Year 9 - History
Ghettos and the 'Final Solution'
The Holocaust: what was the Holocaust?
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
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 how Nazi persecution of Jews escalated after 1939.
Key Notes
- Germany occupied much of Europe during WW2.
- German expansion increased the Jewish population under Nazi rule and led to more extreme persecution.
- Ghettos were set up across Europe but their purpose changed over time.
- The 'Final Solution' was decided upon by the end of 1941.
- Extermination camps were set up as part of the 'Final Solution' and killed millions of Jews.
Vocabulary To Learn
- ghetto: an area of a city where people of a particular race or religion live
- deportation: to force a person considered foreign to leave a country
- forced labour: the use of prisoners as unpaid workers
- 'Final Solution': the name of the Nazi's plan to murder all European Jews
- Einsatzgruppen: mobile Nazi killing squad
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Most Jews murdered during the Holocaust were killed in gas chambers in concentration camps.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Summarise this historical learning in two key ideas.
Germany occupied much of Europe during WW2. German expansion increased the Jewish population under Nazi rule and led to more extreme persecution.
2. Define this history term and explain why it matters in this topic. 'ghetto'
an area of a city where people of a particular race or religion live.
3. Correct this common history misconception using evidence language.
Mistake: Most Jews murdered during the Holocaust were killed in gas chambers in concentration camps. Correction: Gas chambers were set up in specially constructed extermination camps for Jews and killed millions, but roughly half of all Holocaust victims were killed by other means.
More Lessons In This Unit
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