Holocaust Timeline and Anne Frank

  • Hitler publishes book wrote in prison called Mein Kampf which calls for removal of Jews from Gernamny.

    While in prison for his radical beliefs, Hitler developed a 25 point program calling for racial purity. He also wrote a book about the master race and how Jews were interferring with the German race. Once released, his book was published. Within 8 years, his radical beliefs became the government beliefs and the rest is history
  • Anne Frank is born in Frankfurt, Germany

    Anne Frank is born in Frankfurt, Germany
  • Hitler appointed Chancellor of Germany

    Germany has 566,000 Jews
  • Nazis (Hitler's Party) burns Reichstag building to create crisis

    Hitler gets emergency powers.
  • Period: to

    First Concentration Camps

    First concentration camp Dachau established March 1933. Imprisonment started in 1935. Jews were stripped of their identities.
  • Nazi calls for boycott of Jewish businesses

    Nazi storm troopers (SA) dragged Jewish judges, lawyers into street for public humilation. SA also marched street lined with Jewish businesses singing anti-Jewish songs. Nationwide boycott of Jewish stores in the press. Nazi made Jewish businessmen march down street carrying anti-Jewish signs. Nazis blamed Jews for anti-German tone of international press. On April 7, 1933, a law dismissed all Jews from civil service (government jobs). Similar laws continued to oust Jews from employment.
  • German federalist dissolved & replaced by Nazi governors.

    Anyone not a Nazi was kicked out of office and replaced by Nazis.
  • Book burning - "Where one burns books, one will, in the end, burn people." Heinrich Heine

    Nazi students and professors raided libraries, universities, and bookstores in 30 different cities throughout Germany and removed 100,000s of books and threw them in bonfires. Why? Nazis wanted to destroy anything considered "non-German" or that was written by Jews. For example, Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud books were burned and so were American non-Jewish authors Helen Keller, Jack London, and Upton Sinclair. Eight years later -- Hitler and the SS burned people.
  • Nazi Propaganda alienates Jews and silences all those who do not agree with Nazi party

    Dr. Geobbels (Nazi Propagandists) systematically spead opinions and beliefs against Jews by taking control of newspapers, magazines, books, radio, and public meetings/rallies. Anyone who threaten Nazi beliefs would be eliminated from all media. Before Hitler came to power, Jews were proud of their heritage
    Burning of books May 10, 1933 raided all schools, bookstores, libraries of books contrary to Nazi beliefs. Why? Hitler wanted racial purity and believed anything non-German was no good.
  • Anne's Family moves to Netherlands

    Anne's Family moves to Netherlands
  • Period: to

    Jews from citizens to outcasts of society. 2/3 of Jews in Europe disappear

    Nazis forced Jewish people to display six-pointed star of David on their stores and persons. Meant to discourage Germans from buying from Jews and associating with them. Forced to speak Yiddish, Jewish language
    1938 Jewish doctors cannot treat non-Jewish patients; Jewish lawyers cannot practice. August 1938 - Jews forced to take Jewish middlenames: Men - Isreal, Women - Sarah.

    1933 - Jews lived in every country in Europe but by end of WWII two or every three Jews were killed in Europe.
  • Period: to

    The Ghettos

    Nazi officially told the story that Jews were disease-carriers and had to be evacuated from polish communities. Thus, Jews were sent to live in dirty, crowded housing. Ghetto refers to a part of the city where minority groups live b/c of social, legal, or economic pressure. Smallest Ghetto 3000 Jews, Largest Ghetto 400,000 Jews. On Nov. 23, 1939, all Jews 10 yrs or older had to wear star of David. Disease was everywhere, cold winters with little clothing, no heat. People starved.
  • SS established - Nazi's private army

    SS tormented political leaders who refused to obey Nazi laws by punishment in prison, concentration camp, or killing. SS members in black uniform coat. Gestapo also established: Non-uniform troopers who went door to door rounding up Jews. They also tormented political leaders who disobeyed Nazi laws.
  • Hitler's ideal race - Aryan = Blond, Blue-Eyed, Tall

    Hitler's image of the perfect, ideal German looked nothing like he did. In German school's, teachers started measuring student's skulls and nose lengths and their eye and hair color was recorded. Hitler publicized in posters, radio, newspapers, movies and classrooms what the ideal person should look like: tall, blond hair and blue eyes. He wanted racial purity, hence the Nuremburg Laws
  • Nuremberg Race Laws - Jew cannot marry Germans

    Also excluded Jews from events. Signs saying "No Jews Allowed." During Olympics, Germans loosened up their anti-Jew treatment because they did not want bad worldwide publicity. However, after Olympics, Jews were again outcasts in Germany.
  • More laws against Jews for German racial purity

    To further German racial purity, law required persons wishing to marry to get government approval from board of health they they were not Jewish by blood. "Law for Protection of Hereditary Health of German People"
  • Why didn't US stand up to Hitler

    US didn't get involved b/c still recovering from WWI. Citizens wanted to get involved but some were concerned that welcoming Jews to US would be against our refugee policy. Finally, we stood up after Pearl Harbor was bombed Dec. 7, 1941
  • Why Jews could not escape Hitler?

    US and other countries made it difficult for Jews to immigrate. Requirements for immigration were strict. Also, Germany made it difficult for Jews to leave: Jews needed a passport, cert from police formally stating they did not live in Germany anymore, emigration tax, and 25% tax of assets for dissolving German residency, Also, those leaving had to itemize a list of every personal and household good they took with them. Moreover, they needed a visa to get into a country in order to leave.
  • Hitler makes Jews lives difficult

    33,000-35,000 Jews try to flee Germany due to Hitler's pressures
  • Evian France Conference - no countries will accept Jews trying to flee Hitler

    At Evian, France, the US convenes a League of Nations conference with delegates from 32 countries to consider helping Jews fleeing Hitler, but results in inaction as no country will accept Jews.
  • Night of Broken Glass - Kristallnact

    Nazis attack Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues all over Gernmany. Over 17,000 Jewish families were forced out of Germany into Poland, where they were not welcomed, forcing them stranded and without homes.
  • Germany conquers Norway and Denmark

    Germany invades Norway and Germany. Within a day Denmark is occupied and Norway also is conquered with little fighting. Continuing North, Germany is met by the British who attempt to fight the Germans, but the Brits have to retreat in the first week of June.
  • St. Louis ship crowded with 930 Jewish refugees is turned away by Cuba, US and other countries. Returns to Europe

    Hitler at first wanted Jew to leave. He deprived Jews of food, water, and other basic needs before concentration camps. Jews tried to flee but noone would take them.
  • Germany invades Poland with 2000 tanks and 1000 planes.

    Although France and Britain declare war on Germany to help Poland, Poland must surrender to Germany on Sept. 28, 1939.
  • Great Britain and France declare war on Germany

  • Hitler authorizes killing of all handicapped persons

    Physically and mentally disabled persons were sent to centers where they were examined by Hitler's medical crew and most were euthanised (killed) because Hitler viewed them as unworthy of life. Note August 3, 1941 Catholic Pope denounces euthanasia and Hitler was officially ordered to end his project in 1941.
  • Germans begin killing the ederly and impaired people

    Consultants visited hospitals to decide who would die in gas chambers
  • Hitler authorizes killing of handicapped b/c considered "disgrace to society"

    Nazis felt that handicapped people were a disgrace to society. They were starved or poisoned Innocent 1940-1945 200,000 were killed.
  • French Capital falls to Germans

    The fight against France and surrounding countries in western Europe lasted only six weeks as they cannot stand up to Germany and are trapped in the north. Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini supports Germany. Japanese troops invade Indochina.
  • Germany begins nightly bombings of England. Germany, Italy and Japan unite.

  • German forces attack Soviet Union (Russia)

    Over 3,000,000 German troops and 1,000,000 German allies attack Russia. Finally, Russia forces Germans to retreat from Moscow, thereby defeating Germany.
  • Japanese spring a suprise air attach on Pearl Harbor US military base, killing 2400 Americans

    Pearl Harbor is on Hawaiin island. US declares war on Japan and enters WWII on side of Allies (England and France).
  • First Killing Center begins operation

    The Chelmno extermination camp begins killing millions of Jews in gas chambers. Later camps -- Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Majdanek -- also gassed Jews as part of the "final solution."
  • Wannsee Conference - Hitler and 15 high ranking officials meet at Wannsee Villa to discuss exterminating all Jews

    "The Final Solution" was the momentary name for the Holocaust or the complete elimination of Jews. Hitler and 15 others discused liquidation, extermination, and mass elimination of Jews. Mobile killing squads and gas chambers alread in place by summer 1941. Not a single person at the meeting objected.
  • US Navy defeats Japanese at Battle of Midway marking a turning point in Pacific War

    But not soon enough. Japan has taken over Philippines, Java, the Dutch East Indies, and in the Philippines, 5200 captured Americans die in a forced march by the Japanese.
  • Hitler uses technology to his advantage - Missle Development

    Hitler attacks Britain with V-2 Rocket. Back in 1933, Hitler raided Albert Einstein's house for scientific evidence to gain technological advantage.
  • Italy surrenders but Germany continues fighting

  • French and American armies liberate Paris

  • Period: to

    Winter 1944-45 Death Marches

    Prisoners of concentration camps forced to walk long distances (35 miles) without food, water, rest in extremely cold conditions. Anyone who could not keep up was shot.
  • Period: to

    Death Marches

    At end of war, Germans were collapsing, so they started marching Jews to final killing centers instead of transporting them. Many Jews were shot if they could not keep up. Jews marched 35 miles with little or no food, no rest, harsh weather conditions and dirty clothes. One in four died along the way. Winter of 1944-45 was harstest one yet at the time.
  • American troops turn back Germans in Battle of the Bulge, largest land battle in history

  • American troops bomb Tokyo, Japan, killing more than 80,000

  • Hitler Commits Suicide

    At age 56, Hitler and his new wife commit suicide as the Red Amry were within blocks of capturing him at the end of WWII.
  • American soldiers free 32,000 survivors of Nazi concentration camps

    However, six million Jews were killed. Days later Hitler commits suicide and Germany surrenders.
  • U.S. drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki; Japan surrenders

    Finally, Sept. 1945 Japan surrenders