Research Summary #2: Effects of Holocaust

The major effect of the Holocaust was that six million Jews died in the Holocaust. However, not only Jews were persecuted. Other groups were also persecuted and killed, including ethnic Poles, the Romani, Soviet civilians, Soviet prisoners of war, the disabled, homosexuals men, political and religious opponents.

In 1933, with the cooperation of local authorities, the Nazis set up camps as concentration centers within Germany. One of the first concentration camps was Dachau. Early camps were only meant to hold, torture, or kill only political political prisoners, such as Communists and Social Democrats. After 1939 the camps started to hold Jews and Poles. By 1942 six large exterminations camps were established in Nazi-occupied Poland.

Before Jews were deported to extermination camps they were held in ghettos. Ghettos were established throughout 1941 and 1942. The largest ghetto was the Warsaw Ghetto with 380,000 people. Some people even died in the ghettos before they were deported. They died of starvation and disease. Each ghetto was run by a Jewish council of German-appointed Jewish community leaders.

Sush, Darren. "A Final Solution with No End?" About. 2005. The New York Times Company. 25 Mar. 2009. [http://judaism.about.com/od/holocaust/a/darrensash_3.htm]