“The only thing necessary for the triumph of Evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

1. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of Evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke

2. The Holocaustand Hitler’s war on the Jews

3. WHAT IS ANTI-SEMITISM? • HATRED OF JEWS • and it existed long before Hitler came to power • IT EXISTED IN EUROPE 1000 YEARS BEFORE HITLER • IT STILL EXISTS TODAY

4. WHO ARE JEWS? • Jews are Semitic people who came out of the Middle East • history of expulsion and migration they settled in various countries • Jews were always viewed as outsiders in the countries they settled in even though their ancestors lived in each place for hundreds or thousands of years.

5. ANTI-SEMITISM IN EUROPE PRIOR TO NAZI GERMANY • 1. RELIGIOUS • Jews were accused of Deicide by the Church • It wasn’t until 1965 that the Vatican (Pope) rejected this myth of Jewish responsibility for the death of Jesus Christ • SOCIAL • Life was centered around the Church (outcasted) • Jews were not allowed to own land • Jews were forced to live in restricted ghettoes of many countries dependent upon the ruler (1300-1800) • ECONOMIC • Jews were only allowed to hold certain jobs that were considered sins to Christians • Ex: Finance, money-lending (since Usury is a sin…) • RACIAL • SOCIAL DARWINISM: lead to new ideas about inferior vs superior peoples • JEWSWERE CONSIDERED AN “ALIEN RACE” (NOT RELIGION : 1879)

6. When Hitler took power in 1933, most Jews lived in Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland) NOT Germany!

7. “Make the lie big, make it simple, Keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” Adolf Hitler German Chancellor, leader of the Nazi Party, 1889-1945

8. THE BIG LIE Hitler knew the POWER of the BIG LIE. Big lies about Jews existed throughout history and were scapegoated because of them: 1. BLOOD LIBEL: Jews killed Christian children and used their Blood to make Matzah (Bread without yeast) Middle Ages 2. Jews were responsible for the BLACK PLAGUE The idea that Jews were poisoning the well water. 3. Protocols of the Elders of Zion An anti-Semitic forgery written by the Czar’s secret police that said Jews were planning to destroy Christianity, take over governments and control the world (Henry Ford used it in America in the 1920s; Used even today)

9. THE LIES WERE BELIEVED!! • OVER 200 JEWISH COMMUNITIES DISAPPEARED BETWEEN 1348-1351 BECAUSE JEWS WERE BLAMED FOR THE SPREAD OF THE BLACK PLAGUE OR FOR POISONING WELLS. • JEWS WERE SENSELESSLY BLAMED FOR CHILDREN KIDNAPPINGS AND MURDERS. LIES WERE SPREAD THAT JEWS KILLED CHILDREN AND USED THEIR BLOOD TO MAKE MATZAH. • JEWS WERE BLAMED FOR DISEASE BECAUSE PEOPLE DID NOT UNDERSTAND WHERE THE PLAGUE CAME FROM.

10. THE PROTOCOLS OF THE ELDERS OF ZION • Has been written in many languages and spread across the world as an attempt to spread anti-Semitism and lies about the Jewish people

11. Treatment of Jews Throughout History • Thousands of Jews were murdered and Persecuted (Crusades) • Forced to convert • Expelled over and over again from countries they called home • Scapegoated (blamed for events such as WWI) • POGROMS: government sanctioned killing raids that began in the 1880s and lasted after WWII was over

12. Hitler’s Rise to Power

13. Kaiser Wilhelm II – Emperor of Germany, • abdicates after WWI • Weimar Republic, a democratic republic, is established Hitler with the Nazi Party

14. The Weimar Republic was unpopular for several reasons: 1. It was associated with the Treaty of Versailles which was extremely unpopular in Germany 2. It was associated with the massive inflation and economic ruin of the 20’s 3. Democracy was not running smoothly in Germany, there were too many parties and no clear majority

15. The Rise of Adolf Hitler and Nazism • In 1920 Hitler, a former German soldier, joined the German Workers Party and soon became it’s leader. • Nationalist Socialist German Workers Party (Nazis) • He created the Brownshirts to serve as his stormtroopers

16. HITLER and Anti-Semitism • Anti Semitism was well engrained in European beliefs • before Hitler wrote Mein Kampf. • Coupled with economic depression the “Jewish outsider” • was blamed for all that had gone wrong In Germany: • Depression and inflation • Losing WWI (Jews betrayed Germany) • Communism (Socialism, Bolsheviks…all blamed on Jews) • Versailles Treaty (Punishment of Germany and war reparations)

17. Hitler Gains Power • In 1923 Hitler miscalculated his strength and organized an ill fated attempt at taking power. The ‘Munich Beer Hall Putsch’ was put down and Hitler was imprisoned where he wrote “Mein Kampf”, which outlined the goals of Nazism

18. Goals of Hitler in Mein Kampf • “My Struggle” • Anti-Semitism • Aryan superiority • Denial of communism • Lebensraum • Living space • Expansion East • Madagascar

19. Hitler and the Reichstag • The Nazis gradually turned the increase in popularity into a stronger political presence • In 1930 the Nazis’ gained the second most seats in the Reichstag, 107 out of 647 seats • 1932 - Nazis elect 230 seats, the most of any party

20. Great Depression Allows Nazi Party to Rise Nazi gains 1924 - 1933 1932 – Nazi’s are the largest Political Party in Germany

21. 1933 President Hindenburg appoints Hitler to the chancellorship

22. Hitler Becomes Dictator • Frustrated by his lack of majority Hitler calls another election for February 1933 • The would be dictator, required a majority to pass laws which would allow him absolute control over Germany • The Brownshirts were unleashed on the population of Germany and the opposition in particular

23. German peoples lost the freedom of the press and freedom of speech during this election • Hitler used the attempt to burn the Reichstag by a communist as an excuse to convince the Reichstag to pass legislation known as the Enabling Acts

24. 1934 – Night of Long Knives SS – Schutzstaffel- Shield Squadron to replace Brown Shirts and enforce Enabling Acts

25. Nazi Germany: the Totalitarian State • Hitler targeted the youth of Germany • He created the Hitler youth for all Germans under the age of eighteen • Hitler also changed the education system to suit the needs of the Nazi party • He also created the Gestapo, the ruthless secret police

26. Nuremberg Laws were a series of laws passed between 1933-38 which stripped Jewish citizens of almost all rights and revoked their rights as citizens • Prohibited mixed race marriages and relationships • Limited names that Jewish children could be given • Forced segregation in schools, public places • Set curfew hours

28. 1936 Olympics

29. 1936 Summer Olympics were held in Berlin • The rest of the world was unsure of what to expect from Hitler’s Germany • Hitler was on his best behavior as they removed much of the propaganda and toned down the anti-Semitism

30. Hitler hoped the Aryan race would dominate the Olympics but they were dominated by a black man from Ohio, Jesse Owens, won four gold medals much to the Furher’s dismay

31. KRISTALLNACHT November 10,1938 (Night of Broken Glass)

32. Kristallnacht was a government endorsed attack on the Jews of Germany (pogrom) • Jewish communities, businesses, and • Synagogues were attacked, burned • and looted • Many Jews were sent to the first • concentration camps in Dachau which • were first used for political prisoners

33. NAZI Propaganda Against the Jews • Taught in schools • Children’s literature • Hitler Youth Movement • Government Policy • Newspapers (Der Stuermer) • Speeches and Rallies Leni Riefenstahl

34. "Dagger-stab-in-the-back Legend" 1. What does this cartoon say about Jews in Germany? 2. How does this help explain the power of propaganda and the big lie?

35. LeniRiefenstahl (German Film Director) With Joseph Goebbels (Minister of Propaganda) “Why would you be afraid of being sent to a camp if you didn’t think they existed?” -how Nazis made their citizens believe one thing, when they were in turn doing something else…

36. Power of Film • Nazi propaganda as “documentary style” films • Triumph of the Will • The Eternal Jew • Jew Suess • Olympics Opening • As you view clips of these films, answer the following questions: • What do these film clips reveal about Nazi Germany? • What emotions do you think they are trying to instill in the German people? • What is the overall message of these films?

37. Triumph of the Will (1934) Opening Scene

38. Power of Education and Literature Background: This story comes from Der Giftpilz, an anti-Semitic children’s book published by Julius Streicher, the publisher of Der Stürmer. He was executed as a war criminal in 1946.

39. The Poisonous Mushroom A mother and her young boy are gathering mushrooms in the German forest. The boy finds some poisonous ones. The mother explains that there are good mushrooms and poisonous ones, and, as they go home, says: “Look, Franz, human beings in this world are like the mushrooms in the forest. There are good mushrooms and there are good people. There are poisonous, bad mushrooms and there are bad people. And we have to be on our guard against bad people just as we have to be on guard against poisonous mushrooms. Do you understand that?” “Yes, mother,” Franz replies. “I understand that in dealing with bad people trouble may arise, just as when one eats a poisonous mushroom. One may even die!” “And do you know, too, who these bad men are, these poisonous mushrooms of mankind?” the mother continued. Franz slaps his chest in pride: “Of course I know, mother! They are the Jews! Our teacher has often told us about them.” The mother praises her boy for his intelligence, and goes on to explain the different kinds of “poisonous” Jews: the Jewish pedlar, the Jewish cattle-dealer, the Kosher butcher, the Jewish doctor, the baptised Jew, and so on. “However they disguise themselves, or however friendly they try to be, affirming a thousand times their good intentions to us, one must not believe them. Jews they are and Jews they remain. For our Volk they are poison.”

40. The Poisonous Mushroom, cont. “Like the poisonous mushroom!” says Franz. “Yes, my child! Just as a single poisonous mushrooms can kill a whole family, so a solitary Jew can destroy a whole village, a whole city, even an entire Volk.” Franz has understood. “Tell me, mother, do all non-Jews know that the Jew is as dangerous as a poisonous mushroom?” Mother shakes her head. “Unfortunately not, my child. There are millions of non-Jews who do not yet know the Jews. So we have to enlighten people and warn them against the Jews. Our young people, too, must be warned. Our boys and girls must learn to know the Jew. They must learn that the Jew is the most dangerous poison-mushroom in existence. Just as poisonous mushrooms spring up everywhere, so the Jew is found in every country in the world. Just as poisonous mushrooms often lead to the most dreadful calamity, so the Jew is the cause of misery and distress, illness and death.” The author then concludes this story by pointing the moral: German youth must learn to recognise the Jewish poison-mushroom. They must learn what a danger the Jew is for the German Volk and for the whole world. They must learn that the Jewish problem involves the destiny of us all. The following tales tell the truth about the Jewish poison-mushroom. They show the many shapes the Jew assumes. They show the depravity and baseness of the Jewish race. They show the Jew for what he really is: The Devil in human form.

41. Hitler Youth Movement Why would Hitler target the youth of Germany? What does this clip from The Book Thief tell you about Hitler Youth?

42. WHO WAS A JEW? • CONCEPT OF JEWISH BLOOD • ONE JEWISH GRANDPARENT (EVEN IF RAISEDA CHRISTAIN) MADE YOU A JEW. • This meant Jews were considered a RACE, not RELIGION (Wilhelm Marr, 1879) • ASSOCIATING WITH JEWS WOULD GET YOU SENT TO A CONCENTRATION CAMP OR MURDERED • CONVERSION DID NOT MATTER

43. Who were the Targets of the Holocaust? • “Undesirables” – people that Hitler thought would taint Aryan blood and superiority • CATHOLICS • GYPSIES • COMMUNISTS • PEOPLE WITH DISABILITES (T4 Program) • HOMOSEXUALS • JEWS • WERE THE ONLY ONES TARGETS FOR TOTAL DESTRUCTION

44. QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST • 10-11 Million Total Killed • 6 MILLION WERE JEWS • 2/3RDS OF ALL EUROPEAN JEWRY WERE KILLED BY: • DISEASE • WORK • STARVATION • MURDER • These camps were primarily in Poland since majority of Jews resided there and so that the German civilians could be removed from the death centers

45. WAR AGAINST THE JEWS The Holocaust was a systematic process designed by the Nazis that did not happen overnight. It evolved in stages: 1. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LIVE AMONGST US AS JEWS. (Nuremberg Laws, 1933-1938) 2. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LIVE AMONGST US. (Formation of the Ghettoes, 1939-1944) 3. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO LIVE. (Extermination and other Camps, 1941-1945)

46. NAZI EUPHEMISMS A word or phrase used in place of a term that might be considered too direct, harsh, unpleasant or offensive Nazi’s used this type of language to keep as much order as possible, even though the following terms all meant the same thing: MURDER. Liquidation- Destruction or murder Special Treatment- murder Move East- Send to concentration camps to be murdered

47. NAZI EUPHEMISMS, CONT. • Selection-A decision who will live and who will die(Dr. Mengele, “Angel of Death”) • Aktion- Rounding up Jews to murder them. • THE FINAL SOLUTION - GENOCIDE

48. WHAT WAS THE FINAL SOLUTION? • THE SYSTEMATIC MURDER OF THE JEWS • BUT… • EVEN BEFORE THE FINAL SOLUTION JEWS WERE BEING MURDERED IN THE USSR BY GERMAN MOBIL KILLING UNITS CALLED EINSATZGRUPPEN MADE UP OF BANDS OF SS. • LATER ON THE NAZIS EXPERIEMENTED WITH MORE EFFICIENT AND QUICKER WAYS TO MURDER LARGE NUMBERS OF PEOPLE.

49. THE EINSATZGRUPPEN • KILLED 1.4 MILLION RUSSIAN JEWS • FORCED WHOLE VILLAGES TO DIG LARGE PITS THAN EXECUTED AND BURIED THE PEOPLE IN THE PIT AS A MASS GRAVE.

50. THE HOLOCAUST WAS A SYSTEMATIC, THOUGH-OUT, MASS EXTERMINATION OF THE JEWS AND OTHER UNDESIRABLES THIS IS WHAT MADE IT UNIQUE IN COMPARISON TO OTHER GENOCIDES