HIST254-JWST254 Midterm study guide-3

Multiple Choice Questions (66 Points)

Focus on key terms and their meanings regarding the Holocaust. Definitions will be based on readings and lecture slides:

• Holocaust: Refers to the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators during World War II. The term is derived from the Greek word "holokauston" meaning "sacrifice by fire."

• Shoah: The Hebrew term for Holocaust, specifically used to highlight the Jewish perspective on the genocide, emphasizing its moral and historical significance.

• Third Reich: The period of Nazi rule in Germany from 1933 to 1945, characterized by totalitarianism, aggressive nationalism, and the implementation of policies that led to World War II and the Holocaust.

• Diaspora: The dispersion of Jews outside of the land of Israel, often occurring through voluntary migration or forced expulsion, leading to diverse Jewish communities around the world.

• Jews' self-identification: Refers to the ways in which Jews define themselves, encompassing elements of religion, ethnicity, and culture, which can vary significantly among individuals and communities.

• Blood libel: A false accusation that Jews kidnapped and murdered Christian children to use their blood in religious rituals; a baseless conspiracy that fueled antisemitism throughout history.

• Emancipation: The gradual granting of rights to Jewish individuals, particularly in Europe, beginning in the late 18th and throughout the 19th centuries, allowing Jews greater participation in society, politics, and the economy.

• Antisemitism: A form of prejudice and discrimination against Jews, characterized by various beliefs and attitudes regarding Jewish people, ranging from stereotypes and myths to violence and genocide.

• Volk: A concept tied to German nationalism that emphasizes the idea of a cohesive and unique ethnic group (the people), often used by the Nazis to promote Aryan superiority.

• Blood and soil: An ideology linking race and territory, asserting that a nation is defined by its ethnic heritage and that the land is vital for the survival and continuation of its people, used to justify expansionist policies.

• Lebensraum: The Nazi concept of "living space" which justified the expansion of German territory into Eastern Europe, claiming the need for more land to accommodate the growing Aryan population.

• Weimar Republic: Germany's government established after World War I, known for its democratic structure but facing significant challenges, including economic hardship and political extremism, which set the stage for the rise of the Nazi Party.

• “Stabbed in the back” theory: A conspiracy theory that blamed Jews and other groups for Germany's defeat in World War I, perpetuating resentment and anger that helped fuel Nazism.

• Treaty of Versailles: The 1919 treaty that officially ended World War I, imposing heavy reparations and territorial losses on Germany, leading to widespread resentment among Germans and contributing to the rise of Adolf Hitler.

• Fuhrer: A title meaning "leader" in German, adopted by Adolf Hitler to emphasize his dictatorial control and authority over the Nazi regime and its policies.

• Reichstag Fire Decree: A law enacted following the burning of the Reichstag building in 1933, allowing the suspension of civil liberties and enabling the Nazi government to arrest political opponents.

• Dachau: The first Nazi concentration camp, established in 1933, where political prisoners, Jews, and others were held, subjected to inhumane conditions and forced labor.

• Enabling Act: A 1933 law that gave Hitler the authority to enact laws without the consent of the Reichstag, effectively consolidating his power and dismantling democratic governance in Germany.

• Law to Prevent Offspring with Hereditary Diseases: A Nazi policy initiated to sterilize individuals deemed unfit to reproduce, representing a eugenics-driven approach to perceived racial purity.

• Law for Restoration of the Professional Civil Service: This 1933 law excluded Jews and other non-Aryans from serving in the civil service, solidifying discriminatory practices in public employment.

• Reich Citizenship Law: A 1935 law that defined who was considered a citizen of Nazi Germany, stripping Jews of their citizenship rights and formalizing their exclusion from society.

• Law for Protection of German Blood and Honor: A 1935 anti-miscegenation law that prohibited marriage and sexual relations between Jews and non-Jewish Germans, reflecting the regime's racial ideology.

• Anschluss: The annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany in 1938, marking a significant expansion of German territory and consolidation of Hitler's power.

• Sudetenland: A region of Czechoslovakia that was annexed by Germany in 1938, significant for its ethnic German majority and viewed by Nazis as part of their rightful territory.

• The November Pogrom: Also known as Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass (1938), these orchestrated attacks on Jewish synagogues, businesses, and homes marked a significant escalation of antisemitic violence in Nazi Germany.

• Evian Conference: A 1938 conference attended by various countries to discuss the Jewish refugee crisis; ultimately, few nations were willing to increase Jewish immigration quotas, highlighting global apathy towards the plight of Jews at that time.

• Hitler-Stalin Pact: Also known as the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, this non-aggression treaty (1939) between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union allowed both countries to divide Eastern Europe into spheres of influence, facilitating the start of World War II.

• General Government: The administrative region established by Germany in occupied Poland, where many Jews and other minorities were forcibly relocated and subjected to severe oppression.

• Warthegau/Wartheland: The territory annexed by Germany after its invasion of Poland, known for its extreme Nazi policies and significant implementation of the Holocaust.

• Einsatzgruppen: Mobile killing units that followed the German army into Eastern Europe, responsible for mass shootings of Jews and other targeted groups during the Holocaust.

• General Plan East: The Nazi plan for the colonization and genocide in Eastern Europe, aiming to eliminate or enslave local populations and repopulate the areas with Germans.

• June 22, 1941: The date when Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union, began, leading to significant military engagement and large-scale atrocities against Jews and others.

• “War of Annihilation”: A term used to describe the Nazis' extermination policies following the invasion of the Soviet Union, where the intent to eradicate entire populations became apparent.

• Jedwabne: A site in Poland where local residents committed mass murder of Jews during the Holocaust in July 1941, showcasing the complicity of non-German actors in the genocide.

• Lviv pogrom: A violent attack on the Jewish community in Lviv, Ukraine, in 1941, illustrating the rapid escalation of antisemitic violence as Nazi control expanded.