The Holocaust: What Happened?
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The Holocaust: Nazi Germanys systematic genocide of various ethnic, religious, national, and secular groups during World War II starting in 1941 and continuing through to 1945. The Holocaust was genocide, getting rid of the humans that were inferior to the government. The most horrific manifestation of anti-Semitism this century, subsequent to the rise of far-right ideologies in Europe, led to the “Jewish holocaust” during World War II, in which millions of Jews in Europe were systematically murdered. The reasons led to the start of all this was racism, prejudice, and heterosexism.
The Jews of Europe were the main targets of the Holocaust, in what the Nazis called the “Final Solution of the Jewish Question”. Other groups deemed “undesirable”, especially Slavs, Romany, the disabled (mentally and/or physically) and gay men, were also persecuted and murdered.
There were other stars worn during the Holocaust. To identify prisoners in the camps according to their “offense”, they were required to wear colored triangles (stars) on their clothing. Although the colors used differed from camp to camp, the colors most commonly used were:
Yellow: Jews — two overlaid to form a Star of David, with the word “Jude” (Jew) inscribed; mischlings, (half-breeds) i.e., those who were deemed to be only part Jewish, often wore a single yellow triangle
Red: Political dissidents, including Communists
Green: Common criminals. Criminals of Aryan descent were frequently given special privileges at the camps, and power over other prisoners.
Purple: Religious fundamentalists (defined as persons belonging to Christian sects whose teachings forbid fighting in wars), most notably Jehovahs Witnesses
Blue: Immigrants.
Brown: Roma and Sinti (Gypsies)
Black: Lesbians and “anti-socials” (alcoholics and the “work-shy”)
Pink: Gay men
Concentration camps for “undesirables” were spread throughout Europe, with new camps being created near centers of dense “undesirable” populations, often focusing on heavily Jewish, Polish intelligentsia, communists, or Roma groups. Most of the camps were located in the area of General Government. The transportation of prisoners was often carried out under horrifying conditions using rail freight cars, in which many died before their destination. Concentration camps for Jews and other, “undesirables,” also existed in Germany itself, and while not specifically designed for systematic extermination, many concentration camp prisoners died because of harsh conditions or were executed. Some camps, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, combined slave labor with systematic extermination. Upon arrival in these camps, prisoners were divided into two groups: those too weak for work were immediately executed in gas chambers (which were sometimes