Rise of Nazism and the Holocaust Quiz

Rise of Nazism and the Holocaust

• Mein Kampf (1925): Hitler's book, blaming Jews as Germany's enemies.

• Hitler's Rise to Power (1933): Nazis gained power using propaganda, scapegoating Jews for economic problems (Treaty of Versailles, Wall Street Crash), and blaming them for WWI defeat.

• Immediate Persecution (1933 onward): Jews were persecuted, forced to give up money/emigrate.

Nazi Policies Against Jews

• April 1, 1933: Nationwide Boycott: Joseph Goebbels led a boycott of Jewish businesses.

• Nuremberg Laws (1935): Deprived Jews of rights, labeled them "non-citizens," and segregated them in ghettos. Prohibited marriage with Germans, restricted professions, and ultimately excluded children from schools.

• Kristallnacht (November 9, 1938): Widespread violence against Jews, synagogues destroyed, and businesses & homes vandalized/burnt. Coordinated attacks, often with tacit support from others.

• 1938-1940 Restrictions: Jews stripped of their civil rights. Forbidden to attend university, hospitals, cinemas, and schools. Passports invalidated. Forced into overcrowded, unsanitary ghettos.

Defining Terms

• Genocide: Deliberate killing of a large group of people.

• Pogrom: Organized attack on a minority group, often Jews.

• Untermenschen: Nazi term for "subhuman," used to dehumanize various groups.

• Herrenvolk: "Master race" (Aryans).

• SA (Brownshirts): Nazi paramilitary groups intimidating Jews

• Shtetl: Small Jewish towns/villages in Eastern Europe.

• Holocaust: Mass murder of 6 million European Jews (1933-1945). Targeted groups included gypsies, homosexuals, and disabled people. Extermination camps like Auschwitz.

• Shoah: Hebrew word for "the catastrophe."

• Gestapo: Nazi secret police.

• Social Darwinism: Belief in "survival of the fittest" that the Nazis used to justify persecution and genocide.

• Eugenics: Altering reproduction for supposed improvements in the genetic makeup of populations. Used to support the idea of an "Aryan" master race.

Jewish Life Before the Holocaust

• Eastern Europe: Jews generally more traditional, speaking Yiddish, living in Shtetls.

• Western Europe: Jews more integrated into larger cities and less traditional.

• Germany: Large Jewish community, many integrated, and some wealthy successful, but generated envy in some non-Jewish Germans.

• Poland: Significant Jewish population (3 million), many living traditionally in communities, though the amount of integration varied.

Historical Antisemitism

• Past Restrictions: Often forced into specific jobs, often moneylending.

• Religious Superstitions: Jews blamed for negative events, including accusations of deicide, poisoning wells (Black Death).

• Scapegoating: Throughout history, Jews became scapegoats for societal problems and economic crises.

Similarities in Antisemitism

• Betrayal Accusations: Seen as betraying the country, trying to control the world, and corrupting the economy.

• Public Enemies: Jews consistently labelled as public enemies.

• Public need to blame: Public needed a scapegoat for problems/catastrophes.

• Forced Labor or Segregation: Jews subjected to forced labor and extreme segregation.

• Religious Myths/Superstition: False accusations fueled by religious myths and superstitions.

Jewish Bolshevism

• An anti-semitic belief blaming Jews for the Russian Revolution.

• Used by Nazis to justify persecution.

Key Vocabulary

Concepts related to history, government, and social movements.