Chapter+3

The Holocaust by Susanna Davidson Chapter 3 ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS IN YOUR OWN WORDS. READ THE TEXT TO FIND THE ANSWER, UNDERSTAND IT, WRITE DOWN A FEW KEY WORDS, AND WRITE THE ANSWER WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE BOOK. Page 14
 * 1) What happened after WW1 in Germany?

The times were harsh. There were not enough food and people lost their businesses because the prices of goods and food went up. This made people look for change.


 * 1) What did Hitler blame the Jews for?

Hitler blamed the Jews for the loss of WW1


 * 1) What did Hitler say about the Germans? About other ethnicities?

Hitler said that the Germans were superior to all other races because they were a pure race, which he called the Aryans.

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 * 1) What did Hitler think of the Jews?

Hitler thought the Jews were the most inferior race. They were not considered humans, but devils.


 * 1) Why did Hitler become popular in the late 1920s and early 1930s?

The economy was very slow. There were no jobs, and people were looking for change. Hitler promised his people a lot of change!


 * 1) What happened in January 1933?

Hitler rose to power and became the chancellor of Germany.

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 * 1) Explain what were the SA and the SS?

The SA were soldiers who followed Hitler’s orders, and the SS were also soldiers, but their job was to protect Hitler. They were his bodyguards, dressed in black. Both armies beat up anyone who disagreed with Hitler’s plans.


 * 1) What happened four days after Hitler became the chancellor of Germany?

The SA started attacking the Jews in the streets and beat them up very badly, until they were almost dead.

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 * 1) Describe how the first concentration camp came to be? Who was sent there and what happened there?

Four days after his election, Hitler sent his enemies, Jews or not, to a camp in Dachau. This became the first concentration camp. There, they would work and not be fed properly. Anyone who complained about Hitler could be sent there.

10.Not in the text: Where was that camp?

This camp is in Dachau, near Munich, in the south of Germany.

Page 18 11.What happened on April1, 1933?

The SA went in the streets to paint racial slurs on the walls and doors of the shops owned by Jews. People who were going in these shops were stamped in the forehead with the sign “traitor”.

Page 19 12.What types of laws were passed? Many laws were passed to ban Jews from using many services or from appearing in many public places.

13.What law was passed in 1933, regarding disabled, Roma, and Black people?

In July 1933, doctors were allowed by law to perform operations that would prevent disabled people to have children. The law extended to Roma and Black people later on.

Page 20 14.Explain what the Nuremberg Laws were?

These laws defined what constituted a Jew, how many Jewish ancestors a person needed to be considered Jewish. They also took away any right the Jews had. The Jews were not German citizens anymore and were not protected by any law.

Page 21 15.What did many Jews decide to do?

Many Jews left their home and belongings to flee this harsh treatment. They emigrated to many different countries around the world.

Page 22 16.What does the word Lebensraum? Explain in your own words.

Hitler wanted as much land as possible to establish his pure race, so he started invading other countries to gain more land.

17.What happened in March 1938?

Germany invaded Austria. The same harsh laws were passed in Austria, and the Austrian Jews suffered the same treatment as German Jews.

Page 23 18.Who could leave Germany and what happened when they left?

People who had money could leave, but they had to abandon a lot of their belongings. Others left without anything and lived in poverty wherever they went.

19.What triggered “The Night of the Broken Glass”? What happened that night?

Because a young Jewish boy killed an important German man, the Germans went out and burned many Jewish synagogues, destroyed many houses and shops, breaking many windows in the process. They also killed 90 Jews that night.

Page 24 20.What happened in countries where Jews wanted to flee to?

The countries closed their borders, not welcoming anymore Jews in their countries because their countries were also going through tough times.

21.How did the Nuremberg Laws change in 1936? What happened to these people?

More ethnic groups were included in the laws. Now Black and Roma people had lost their rights too. They were also sent to concentration camps.

Page 25 22.What happened to some families with the Kindertransport plan?

Some Jewish families sent their children to foreign countries. These countries could not refuse the arrival of children, so this was the only way to save some members of the Jewish families. Most families never reunited.

23.What happened in March 1939? In September 1939?

The Germans invaded Czechoslovakia in March and Poland in September. Hitler had been warned that if he invaded another country after Czechoslovakia, the Allies would fight back.

24. What were the consequences for the Jews?

All borders closed and the Jews could not go anywhere anymore. They were trapped like mice…