Honors Holocaust and Genocide

Holocaust

The systematic murder of Jews, disabled, Jehovah's witnesses, Gypsies, and other undesirables by the Nazis from 1933 to 1945.

SHOAH

Hebrew word for 'destruction,' used to describe the Jewish experience during the Holocaust.

Treaty of Versailles

A treaty that punished Germany heavily, contributing to the rise of extremist ideologies leading to the Holocaust.

Weimar Republic

Germany’s first democratic government formed after World War I.

NSDAP

National Socialist German Workers Party; Hitler rose to power through this party.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of the NSDAP, who rose to power using oratory skills and anti-Semitism.

Beer Hall Putsch

Hitler's failed coup attempt to seize control of Bavaria.

Mein Kampf

Hitler's book outlining his plans and ideologies, including anti-Semitism and the need for Lebensraum.

Third Reich

Period of Nazi rule in Germany from 1933 to 1945 characterized by totalitarianism.

Reichstag Fire

Incident in February 1933 where the German Parliament building was burned down, blamed on Communists.

Enabling Act

Law allowing Hitler to enact laws without parliamentary approval, crucial for establishing his dictatorship.

Eugenics

The science of improving human population through controlled breeding, used to justify discriminatory laws.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws aimed at creating a 'master race' and defining who was considered Jewish.

Kristallnacht

Night of Broken Glass; a pogrom against Jews in November 1938.

Hitler Youth

Organization aimed at indoctrinating German youth with Nazi ideology.

T4 Program

Initiative to exterminate individuals deemed 'unworthy of life,' including the disabled.

Jehovah’s Witnesses

A religious group targeted by the Nazis for their refusal to accept state authority.

Soviet POWs

Soviet prisoners of war faced extreme persecution and high death rates under Nazi rule.

Ghetto

Temporary areas where Jews were confined before deportation or extermination.

Concentration Camp

Facilities for detaining and persecuting Jews and political dissidents under inhumane conditions.

Extermination Camp

Camps designed specifically for the systematic murder of targeted groups, such as Jews.

Dachau

One of the first concentration camps established in Germany, notorious for its brutality.

Reinhard Heydrich

Key architect of the Holocaust and head of the SS, involved in organizing mass extermination.

Josef Mengele

Known for inhumane medical experiments on camp inmates, particularly at Auschwitz.

Degenerate Art

Art deemed unacceptable by the Nazi regime, promoting Aryan ideals.

Collaborators

People and countries that aided in carrying out the Holocaust.

Liberators

Allied forces that freed Jews and territories from Nazi control.

Resistors

Individuals who fought back against Nazi oppression.

Perpetrators

Those who carried out the Holocaust, including the SS and soldiers.