Perhaps the most dreadful event in recent history is the tragedy that befell the world during the Holocaust. Throughout a twelve year period, the Nazis were able to wreak havoc and torture innocent people purely because of their “inferiority”. The Nazi ideology was rooted in the idea that the German race was superior to all, and this state of mind was behind all of the atrocities that took place in Germany and surrounding areas. While the majority of the worst travesties took place during the final years of the holocaust, there was a significant build-up to those events, which took place throughout the years from 1933 to 1938. During these years, the Nazis began to show their true intention to the world, and began their systematic persecution
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Under Nazi regime, the homosexual population would receive persecution ranging from the termination of homosexual organizations to being placed in concentration camps with other “inferior” people. This was due to the fact that “the Nazis believed that male homosexuals were weak, effeminate men who could not fight for the German nation” (Website 1). In fact, the Nazis believed that homosexual men were less likely to produce children and therefore would not contribute to the creation of a superior German race. The Nazis saw this as a racial danger, as they felt that it was necessary to have a higher birthrate than non-Aryan races in order to gain superiority. Henceforth, the persecution of Germany’s homosexual population began. The first attack on the homosexual community was “on May 6, 1933, [when] students led by Storm Troopers (Sturmabteilung, SA) broke into the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin and confiscated its unique library” (Website 1). After the confiscation, the majority of the 12,000 books and 35,000 photographs and pictures were destroyed along with any other materials that pertained to homosexuality. In many ways, this act was the first in a series of steps to …show more content…
Although the discrimination of the Roma had been happening all of Europe long before World War Two, it began for the Nazis in Germany when “in 1933, police in Germany began more rigorous enforcement of pre-Nazi legislation against those who followed a lifestyle labeled ‘Gypsy’” (Website 3). In the eyes of the Nazis, the Romani people were an undesirable race and therefore needed to be either exterminated or contained. Thus began the Nazis systematic identification of anyone with Romani blood, which the Nazis believed to be “alien”. However, this proved a difficult task as the Roma had been in Europe for hundreds of years, and had been classified as Christian for that time, so it was impossible to use records to identify those of Romani descent. Instead, “the Nazis turned to racial hygiene and sought to determine who was Romani based on physical characteristics” (Website 3). This study was led by Doctor Robert Ritter, a child psychologist located at the University of Tuebingen who believed that criminal behavior was genetically inherited. Ritter conducted many studies, both medically and physically, and through use of threats, was able to gain information on subjects ancestors in order to compile his list of all the Roma living in Germany. To conclude his research, “Ritter declared that Roma, having originated in India, were once Aryan but had been corrupted by mingling with
Under Nazi regime, the homosexual population would receive persecution ranging from the termination of homosexual organizations to being placed in concentration camps with other “inferior” people. This was due to the fact that “the Nazis believed that male homosexuals were weak, effeminate men who could not fight for the German nation” (Website 1). In fact, the Nazis believed that homosexual men were less likely to produce children and therefore would not contribute to the creation of a superior German race. The Nazis saw this as a racial danger, as they felt that it was necessary to have a higher birthrate than non-Aryan races in order to gain superiority. Henceforth, the persecution of Germany’s homosexual population began. The first attack on the homosexual community was “on May 6, 1933, [when] students led by Storm Troopers (Sturmabteilung, SA) broke into the Institute for Sexual Science in Berlin and confiscated its unique library” (Website 1). After the confiscation, the majority of the 12,000 books and 35,000 photographs and pictures were destroyed along with any other materials that pertained to homosexuality. In many ways, this act was the first in a series of steps to …show more content…
Although the discrimination of the Roma had been happening all of Europe long before World War Two, it began for the Nazis in Germany when “in 1933, police in Germany began more rigorous enforcement of pre-Nazi legislation against those who followed a lifestyle labeled ‘Gypsy’” (Website 3). In the eyes of the Nazis, the Romani people were an undesirable race and therefore needed to be either exterminated or contained. Thus began the Nazis systematic identification of anyone with Romani blood, which the Nazis believed to be “alien”. However, this proved a difficult task as the Roma had been in Europe for hundreds of years, and had been classified as Christian for that time, so it was impossible to use records to identify those of Romani descent. Instead, “the Nazis turned to racial hygiene and sought to determine who was Romani based on physical characteristics” (Website 3). This study was led by Doctor Robert Ritter, a child psychologist located at the University of Tuebingen who believed that criminal behavior was genetically inherited. Ritter conducted many studies, both medically and physically, and through use of threats, was able to gain information on subjects ancestors in order to compile his list of all the Roma living in Germany. To conclude his research, “Ritter declared that Roma, having originated in India, were once Aryan but had been corrupted by mingling with