The Holocaust (1938-1945)

Antisemitism

Prejudice and discrimination against Jews, scapegoating them for various societal issues.

Weimar Republic

The democratic government in Germany post-World War I, often blamed by extremists for Germany’s defeat due to perceived betrayal by Jews and Communists.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws that stripped Jews of their citizenship and prohibited marriage and sexual relations with German people.

Propaganda

Used to spread antisemitic sentiments, such as in the children's story 'The Poisonous Mushroom'.

Jewish Question

The Nazi policy concerning the fate of Jews, encompassing expulsion, containment, and annihilation.

Kristallnacht

A violent attack from November 9th to 10th, 1938, where Germans attacked synagogues, homes, and businesses owned by Jews.

Final Solution

The Nazi plan for the systematic annihilation of the Jewish population during the Holocaust.

Dr. Josef Mengele

Infamous for performing cruel medical experiments, especially on Jewish children, at Auschwitz.

Resistance

Efforts against the Nazis, including movements like the White Rose and events like the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

Displaced Persons (DPs)

Survivors of concentration camps after liberation who had nowhere to return and were organized into camps by the Allies.

Auschwitz

A concentration camp where mass killings occurred using gas chambers with Zyklon B pellets.

Food Rationing in Concentration Camps

Prisoners were given only 1000 kcal, leading to extreme malnutrition and disease.

Soviet Liberation of Camps

Soviet soldiers were the first to liberate prisoners at Maidanek, Poland, on July 23, 1944.

Post-War Jewish Migration

After WWII, many Jews sought a secluded state, leading to the establishment of Israel.

Executive Order by Harry Truman

Allowed Jews to enter the US without normal immigration restrictions post-Holocaust.