War in Europe

Before you begin...

Here's a quick OVERVIEW of WORLD WAR II.

World War II

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Terms: Using the provided links, define the following terms

Air raids and blackout curtains

Throughout World War II, Germany & Britain were heavily bombed. This took a tremendous toll on the citizens of both countries.

  1. What is an air raid?

  2. Describe blackout time?

  3. What precautions did civilians in Europe take to protect themselves??

Anti-Semitism

  1. In your own words, define anti-Semitism?

Concentration Camps (aka Nazi Camps)

  1. Why were the camps built?

  2. Besides Jews, who else were prisoners in these camps?

  3. Beginning in 1938, where were German and Austrian Jews imprisoned?

  4. Define "Final Solution".

  5. Watch the video. What is the mood of the camp? What evidence from the video supports your answer?

Ghettos

  1. What did the term ghetto mean for Jews during WWII?

  2. How many types of ghettos were there?

  3. Where was the largest?

  4. Where was the biggest revolt against the ghettos?

  5. What can you infer from the photos (slideshow) about the conditions of the ghettos?

Ghetto Primary Sources

Holocaust

  1. What does the term holocaust mean?

  2. With this in mind, why do you think the systematic slaughter of the Jews (and other minorities) is called the Holocaust?

  3. When was the term first used? What did it represent?

People: Using the provided links, define the people or groups of people.

Adolph Hitler (aka Fuhrer)

  1. How was the result of World War I used by Hitler and the Nazis to seize power and gain support amongst the German people?

  2. Why was Germany hit harder by the Great Depression than any other European nation?

  3. After Hitler’s unsuccessful attempt to overthrow the German government, what was his new strategy to seize power in Germany?

Aryan

  1. According to Hitler, what is an "Aryan"? (Hint: scroll down to the 4th paragraph

SS

  1. What does SS stand for?

  2. What group of Hitler's army is represented by this term?

Third Reich

  1. What is the Third Reich?

  2. According to Hitler, how long was the Third Reich going to last?

Hitler Youth

Hitler said: "The weak must be chiseled away. I want young men and women who can suffer pain. A young German must be as swift as a greyhound, as tough as leather, and as hard as Krupp's steel."

  1. Use this link and analyze the picture to the right to answer the following question:

        • According to Hitler, who was the future of Nazi Germany?

Events: Using the provided links, define the following events.

Mein Kampf

  1. Who is the author of Mein Kampf? Under what circumstances was it written?

  2. What does "Mein Kampf" mean?

  3. What was it about?

  4. What does the author accuse the Jews of being?

May 10, 1933: Book Burning

After reading about the Nazi Book Burning...

  1. Why were the books burned?

  2. Name two authors who were targets of the book burning?

  3. Why is it ironic that one hundred years earlier the German poet, Heinrich Hein had said, "Where books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned too."?

  4. Based on the video, what was the purpose of the book burning?

October 1943: Allied Bombing of Munich

  1. What country carried out the bombing? (Scroll down and find the article about Munich)

Nuremberg Race Laws of 1935

"The Nuremberg Laws of 1935 deprived German Jews of their rights of citizenship, giving them the status of "subjects" in Hitler's Reich. The Nuremberg Laws had the unexpected result of causing confusion and heated debate over who was a "full Jew." The Nazis settled on defining a "full Jew" as a person with three Jewish grandparents. Those with less were designated as Mischlinge of two degrees: first degree - two Jewish grandparents; second degree - one Jewish grandparent." (The History Place)


  1. What was the purpose of the Nuremberg Laws of 1935?

  2. What are two rules that applied to Jews?

Kristallnacht

  1. What does the term "Kristallnacht" mean?

  2. What was it?

  3. When did it happen?

  4. Watch TWO of the following videos. What bothered the speakers the most about the changes happening in Germany?

In this interview with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust survivor Fritz Gluckstein shares his memories of Kristallnacht.

In this interview with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust survivor Johanna (Gerechter) Neumann shares her memories of Kristallnacht in November 1938.

In this interview with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust survivor Heidi (Politzer) Pope shares her memories of Kristallnacht in November 1938.

In this interview with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Holocaust survivor Rabbi Gerd Jacob (Zwienicki) Wiener shares his November 1938 memories of Kristallnacht.