Holocaust Overview and Key Concepts

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and concepts related to the Holocaust as discussed in the lecture notes.

Holocaust

The mass genocide of approximately 6 million Jews and other groups by Nazi Germany from 1939 to 1945.

Genocide

The deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, ethnic, national, or cultural group.

Prejudice

Unfair treatment or judgment of individuals based on their belonging to a certain group.

Antisemitism

Hatred against Jewish people.

Shtetl

Small Jewish communities in Eastern Europe.

Nazism

A fascist political ideology practiced by the Nazis in Germany, characterized by nationalism, racial superiority, and militarism.

Nationalism

Strong support for one's own nation and culture, often to the detriment of minority groups.

Lebensraum

The Nazi policy of territorial expansion to provide living space for the Aryan race.

Kristallnacht

Also known as the Night of Broken Glass; a coordinated attack on Jewish businesses and synagogues in Germany on November 9-10, 1938.

Ghettos

Urban areas where Jews were forced to live under harsh conditions during the Holocaust.

Final Solution

The Nazi plan for the extermination of the Jewish people, which involved mass shootings and gas chambers.

Einsatzgruppen

Mobile killing units responsible for mass shootings of Jews and other targeted groups.

Nuremberg Laws

Anti-Jewish laws enacted in 1935, which stripped German Jews of their citizenship and rights.

Zyklon B

A pesticide used by the Nazis to kill Jews in gas chambers during the Holocaust.

Death Marches

Forced marches of prisoners away from advancing Allied troops, resulting in the death of many Jews.

Liberation

The act of freeing concentration camp survivors by Allied forces at the end of WWII.