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Year 9 - History

'Choiceless choices' during the Holocaust

The Holocaust: what was the Holocaust?

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils investigate what the Holocaust was. They place this significant event in context, examine Jewish life in Europe before WW2 and analyse Nazi persecution of the Jewish people. They also reflect on Jewish resistance and the role of various perpetrators in this event.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain what it meant for Jews during the Holocaust to face 'choiceless choices'.

Key Notes

  • A major uprising occurred in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943.
  • After the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was defeated, most survivors were murdered.
  • Leaders in the Lodz Ghetto chose to comply with German orders.
  • Many Jews faced 'choiceless choices' during the Holocaust.
  • 'Choiceless choices' gave Jews little real control over whether they survived or not.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • liquidated: to destroy something
  • compliance: behaviour which obeys an order, rule or request

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Leaders in the Lodz Ghetto made 'bad' choices for choosing to comply with German orders.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.

A major uprising occurred in the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943. After the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising was defeated, most survivors were murdered.

2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'liquidated'

to destroy something.

3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.

Mistake: Leaders in the Lodz Ghetto made 'bad' choices for choosing to comply with German orders. Correction: Leaders in the Lodz Ghetto, like many other Jews, faced multiple poor choices - or 'choiceless choices'. The decisions they made occurred in extreme circumstances where they had little real control over their own survival.

More Lessons In This Unit

Browse all guides in the Year 9 History guide library.