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Holocaust Final
Related to country: Germany

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Imagine a time when your rights were stripped away just because of your beliefs. When you couldn’t walk out onto the street for fear of getting shot in an instant, even afraid you’ll be killed in your own home by a complete stranger. This time was The Holocaust.

The Holocaust is said to be the darkest moment in human history. The definition of a holocaust is “a mass slaughter or reckless destruction of life”(dictionary.com); and this one was purely based on race. Hundreds of innocent people died everyday because of their race, and religious beliefs. All in all, a total of nearly 15,000,000 died on the street, or in death camps, such as Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen. Approximately 90% were of the Jewish belief, and the other 10% was Gypsies and Poles.

The first gas testings of the prisoners started on September 3, 1941, in Auschwitz I. The first to be tested were 600 of the Soviet War Prisoners, later being tested onto Jewish and other prisoners. The gas used was called Zyclon B, which was the shortened name for crystalline hydrogen cyanide gas. It was normally used as an insecticide for pest control. (ushmm.org)

Another example of the tests not only conducted in Auschwitz, but in others as well, was the horrific medical experiments inflicted onto the prisoners. Some of the most famous experiments were performed by Josef Mengele, attempting to create Siamese twins. There are three categories of experimentation, the first being conducted for the benefit and survival of military personnel. The second tested different cures for diseases, such as Malaria, Typhus, and other contagious diseases. Also, the second category included bone grafting and testing of new drugs onto the prisoners. The most commonly tested on were Poles. And finally, the third category was the more physical testing of medical advancement. The twins mentioned earlier were in category three. (ushmm.org and wikipedia.com)


Another horrendous event that occurred was the first of the death marches, mainly taking place in the winter of 1944-1945. The Soviet Army was approaching Germany, and so the death camps had to be evacuated quickly. Some prisoners were killed before leaving, being left on the ground while the others were forced out. The longest death march recorded lasted for about 10 days on foot, headed for the Baltic Sea. Those who could not keep up were shot immediately, most of them collapsing on their own. The march began with 7,000 Jews, 700 of them being shot when they fell from lack of energy. Most of them died simply of starvation. Reaching their destination, the remaining survivors were forced into the water and shot. (ushmm.org/outreach)

There have been Death Marches from all over the country in nearly every camp. Very few survived, those who did lacked the strength to continue. Another infamous death march was called the Bataan Death March, which started at camp O'Donnell, going 90 miles up to the border of Bataan and Pambango in the Phillipines. P.O.W s were denied water and rations and were kept out in the blistering heat without shade or protection. They were immediately executed if they asked for water. (ghostofbataan.com)


Another cruel act to come up was the Nazi Euthanasia in October of 1939. This was the killing of innocent people with disabilities, known as "life unworthy of life" to the Nazis. Codenamed 'Akton T 4', the nazis started with the eliminating of children from up to 3 years of age that showed signs of mental illness or deformity; Then went on to the older people. Marks were made on the arms of the children. A red plus sign meant for the child to be killed, and a blue minus sign was for the decision against killing.

Killing centers disguised as hospitals had shower rooms and a crematorium, just as they are in the death camps. Patients with the red cross mark were led into the showers and gassed. The families of the patients were told their cause of death was by accident, either heart failure or other problems. One case of this killing was 16 year old Emmi G., who was diagnosed as schizophreneric and sent to the Meseritz-Obrawalde euthanasia center. There, she was killed with an overdose of tranquilizers. (historyplace.com)


May 2, 2008 | 2:46 PM Comments  1 comments

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