world war ii the holocaust

World War IIThe Holocaust

World War II: The Holocaust History of Jews: In the 1100s, Rumor has it that Jews would steal

Christian kids and kill the kids for religious purposes. Usually around holidays.

1144- 1st case of Ritual murder- Norwich, England. A little boy turns up dead in the woods. The body sits in the woods for days and starts to decompose. A local pastor finds the body and associates the death to Jews. Jews don’t drink red wine because it deals with blood, so they only drink white wine.

World War II: The Holocaust History of Jews: Jews are going to be blamed for natural disasters such as the black death/plague in the 1300s. Jews had wealth and connections. The Jews would help one another to try to defeat the Christians. Most people during this time period hated money lenders. Money lenders charged interest and that was seen as a sin. People decided that if you got rid of the money lender, then your debt is gone.

World War II: The Holocaust History of Jews: Martin Luther (95 Thesis) wanted Jews to join him in the Protestant Reformation. He claimed Jesus was born a Jew and everyone needs to be nicer to Jews hoping that they would join. Not many joined Martin Luther causing him to get frustrated and shout out lies.

World War II: The Holocaust History of Jews: Martin Luther starts lying about Jews claiming “Jews commit ritual murders” and that they “poison wells and worship Satin.” He states “People should set fire to Jewish Synagogues, destruct schools, burn houses, prayer books, laws should be passed to stop Jews from moving. Confine them to cities. Jews have robbed people and should have their money taken. Jews do NOT know physical labor so men and women should do physical labor. Stay away from Jews.”

World War II: The Holocaust History of Jews: Jews were not allowed in German towns. If so, Jews could not stay overnight. Examples: Nuremburg and Frankfort Nuremburg- Jews can come in, but thru a certain gate paying a toll. An older German lady would follow the Jew around so it was someone who couldn’t get pregnant. Jews had to tip the old lady.

World War II: The Holocaust History of Jews: Frankfort- 3,000 Jews have the right to live there. Germans tried to control this area by locking gates at certain times. Jews had to pay fees and re-new contracts to live there. These housing communities were called Judengasse. (Gasse= German for alley/street)

Example of a Judengasse

World War II: The Holocaust History of Jews: In the late 1700s Jews started to move into urban areas and becoming the backbone of the middle class in Poland. (Poland is an independent country but gets gobbled up by Russia) Catherine the Great decides to move the Jews to a confined area because she didn’t trust them

World War II: The Holocaust This is called the Pale of Settlement, which is a large area where Jews are to stay in Russia. (Poland to Baltic Sea) Many Jews already live in this area. In the early 1800s, Tsar Alexander takes over Russia and states that Jews cannot live in villages or near the border of Russia because they might help other countries.

Pale of Settlement

World War II: The Holocaust History of Jews: Tsar Nicholas I (1825-55) made Jews start to serve in the Russian army starting at the age of 12 and ending at 25. Every Jewish community had a quota where a certain amount of Jews were needed. This was a way to keep the younger Jews together and try to commit them to Russian ways

World War II: The Holocaust History of Jews: Alexander III in the late 1800s decides to sponsor pogroms which are anti-Jewish riots During a pogrom, people would throw rocks, burn and rape Jewish women Alexander III argued that all Jews are liberal and he used massive pogroms against the Jews

Victims of a Pogrom

World War II: Adolph Hitler


Hitler was born in 1889, in Austria

His dad (Alois) was rough and tough. He used to beat his kids.

His mom (Klara) tried to make up for the beating from Alois.


Hitler had no Jewish blood in him. Adolph was only 14 when his dad died. He

drops out of school at age 16 because he is still ill about his fathers death.

Adolph’s favorite subjects were History and Geography. He failed many classes and told the teachers they were wrong a lot.


He takes 2 years off to “goof” around. He then decides he wants to be an artist. He moves off to Vienna to attend a school. School rejects him for no reason. He goes to the director to find out why he was rejected and they told him he couldn’t draw humans well. They told him to apply for architecture school. He does and gets rejected.


At this point, he feels like he can’t tell anyone. He gets a call back home because his mother is dying from breast cancer and she dies.

Rumor has it that the doctor taking care of Hitler’s mom was a Jew.

Adolph stated “I respected my father but I loved my mother.”

He inherits money from Aunt, Mom and Dad so he heads back to Vienna.


By 1913, Hitler hold the belief that the Arian race is pure while the Jews are worst because its opposite of Arian.

Also, in 1913, Hitler tries to leave Austria because he has to serve in the Austrian military. He does not want to be in the military.

He is searched for and found. He was arrested. He claims he had to take care of his siblings. Austria decided to make him unfit for the army and let him go. They really didn’t need him.


At age 25, Hitler is drifting around and ends up in Germany. He really likes the people and how everyone is linked together. Immediately, he joins the German Army.

He feels accepted and found his purpose in life. His job was to relay messages to Front Line

through wars, trenches. All the military people hated Hitler.

Hitler found a dog and that is the only friend he has.


While in the war, Hitler was hit with some chemical warfare that temporarily blinded him. While in the hospital, German signs armistices on Nov. 11 stating they lost the war. This cuts him to the core.

He fought for Germany and didn’t want to believe they lost the war so he takes the point of view that Jews stabbed Germany in the back during W.W.I.


In 1932, it was time to elect a new President. Hindenburg was President and he is old. Out of respect, no one was going to run against him.

Hitler decides he is going to run against him.

Hindenburg got 17 million votes and Hitler got 13 million votes.


It looks as if Hindenburg won but Hitler has the most representatives in the Parliament.

He goes to Hindenburg and asks to be chancellor and Hindenburg sends him packing.

2 years later,(1934) Hindenburg dies and Hitler is able to take over as President.

world war ii the holocaust

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