentration camps
November 21st, 1938: Kindertransport - it was agreed that an unlimited number of child
refugees were allowed temporary refuge in Britain, if privately financed
1939: All private jewish banks had been absorbed by ‘Aryan’ entities
Jan 30th, 1939: Prophecy speech - Hitler gives speech at Reichstag saying if war erupts, it
will mean the extermination of Jews
March 1939: Germany invaded Prague, Czechoslovakia
Sept 1st, 1939: Germany invaded Poland within a month, start of WW1
Sept 21st, 1939: Reinhard Heydrich, chief of the Security Police, sent a directive, the
Schnellbrief, which stated that all Jews in Poland should be transferred to ghettos.
Oct. 1939: First ghetto in Poland is established
1940: The idea of deporting Jews to Madagascar was revived by the Nazis but failed
May 1940: Germany attacked France, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium
May 1940: Concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau became operational
June 1940: Paris fell to the Germans
➔ Propelled Hitler to a new popularity level in Germany
July 1940: Hilter stars planning Operation Barbarossa
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