Holocaust Studies- Chapter 1; "Why The Jews"

Antisemitism

Prejudice against or hostility towards Jews, often manifesting as discrimination, hate speech, or violence.

Aryan

To the Nazis, the Germanic people who formed a “master race’, from Northern European racial background.

Brown Shirts (SA)

Nazi storm troopers that helped bring Hitler to power.

Boycott

A collective abstention from buying or using goods and services from a particular country or group as a form of protest or pressure.

Communism

A form of socialism that abolishes private ownership.

Dehumanization

The process of depriving a person or group of positive human qualities.

Diaspora

Spread of people from their original homeland.

Demagogue

A political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices rather than using rational argument.

Democracy

A system of government by the whole population, typically through elected representatives.

Evian Conference

A 1938 meeting in France where world leaders discussed the refugee crisis of Jews fleeing Nazi persecution, but ultimately resulted in little action.

Fascism

A political ideology marked by dictatorial power, centralized control of private enterprise, and suppression of opposition.

Hitler Youth

A youth organization of the Nazi Party in Germany established to educate and train boys in loyalty to Hitler and the Nazi ideology.

Nationalism

Pride for one’s country

Nazi

a member of the National Socialist German Workers' Party, led by Adolf Hitler, that promoted fascism and anti-Semitism in Germany.

Nazi Ideology

A set of beliefs central to the Nazi Party, emphasizing Aryan supremacy, totalitarianism, nationalism, and anti-Semitism, leading to policies that resulted in World War II and the Holocaust.

Persecution

Systematic mistreatment of individuals or groups, often based on ethnicity, religion, or political beliefs.

Pogrom

An organized massacre of a particular ethnic group; usually applied to attack Jews.

Prejudice

A negative attitude toward an entire category of people, often an ethnic or racial minority.

Propaganda

Information used to promote a particular political cause or point of view.

Racism

The belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.

Refugee

A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

Reich

Name for the German Empire.

Reichstag

The elected house of government of the German Empire.

Socialism

A system in which society owns and controls the land, capital and industry for the greater community.

Spiritual Resistance

The act of maintaining one’s humanity, care values, and dignity in the face of oppression, degradation, and violence, without resorting to physical force.

Stereotype

A widely held, but fixed and oversimplified, image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

Swastika

The official emblem of the Nazi party and the Third Reich.

Totalitarianism

Referring to a form of government in which one person or party holds absolute control.

Weimar Republic

German republic founded after WW1 and the downfall of the German Empire’s monarchy.

Zionism

A movement to create a Jewish homeland in Palestine.

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the superiority of one’s nation or ethnic group.

Scapegoat

A person or group that bears the blame for another.

Treaty of Versailles

Ended WW1; Blamed Germany for WW1 and handed down harsh punishments.

Discrimination

Behaving differently or unfairly toward the members of a group. Denial of justice and fair treatment.