The Holocaust as a Political Catalyst
The Nazi's concentration camps were the world's most effective killing machines ever. Here, Jews were put to horrible, unimaginable deaths as the Nazis attempted their ultimate goal of genocide. It all started with the growing anti-Semitic feeling spreading through Nazi Germany that would humiliate all those opposed by the fuhrer. Its victims had nothing more to expect than being sent off to concentration camps to die and be incinerated. The Jews were not the only victims of this war machine. There was a long list of political prisoners as well as the Jews that were victimized. Although insane, and inhumanly cruel, Adolph Hitler's war machine was both the rise and downfall to his reign. The use of these camps struck fear in all of his opposition. The concentration camps were the most top secret operation of the Nazi war machine. They worked quicker and more effectively than any bomb raid may have caused. "A man would step off a train in the morning, and in the evening, his cor!pse was burned and his clothes were packed away for shipment to Germany (Hildberg 211)." The most unique concept about the camps is that no other destruction process had been run on such an assembly line fashion. The camps were located in six main places:
All in all, the concentration camps were the worlds most effective killing machine ever used. It's impact still exists in the people of today's world. Although most believe the camps to just be some sort of an Anti-Jewish tool. In reality, it was the Nazi's most effective weapon. All of those who would not surrender to the will of the Fuhrer were punished and brought to the fabled camps of death. The gas chamber was one of the most commonly used execution devices for the Jewish prisoners. Most of the gas chambers were made on the spot for that specific reason. Sometimes, peasants' old houses were reconstructed with the windows filled in, doors made airtight, and the interior walls removed. Basically, the whole interior of the house was completely remodeled in order to create a camouflaged death trap. The survivors of the Holocaust could never go back and make life as it used to be. Many moved to America, while others spread throughout Europe. But even after the war, it was dangerous to be Jewish. They were attacked by rioters and people who still believed in the Nazi cause. A rumor spread in Poland that Jewish boys had taken blood from a Polish boy and used it in rituals. Rioters hurt 50 Jews and killed 41 Jews the next night. Jewish people realized that there was no life for them in Poland. Jews were not the only people who suffered from the war. There were also many political prisoners arrested. This was because Hitler wanted to make Germany a one party government. He then persuaded his cabinet into eliminating the freedom of speech, the press and other rights. He also made his police force able to infringe upon the privacy of the German population. They were able to read mail, listen to phone conversations, and search homes without warrants. Auschwitz, Kulmhof, Trablinka, Sobibor, Lubin, and in Belzec. Each one had its own death record. For one example, Belzec's flame pit, which was used to incinerate the dead bodies, had a firing area capable of destroying 2,000 corpses in a single day. The killing centers all started in 1941 and 1942 at a time where there was the greatest rise in the number of the concentration camps. The camps were becoming the most feared death institution, and yet were kept secret for some time. The capacity for destruction was astonishing. They were reaching the point of being an unlimited power. "Simple as this system was, it took years to work out in constant application of administrative techniques. It took a millennia in the development of Western culture (Hildberg 251)." hrough the nose. Excretion and urine covered some of the bodies, and in some pregnant women, the birth process had already begun (Hildberg 246)." In 1939, the German government took a census of the whole country that consisted of a person's age, sex, residence, profession, religion, and marital status. They were able to input the given information on cards that were specifically made to enter information into a computer made by International Business Machines, also known as IBM. This information allowed the Nazi government to track down the Jews.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Greek Jews, Lubin Belzec, SA SS, Nazi Germany, Hitler Germany, Adolph Hitler's, German Jewish, Poland Jewish, Zyklon Zyklon, Sara German, gas chambers, concentration camps, jewish people, political prisoners, war machine, five gas chambers, killing centers, regulating amount, nazi germany, jews night, sent concentration camps, five gas,
Approximate Word count = 2173
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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