Honors Holocaust and Genocide (copy)

Holocaust

The systematic murder of the Jews, disabled, Jehovah’s witnesses, Gypsies, and other undesirables by the Nazis from 1933 to 1945, killing about 11-20 million people.

Genocide

The deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group, often involving mass killings and other atrocities.

SHOAH

Hebrew word for destruction, which describes the Jewish experience during the Holocaust.

Treaty of Versailles

Punished Germany heavily after World War I, contributing to the rise of extremist ideologies in Germany.

Weimar Republic

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

NSDAP

National Socialist German Workers Party, led by Adolf Hitler.

Adolf Hitler

Leader of the NSDAP who rose to power through oratory skills, became Chancellor, and ruled with totalitarian methods.

Beer Hall Putsch

Failed coup by Hitler to seize control of Bavaria in 1923.

Mein Kampf

Hitler's autobiography outlining his plans for Germany and ideology, including anti-Semitism and the need for living space.

Third Reich

Refers to the Nazi regime in Germany from 1933 to 1945.

Reichstag Fire

Arson attack on the German Parliament building used by the Nazis to blame Communists and push for extreme measures.

Reichstag Fire Decree

Suspended civil rights in Germany, allowing arrest of political opponents.

Enabling Act

Allowed Hitler to enact laws without parliament approval, cementing his dictatorship.

Eugenics

The science of improving human population through controlled breeding.

Nuremberg Laws

Laws aiming to create a 'master race,' laying groundwork for persecution of Jews.

Mischlinge

Individuals of mixed Jewish and non-Jewish ancestry.

Evian Conference

Meeting of world leaders in 1938 discussing the Jewish refugee problem.

Kristallnacht

A pogrom against Jews in November 1938, marking a significant escalation in anti-Jewish violence.

Hitler Youth

Paramilitary organization for German youth aimed at indoctrinating them with Nazi ideology.

Propaganda

Information spread to promote a political cause or point of view, heavily utilized by the Nazis.

T4 Program

Initiative to exterminate individuals deemed 'unworthy of life' under the guise of public health.

Paragraph 175

Law criminalizing male homosexual acts, leading to persecution of gay men.

Jehovah’s Witnesses

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

Poles and Slavs

Considered racially inferior, facing severe persecution during the Holocaust.

Communists

Political group persecuted by the Nazis after the Reichstag Fire.

Gypsies

Romani people targeted by the Nazis as racially inferior, facing extermination.

Blacks

Marginalized and persecuted under Nazi racial policies.

Soviet POWs

Faced extreme persecution, with millions dying during the Holocaust.

Jewish Victims

Approximately 6 million Jews were systematically murdered during the Holocaust.

Shtetl

Jewish communities that served as cultural hubs amidst anti-Semitism.

Collaborators

Individuals or countries that assisted in carrying out the Holocaust.

Perpetrators

Those who executed the Holocaust, including the SS and SA.

Bystanders

Individuals who witnessed the atrocities but did not intervene.

Rescuers

Individuals who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

Liberators

Allied forces that liberated concentration camps post-World War II.

Resistors

Those who actively opposed Nazi rule.

Heinrich Himmler

Head of the SS and key architect of the Holocaust.

Josef Goebbels

Minister of Propaganda, responsible for spreading Nazi ideology.

Hermann Goering

Key Nazi leader involved in establishing the Gestapo.

Ernst Rohm

Leader of the SA, executed during the Night of the Long Knives.

Reinhard Heydrich

Main architect of the Holocaust and organizer of the Final Solution.

Josef Mengele

Infamous for conducting inhumane experiments on concentration camp inmates.

Degenerate Art

Art deemed unacceptable by the Nazis that did not conform to Aryan ideals.

Pure Art

Artwork conforming to Nazi ideals of beauty and Aryanism.

Ghetto

Temporary stopping points for Jews before deportation and killing.

Judenrat

Jewish councils established to administer Nazi orders within Jewish communities.

Concentration Camp

Facilities for detaining Jews and political opponents, known for inhumane conditions.

Extermination Camp

Camps designed specifically for mass murder, like Auschwitz.

Dachau

First Nazi concentration camp, famous for its brutal conditions.

Warsaw Ghetto

Largest ghetto in Poland, known for the Jewish uprising.

Emmanuel Ringelblum

Historian who documented life in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Theresinstadt (Terezin)

Ghetto camp used as a model for the Red Cross.

Concentration Camps

Nazi facilities for incarcerating perceived enemies of the state.

WWII as a 'Mask'

Hitler used the war as a cover for the Holocaust atrocities.

Appeasement

Policy used by the Allies to avoid war, allowing Nazi expansion.

Lebensraum

Hitler's concept of 'living room' for the Aryan race.

Einsatzgruppen

Mobile killing units responsible for mass shootings.

Final Solution

Nazi plan for the systematic extermination of the Jewish population.

Wannsee Conference

Meeting where the Final Solution's implementation was coordinated.

Death Camps

Facilities focused on mass extermination, utilizing gas chambers.

Chelmno

First extermination camp, using mobile gas vans for murders.

Belzec

Second extermination camp with an estimated 600,000 Jewish victims.

Sobibor

Third extermination camp with approximately 250,000 Jews murdered.

Treblinka

Fourth extermination camp with around 870,000 Jews killed.

Majdenek

Fifth extermination camp operational until 1944, killing 78,000 Jews.

Auschwitz

Most infamous extermination camp, notorious for mass killings and forced labor.

Armed Resistance

Efforts by Jews and other groups to fight against Nazi oppression during the Holocaust, including uprisings in ghettos and camps.

Cultural and Spiritual Resistance

Actions taken by Jews and others to preserve their cultural identity, religion, and community life during the Holocaust, often through education, religious practices, and artistic expression.

Defiance

Refusal to obey laws or orders, often displayed by Jews and others in various forms during the Holocaust, including acts of sabotage, uprisings, and maintaining cultural practices.