The Horrors of War
What is the Holocaust?
Jewish people are sent to the gas chambers at Auschwitz
The Holocaust was a genocide committed by Nazi Germany during World War II. Genocide is the systematic and purposeful destruction of a racial, political, religious, or cultural group. The Holocaust was primarily directed against Jewish people, but also targeted Poles, Slavs, Gypsies, mentally ill individuals, and political dissidents who Nazis considered “undesirables”.
At the start of World War II, nine million Jewish people lived in Europe. By the end of the war, Nazi Germany had killed about six million Jews, the equivalent of two out of every three Jewish people living in Europe at the time. The Nazis also killed around 200,000 Gypsies, 200,000 mentally or physically disabled people, and millions of civilians from captured territories in Poland and the Soviet Union. In total, the Nazis killed at least thirteen million people during the Holocaust.
Target of Hatred
Adolph Hitler believed Jews were the root cause of Germany’s problems. Hitler even blamed the loss of World War I on the Jews. He felt that the population of Jews in Germany acted as destroyers of culture and kept Germany from greatness. Hitler’s anti-Semitic views were what brought him to power. He promised to make Germany a large and powerful country, which included banishing Jewish people. View Target of Hatred from eMediaVASM to learn more about Hitler’s hatred of the Jews and the Holocaust.
The Holocaust
Once in power, the Nazis began to take systematic actions against the Jewish population. They supported anti-Jewish behavior and created a plan to concentrate and kill European Jews and other “undesirables.” The Nazis tortured and killed Jewish people just because they were different, and blamed for Germany’s problems. The Holocaust is the worst example of genocide in the history of the world. In this interactivity, explore the horrors of the Holocaust. Please note that this interactivity includes graphic pictures of the Holocaust. Click the player button to begin.
View a printable version of the interactivity.
The Results of the Holocaust
After the war, twenty-four German officials were brought to trial in Nuremberg, Germany for war crimes that violated the treaty signed at the Geneva Convention. This convention set standards for how prisoners of war should be treated. Of the twenty-four officials, twelve were sentenced to death and others received severe sentences. While the trials were successful in holding up the standards set by the Geneva Convention, many Germans who participated in the Holocaust were never tried. In this interactivity, explore the results of the Holocaust including war crimes, the Nuremberg Trials, and the demand of Jewish survivors for a holy land. Click the player button to begin.
View a printable version of the interactivity
The Horrors of War Review
Now that you have completed your investigation of the Holocaust, review your knowledge in this non-graded interactivity. Click the player button to get started.