The Holocaust: Death Camps

What was the Holocaust?

The Holocaust was a mass extinction of 6 million Jews and 100,000 non- Jewish Poles. The Holocaust was created by Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.

It started after Germany lost WWI, when they signed the Treaty of Versailles that allowed them to surrender, but they had to give up almost all their military, land, as well as paying reparations to the winning countries. This made Germany very weak and desperate. After a republic called the Weimar Republic failed to bring much for change, the people of Germany looked for the Nazi platform. Adolf Hitler promised big change and a boost in employment and the economy. Hitler blamed Jews for all of the struggle Germany still had which was the start for Nazi Germany, Hitler's idea to exterminate the Jews.

What were the death camps?

The Death camps were prison-like complexes where Jews were tortured, killed, and starved. They were often in isolated places and were the sites for mass killings. There were often many ways to take lives in the camps. For example, the Treblinka extermination camp had crematoriums, gas chambers, and firing squads.