Vocabulary and Key Terms

Death marches: Forced marches of prisoners over long distances and under intolerable conditions was another way victims of the Third Reich were killed. The prisoners, guarded heavily, were treated brutally and many died from mistreatment or were shot. Prisoners were transferred from one ghetto or concentration camp to another ghetto or concentration camp or to a death camp. Dehumanization: The Nazi policy of denying ews basic civil rights such as practicing religion, education, and ade!uate housing. Final Solution (The final solution to the Jewish question in Europe): " Nazi euphemism for the plan to e#terminate the ews of $urope. Genocide: The deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, cultural, or religious group. Ghettos: The Nazis revived the medieval term ghetto to describe their device of concentration and control, the compulsory % ewish &uarter.% 'hettos were usually established in the poor sections of a city, where most of the ews from the city and surrounding areas were subse!uently forced to reside. (ften surrounded by barbed wire or walls, the ghettos were sealed. $stablished mostly in eastern $urope )e.g., *odz, +arsaw, ,ilna, Riga, or -insk., the ghettos were characterized by overcrowding, malnutrition, and heavy labor. "ll were eventually dissolved, and the ews murdered. Holocaust: /erived from the 'reek holokaustonwhich meant a sacrifice totally burned by fire. Today, the term refers to the systematic planned e#termination of about si# million $uropean ews and millions of others by the Nazis between 012230145. Judaism: The monotheistic religion of the ews, based on the precepts of the (ld Testament and the teachings and commentaries of the Rabbis as found chiefly in the Talmud. Nuremberg La s: The Nuremberg *aws were announced by 6itler at the Nuremberg Party conference, defining 7 ew7 and systematizing and regulating discrimination and persecution. The %Reich 8itizenship *aw% deprived all ews of their civil rights, and the %*aw for the Protection of 'erman 9lood and 'erman 6onor% made marriages and e#tra3marital se#ual relationships between ews and 'ermans punishable by imprisonment. !re"udice: " :udgment or opinion formed before the facts are known. ;n most cases, these opinions are founded on suspicion, intolerance, and the irrational hatred of other races, religions, creeds, or nationalities.