Holocaust by Kashton Hillier-Sass

Pre-Hitler Germany circa 1890-1920

kh676 — 2025-09-25 15:59:06 UTC

In Prewar Germany Jewish people led mostly normal lives. They had jobs and often were just a part of the Middle Class society, but they still faced discrimination from other Germans. There were a lot of campaigns against Jewish people, political parties were openly anti-jewish, and some school clubs would ban Jewish kids from participating.

This segregationist ideal that was spread made it easier for later discrimination against Jewish people and Hitler's rise to power, that lead to the events of the Holocaust.

Hitler's Rise 1920-32

kh676 — 2025-09-26 15:28:58 UTC

In the 1920s there was a rise in discrimination against Jewish people in the world but specifically in Germany due to the idea that the reason Germany lost the war was because of the Jews. There was a governmental reform that changed the parties in the government. Under this new government there was a huge inflation that Germany suffered due to the Treaty of Versailles. This lead to more discrimination against Jewish people that Adolf Hitler believed in entirely. This lead to the Nazi party preying on that idea to gain political power, and due to the governmental turmoil this was rather easy. In a matter of thirteen years and even Adolf Hitler going to jail the part was able to gain a majority vote of 33% to get into office. This lead to Hitler becoming Chancellor.

This is obviously important as this rise to power is the most important part of Hitler coming into play. This what kick-starts the major rise in antisemitism that already existed as he and his political group, the Nazis, push it further and further with propaganda and speeches.

Hitler Becomes Chancellor 1933

kh676 — 2025-09-26 15:45:15 UTC

In 1933 Hitler was appointed as Chancellor, after his party had won majority vote in the previous year. He was appointed Chancellor as the Conservative party thought he and the Nazi party as a whole would be easy to manipulate politically to form a bigger party the bent to the same ideals while still being two entities.

This is important as Hitler functioned previously as a just the head of the Nazi party, but now benefitted from the greater political power of his new position. While he did not have as much as the President of the time, he still had a lot of power over the masses. This position also leads to Hitler appointing himself Fuhrer.

Dachau Concentration Camp 1933

kh676 — 2025-09-29 15:21:36 UTC

This is the first concentration camp built by the Nazi government. It was first built for the political enemies of the Government. The majority of the prisoners were actually the political enemies of the Nazi party. They were social activists, political enemies, or advocates for trade unionization.

This is important as it set the foundations for later concentration camps. This idea of just rounding up 'enemies' of the state because you do not agree with them along with the previous antisemitic ideals allowed the prosecution of Jews in concentration camps later on.

Hitler Becomes Führer August 19th, 1934

kh676 — 2025-09-29 15:51:00 UTC

On August second nineteen-thirty-four Paul von Hindenburg(Germany's President) died at age 86. This caused turmoil in the country as they were left without a president to lead them, and allowed the country to go into a state of emergency in which the Nazi party(re: Adolf Hitler) could enact an emergency procedure that gave them power. Hitler used that power to absorb the role of president and Chancellor combining them to become Führer.

This caused the final piece of power to fall into Hitler's hands. He now had power over Germany and this is finally what led to World War II, and the horrible treatment of the Jewish people under Hitler's Regime.

Germany Annexes Austria March 12th, 1938

kh676 — 2025-09-29 16:03:47 UTC

In March 1938 Hitler annexed Austria, giving Germany more land and political power as a whole. This annex was welcome in Austria as they supported the Germans.

However this caused issues with other groups in Austria, particularly the Gypsies and the Jewish people in Austria as this caused fear for their lives. This gave Hitler a bigger group of Jewish people to discriminate against.

Polish Jewish People Deported from Germany 1938

kh676 — 2025-09-30 15:34:52 UTC

On October 28th, 1938, the Nazi party of Germany started to deport Polish Jews that had been living in the country for years but still held their Polish citizenship. Of course the Polish people did not want the Jews in their country either, so they were not allowed into Poland.

This is important as it meant over 17 000 Jewish Pols were displaced in a sort of 'no man's land' which later they were put into 'refugee camps'. These 'refugee camps' were just detention centres where brutal murders were conducted. This lead to mass killings of Jewish Pols and greater discrimination.

St. Louis Ship Denied in the Americas May, 13th 1939

kh676 — 2025-09-30 15:51:41 UTC

In May of 1939 the St. Louis Ship, holding 937(Mostly Jewish) people, was denied access to ports in Cuba to wait on getting visas to America. They were then denied access to docking on American and Canadian soil that same year. The ship was sent back to Europe, where the passengers were distributed across England, France, The Netherlands, and Belgium. Around two-thirds of the passengers that were on that ship lived through the war. This ship was also the only refugee ship not accepted into the United States.

This shows how the other countries viewed Jewish people of the time. That they still held reservations about having them in their country. It showed the discrimination did not just exist in Germany, but the whole world.

Nazi-Soviet Pact August 23rd, 1939

kh676 — 2025-10-01 15:28:55 UTC

Communists were some of the first people targeted by the Nazi's. They portrayed Commies as the enemy and of course that included the Soviet union. Despite that on August twenty-third nineteen-thirty-nine, they entered a peace treaty to split land and to not fight for ten years.

This was bad as it gave the Nazi's even more support in the Soviet Union. This also prevented them from having another enemy. This also gave the Nazi's even more political power as the Soviet Union was not an enemy any more.

Germany Invades Poland September 1st 1939

kh676 — 2025-10-01 15:44:23 UTC

On September 1st 1939 the German army invaded Eastern Poland with a swift, and brutal, surprise attack. After securing their hold in Eastern Poland, they invaded Western Poland on the 17th of September. It is just as swift and brutal as the first, and in a matter of 17 days Poland falls.

France, Great Britain and Poland were allies at the time of this attack. This is important as it is what causes France and Great Britain to finally declare war on Nazi Germany. This is the final straw that kicked off World War II as a whole.