How Did The Holocaust Have An Impact On The World
The Holocaust
Many events have happened throughout history, good and bad, that have influenced the world. The Holocaust was by far one of the most devastating times in history. The Holocaust was a period of time during World War II in which many innocent people were killed; the conditions of the concentration camps that were used during the
Holocaust were extremely harsh; the aftermath once the Holocaust and the war were over also left an impact on the entire world and many people’s lives forever.
First of all, the Holocaust began in late 1933 and ended in 1945, during World War II (Maria). Hitler became the chancellor of Germany, and Hitler and his Nazi regime killed nearly six million Jews due to their racial, ethnic, and national group …show more content…
(Maria). Many innocent people such as children, minority groups, and Jews were discriminated against during the Holocaust. Nazis killed many children in the fear that their generation would be the same if not worse. The children that survived were taken to concentration camps and then to the gas chambers where they were cremated. The killing of many innocent children was one of the horrors of the Holocaust. Children were not the only group targeted. This massive murder also included minority groups such as gypsies, homosexuals, disabled people, the mentally ill, communists, and Catholics (Maria). The Holocaust took place in Germany and other surrounding countries that the Nazis were controlling (Maria). The Holocaust also targeted the Jews and destroyed their communities. The Holocaust occurred due to the Nazis believing that exterminating the Jews was justified because the Jews were an evil race and were affecting the lives of Germans negatively. Soldiers coming home from World War I were also spreading rumors saying that Jewish collaborators had stabbed them in the back during the war (Dowson). Hitler and his Nazi army blamed the Jews for the social and economic problems in Germany at that time. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they used terror to enforce their anti-Semitic laws and policies (Dowson). These laws were known as the Nuremburg laws; these laws took away all human rights of Jews (Dowson). They could not attend schools, run businesses, or use sports facilities, and if they left Germany their property would be taken away (“Holocaust Encyclopedia”). There was a strict curfew also placed on the Jews, they were not allowed to go into certain areas in different German cities. The government also started reducing rations; they also limited different times at which Jews could purchase food and other supplies they needed (“Holocaust Encyclopedia”). The Nazis made it very hard for Jews to have access to the basic essentials that they needed to live. All Jews were required to wear a Jewish star, and the majority of the badges were printed on coarse yellow cloth. The star represented the Star of David; it was outlined in thick black lines and the word 'Jew' was printed in mock-Hebraic type (“The Yellow Star”). Nazi regime required the Jews to wear this star to humiliate them and to segregate them from other people. People were also able to identify them better, and this became helpful when the Nazis got ready to send them to concentration camps (“The Yellow Star”). The Nazis would break out and fire random gunshots throughout Jewish towns, this soon became inefficient, and special death camps were then constructed. Prisoners were crowded into cattle wagons or trains without any food, water, or air. Most of the time when the transport doors opened, the majority of the victims were already dead due to the harsh conditions. Clearly, many people were targeted during the Holocaust including children, minority groups and Jews.Secondly, the concentration camps used during the Holocaust had harsh conditions. The Jews went through many struggles to stay alive and the majority of them died. The concentration camps were organized and set into place due to the Reichstag Fire Decree on February 28th, 1933 (“The Holocaust”). Some of the camps that the Nazis used during the Holocaust included Auschwitz, Ebensee, Buchenwald, and Treblinka. These camps were ran by SS officers and by the Nazi regime. The most notorious camp during the Holocaust was Auschwitz. Auschwitz was located on a former military base in a town located in Poland (“Auschwitz”). When the Jews arrived to this camp, they were examined by the Nazi doctors to make sure they were fit to work, and if they were unable to work due to old age, too young, pregnancy, or health issues, they were sent right away to the showers and told to “shower off.” These showers that the prisoners were sent to were disguised as gas chambers, and as soon as the prisoners were inside, they were exposed to the Zyklon-B poisonous gas (“Auschwitz”). The Nazi guards used a “Special Detachment Team” (“Treblinka”). These were other Jews who helped keep the prisoners coming in calm and to assist those who were reluctant to undress. This also helped many prisoners avoid panicking. Children cried, but after other Jewish prisoners from the special detachment team comforted them, they were back to their selves joking, laughing and playing around. Most children even brought their toys into the gas chambers with them. The Nazi officers added many things to the camp before the Jews got to the camps to disguise how bad the conditions were. For example, the train ramp they pulled up to was disguised as a regular railway station with a timetable, clock on the wall, and many familiar things (“Treblinka”). One item that was placed in the concentration camp to make Jews feel more comfortable was the Star of David. This was placed above the entrance to the gas chamber with a sign that was written in Hebrew on a purple curtain that covered the entrance to the gas chamber door it saying it was the gateway to God and only righteous men could pass through (“Auschwitz-facts”). The unit in the camp where the Jews’ valuables were taken from them and kept was known as “Canada” (“Auschwitz-facts”). According to the Jews, Canada was thought to be a land of untold riches. The SS officers also had their own canteen area with a cinema and grocery store. All of these disguisable things had many Jews fooled about the harsh conditions of the camp that they were about to face (“Auschwitz-facts”). Many Jews died in Auschwitz due to overwork, diseases, lack of nutrition, and the struggle for survival due to brutal living conditions (“Nazi Concentration Camps”). Many things happened daily in front of other prisoners for example, executions and beatings. Clearly, Auschwitz was one of the worst camps during the Holocaust. Another awful forced labor camp for the Jews was Treblinka. This camp was located in Poland (“Nazi Concentration Camps”). When the prisoners arrived they had to give up all their valuables. Next, there was a disguised path they were forced to run down, naked into the gas chambers, once the door was shut and they were locked inside carbon monoxide was released, killing victims inside. Many of the prisoners worked burying dead bodies or were placed to work in gravel pit. Many died from the harsh living conditions they encountered in this camp (Dowson). Another camp with awful conditions was Ebensee, which was by far the nastiest camp during the Holocaust. The prisoners got up at 4:30 A.M. and dug away at the tunnels until 6 P.M. (Vasdaz). They worked in 24-hour shifts. There was no way to protect the first batch of prisoners from the cold Austrian winter. This caused deaths in the camp to increase dramatically. Bodies were piled in heaps, and every 3-4 days they were taken to the crematorium to be burned (Vasdaz). The smells of the concentration camps were unbearable from urine to dead bodies. Prisoners were given wooden clogs to wear, and when those fell apart, they had to go barefoot. According to Vasdaz, “In the morning food rations consisted of: half a liter of ersatz coffee, at noon, three-quarters of a liter of hot water containing potato peelings, and, in the evening, 150 grams of bread.” Ebensee was known for the torture they put their prisoners through and was one of the few camps that anyone could make it out of alive. Finally, Buchenwald was another harsh concentration camp. The prisoners built this camp, and during their free times the SS officers forced them to carry huge stones from the quarry to the camp (Scheinbrunn). The goal of this camp was to destroy Jews by work. Although thousands of prisoners died due to work, starvation, and lack of hygiene during the final years in the camp, the prisoners that were sentenced to death hid from the SS officers due to the overcrowding in the camp (Scheinbrunn). All four of these camps were a major part of the Holocaust and remind people daily of how Hitler and his officers treated the Jews. All four of these camps used forced labor, took innocent lives, and used trickery. Clearly, the concentration camps used during the Holocaust by the Nazis were very harsh.
Lastly, the aftermath of the Holocaust was the hardest part at the end of World War II.
More than 11 million prisoners died during the Holocaust, most of them being Jews (p. 370). When the Allied forces invaded Germany, Hitler knew he had been defeated. He committed suicide in April of 1945; along with Hitler, many Nazis also committed suicide versus having to go through the torture that would have happened when they would have been captured (“The Aftermath of the Holocaust”). When the Holocaust had ended many Jews were afraid to return home. After the war, the Jews that survived in the camps, or in hiding returned home and were met by angry mobs. Many Jews also lived in displaced-persons camps since they had no home to go back to. Their communities were destroyed, and most of them did not have any loved ones alive. Many Jewish organizations worked to assist the Jewish displaced persons to help with clothing. In December of 1945 President Truman loosened the immigration quotas that the Nazi regime had on the Jews, so that they could also move into the US (“The Aftermath of the Holocaust”). After the liberation of these camps, people were able to expose the horrors of the Nazi regime and how mistreated the Jews were. The small percentage of prisoners that remained looked like skeletons due to the lack of food they had, being forced to do intense labor, and the many diseases that were spread. Due to the disease, many of the camps had to be burned down to prevent the spread of epidemics (“Liberation of Nazi Camps”). Allied forces took over Germany after the war had ended. Today there are many museums and mortuaries that serve as a remembrance for the Holocaust, such as the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, Netherlands and The Holocaust Museum. There are also concentration camps that can be visited to see what many Jewish people and others went through during the Holocaust. Clearly, the aftermath of the Holocaust was a devastating time for our world, and took people many
years to rebuild.
In conclusion, the Holocaust was a devastating time during World War II. The conditions of the concentration camps Auschwitz, Treblinka, Ebensee, and Buchenwald were notorious and extremely harsh, and the aftermath will forever have a lasting impact on the entire world. Even though the Holocaust had many awful affects some people were still able to grow from the experience. Anne Frank, a victim of the Holocaust, once wrote, “… in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again” (“Survivor quotes”). The many survivors that went through this awful, tormenting time still had hope for the future of mankind, and still believed that there were good people out there to get them through the rough road that was ahead and the hurt that would last a lifetime. The Holocaust is an event that changed the world forever and something that should never be forgotten.
Many events have happened throughout history, good and bad, that have influenced the world. The Holocaust was by far one of the most devastating times in history. The Holocaust was a period of time during World War II in which many innocent people were killed; the conditions of the concentration camps that were used during the
Holocaust were extremely harsh; the aftermath once the Holocaust and the war were over also left an impact on the entire world and many people’s lives forever.
First of all, the Holocaust began in late 1933 and ended in 1945, during World War II (Maria). Hitler became the chancellor of Germany, and Hitler and his Nazi regime killed nearly six million Jews due to their racial, ethnic, and national group …show more content…
(Maria). Many innocent people such as children, minority groups, and Jews were discriminated against during the Holocaust. Nazis killed many children in the fear that their generation would be the same if not worse. The children that survived were taken to concentration camps and then to the gas chambers where they were cremated. The killing of many innocent children was one of the horrors of the Holocaust. Children were not the only group targeted. This massive murder also included minority groups such as gypsies, homosexuals, disabled people, the mentally ill, communists, and Catholics (Maria). The Holocaust took place in Germany and other surrounding countries that the Nazis were controlling (Maria). The Holocaust also targeted the Jews and destroyed their communities. The Holocaust occurred due to the Nazis believing that exterminating the Jews was justified because the Jews were an evil race and were affecting the lives of Germans negatively. Soldiers coming home from World War I were also spreading rumors saying that Jewish collaborators had stabbed them in the back during the war (Dowson). Hitler and his Nazi army blamed the Jews for the social and economic problems in Germany at that time. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, they used terror to enforce their anti-Semitic laws and policies (Dowson). These laws were known as the Nuremburg laws; these laws took away all human rights of Jews (Dowson). They could not attend schools, run businesses, or use sports facilities, and if they left Germany their property would be taken away (“Holocaust Encyclopedia”). There was a strict curfew also placed on the Jews, they were not allowed to go into certain areas in different German cities. The government also started reducing rations; they also limited different times at which Jews could purchase food and other supplies they needed (“Holocaust Encyclopedia”). The Nazis made it very hard for Jews to have access to the basic essentials that they needed to live. All Jews were required to wear a Jewish star, and the majority of the badges were printed on coarse yellow cloth. The star represented the Star of David; it was outlined in thick black lines and the word 'Jew' was printed in mock-Hebraic type (“The Yellow Star”). Nazi regime required the Jews to wear this star to humiliate them and to segregate them from other people. People were also able to identify them better, and this became helpful when the Nazis got ready to send them to concentration camps (“The Yellow Star”). The Nazis would break out and fire random gunshots throughout Jewish towns, this soon became inefficient, and special death camps were then constructed. Prisoners were crowded into cattle wagons or trains without any food, water, or air. Most of the time when the transport doors opened, the majority of the victims were already dead due to the harsh conditions. Clearly, many people were targeted during the Holocaust including children, minority groups and Jews.Secondly, the concentration camps used during the Holocaust had harsh conditions. The Jews went through many struggles to stay alive and the majority of them died. The concentration camps were organized and set into place due to the Reichstag Fire Decree on February 28th, 1933 (“The Holocaust”). Some of the camps that the Nazis used during the Holocaust included Auschwitz, Ebensee, Buchenwald, and Treblinka. These camps were ran by SS officers and by the Nazi regime. The most notorious camp during the Holocaust was Auschwitz. Auschwitz was located on a former military base in a town located in Poland (“Auschwitz”). When the Jews arrived to this camp, they were examined by the Nazi doctors to make sure they were fit to work, and if they were unable to work due to old age, too young, pregnancy, or health issues, they were sent right away to the showers and told to “shower off.” These showers that the prisoners were sent to were disguised as gas chambers, and as soon as the prisoners were inside, they were exposed to the Zyklon-B poisonous gas (“Auschwitz”). The Nazi guards used a “Special Detachment Team” (“Treblinka”). These were other Jews who helped keep the prisoners coming in calm and to assist those who were reluctant to undress. This also helped many prisoners avoid panicking. Children cried, but after other Jewish prisoners from the special detachment team comforted them, they were back to their selves joking, laughing and playing around. Most children even brought their toys into the gas chambers with them. The Nazi officers added many things to the camp before the Jews got to the camps to disguise how bad the conditions were. For example, the train ramp they pulled up to was disguised as a regular railway station with a timetable, clock on the wall, and many familiar things (“Treblinka”). One item that was placed in the concentration camp to make Jews feel more comfortable was the Star of David. This was placed above the entrance to the gas chamber with a sign that was written in Hebrew on a purple curtain that covered the entrance to the gas chamber door it saying it was the gateway to God and only righteous men could pass through (“Auschwitz-facts”). The unit in the camp where the Jews’ valuables were taken from them and kept was known as “Canada” (“Auschwitz-facts”). According to the Jews, Canada was thought to be a land of untold riches. The SS officers also had their own canteen area with a cinema and grocery store. All of these disguisable things had many Jews fooled about the harsh conditions of the camp that they were about to face (“Auschwitz-facts”). Many Jews died in Auschwitz due to overwork, diseases, lack of nutrition, and the struggle for survival due to brutal living conditions (“Nazi Concentration Camps”). Many things happened daily in front of other prisoners for example, executions and beatings. Clearly, Auschwitz was one of the worst camps during the Holocaust. Another awful forced labor camp for the Jews was Treblinka. This camp was located in Poland (“Nazi Concentration Camps”). When the prisoners arrived they had to give up all their valuables. Next, there was a disguised path they were forced to run down, naked into the gas chambers, once the door was shut and they were locked inside carbon monoxide was released, killing victims inside. Many of the prisoners worked burying dead bodies or were placed to work in gravel pit. Many died from the harsh living conditions they encountered in this camp (Dowson). Another camp with awful conditions was Ebensee, which was by far the nastiest camp during the Holocaust. The prisoners got up at 4:30 A.M. and dug away at the tunnels until 6 P.M. (Vasdaz). They worked in 24-hour shifts. There was no way to protect the first batch of prisoners from the cold Austrian winter. This caused deaths in the camp to increase dramatically. Bodies were piled in heaps, and every 3-4 days they were taken to the crematorium to be burned (Vasdaz). The smells of the concentration camps were unbearable from urine to dead bodies. Prisoners were given wooden clogs to wear, and when those fell apart, they had to go barefoot. According to Vasdaz, “In the morning food rations consisted of: half a liter of ersatz coffee, at noon, three-quarters of a liter of hot water containing potato peelings, and, in the evening, 150 grams of bread.” Ebensee was known for the torture they put their prisoners through and was one of the few camps that anyone could make it out of alive. Finally, Buchenwald was another harsh concentration camp. The prisoners built this camp, and during their free times the SS officers forced them to carry huge stones from the quarry to the camp (Scheinbrunn). The goal of this camp was to destroy Jews by work. Although thousands of prisoners died due to work, starvation, and lack of hygiene during the final years in the camp, the prisoners that were sentenced to death hid from the SS officers due to the overcrowding in the camp (Scheinbrunn). All four of these camps were a major part of the Holocaust and remind people daily of how Hitler and his officers treated the Jews. All four of these camps used forced labor, took innocent lives, and used trickery. Clearly, the concentration camps used during the Holocaust by the Nazis were very harsh.
Lastly, the aftermath of the Holocaust was the hardest part at the end of World War II.
More than 11 million prisoners died during the Holocaust, most of them being Jews (p. 370). When the Allied forces invaded Germany, Hitler knew he had been defeated. He committed suicide in April of 1945; along with Hitler, many Nazis also committed suicide versus having to go through the torture that would have happened when they would have been captured (“The Aftermath of the Holocaust”). When the Holocaust had ended many Jews were afraid to return home. After the war, the Jews that survived in the camps, or in hiding returned home and were met by angry mobs. Many Jews also lived in displaced-persons camps since they had no home to go back to. Their communities were destroyed, and most of them did not have any loved ones alive. Many Jewish organizations worked to assist the Jewish displaced persons to help with clothing. In December of 1945 President Truman loosened the immigration quotas that the Nazi regime had on the Jews, so that they could also move into the US (“The Aftermath of the Holocaust”). After the liberation of these camps, people were able to expose the horrors of the Nazi regime and how mistreated the Jews were. The small percentage of prisoners that remained looked like skeletons due to the lack of food they had, being forced to do intense labor, and the many diseases that were spread. Due to the disease, many of the camps had to be burned down to prevent the spread of epidemics (“Liberation of Nazi Camps”). Allied forces took over Germany after the war had ended. Today there are many museums and mortuaries that serve as a remembrance for the Holocaust, such as the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam, Netherlands and The Holocaust Museum. There are also concentration camps that can be visited to see what many Jewish people and others went through during the Holocaust. Clearly, the aftermath of the Holocaust was a devastating time for our world, and took people many
years to rebuild.
In conclusion, the Holocaust was a devastating time during World War II. The conditions of the concentration camps Auschwitz, Treblinka, Ebensee, and Buchenwald were notorious and extremely harsh, and the aftermath will forever have a lasting impact on the entire world. Even though the Holocaust had many awful affects some people were still able to grow from the experience. Anne Frank, a victim of the Holocaust, once wrote, “… in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again” (“Survivor quotes”). The many survivors that went through this awful, tormenting time still had hope for the future of mankind, and still believed that there were good people out there to get them through the rough road that was ahead and the hurt that would last a lifetime. The Holocaust is an event that changed the world forever and something that should never be forgotten.