Escalation to Genocide Flashcards

What does escalation to genocide mean in Nazi rule?

It means a step by step move during the war from persecution and deportation to mass murder of Jews and others.

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How did the 1939 invasion of Poland change Nazi actions towards Jews?

Millions more Jews came under Nazi rule. Many were forced into ghettos and used for forced labour.

What is ghettoisation?

Forcing Jews to live in sealed parts of towns, such as Warsaw and Łódź. Life there meant hunger, disease and overcrowding.

What was the General Government in occupied Poland?

A Nazi run area where many deported Jews were sent. It became the centre for ghettos and later mass killing policies.

What was Aktion T4 and when did it happen?

From 1939 to 1941, the Nazis killed disabled people using gas. Staff and methods from this were later used to kill Jews.

What was the Madagascar Plan in 1940?

A plan to deport Europe’s Jews to Madagascar. It failed because the war blocked sea travel.

Why did Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 cause a sharp rise in killing?

The invasion of the USSR put millions more Jews under Nazi control. It gave cover for mass shootings in the East.

Who were the Einsatzgruppen?

Mobile SS killing squads that followed the army. In 1941–1942 they shot over a million Jews and others.

What did Hermann Göring order Reinhard Heydrich to do on 31 July 1941?

To plan a final solution to the Jewish question across Europe.

What new controls on Jews were brought in during 1941?

Jews had to wear the yellow star. Deportations from Germany to the East began.

What were gas vans, first used in 1941?

Lorries with a sealed back where exhaust fumes were piped in. They were used to kill people in places like Chełmno.

What was agreed at the Wannsee Conference in January 1942?

Senior Nazis set out how to organise the final solution across Europe.

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