Extermination--Holocaust

Extermination

The Holocaust was the worst genocide in history. The Nazis, who carried out this vicious unjust act, created the plan to round up and kill millions of people. Art Spiegelman illustrated in Maus, the Holocaust, and Adolf Hitler’s plan to destroy the Jews in his quest for an Aryan nation.

Jews were not the only victims of the Holocaust. There were other victims such as: Roma (Gypsies), the mentally impaired or physically disabled, Slavic people (Poles, Russians), Communists, socialists, Jehovah’s witnesses, and homosexuals. All were captured by the SS. Over nine million Jews populated Europe and most resided in countries during World War II that the Third Reich would occupy or influence. (“United” 1, 2). This general hatred was also directed towards other ethnic minorities.

In the Russian Empire, anti-Semitism became an official policy of the government, which in 1881 and 1882 encouraged anti-Jewish mob attacks. It was ordered by the leadership of Germany’s Nazi party to exterminate approximately six million Jews either by the dreadful underground gas chambers (Zyklon B), hard labor leading to death, the crematoria, and starvation or just by shooting them with automatic weapons. Adolf Hitler, Nazis’ leader, claimed that the Jews had carried out economic dominance and the ability to rule and manipulate the mass media to their own advantage. He ordered the extermination of the Jews to annihilate their powerful economic position, even if it meant death. “The killings were to be conducted by four mobile SS units called Einsatzgruppen (action squads) each consisting of some one thousand men. In addition, there were other SS and other units ordered to shoot Jews who were to be gathered in front of mass graves dug by the Jews themselves.” There were about thirty thousand Germans involved in the shootings (Encarta Bankier par.31)

During this time, concentration camps were in operation. The name of the city of Oswiecim was changed to Auschwitz, which became the name of the camp. In October of 1941, the construction of the first division of Birkenau Concentration camp begins. This camp was surrounded by a watchtower and barbed wires ( II: 65). Between the years of 1941-1944, Farben Werk Auschwitz was built near Dwory. It later became the Polish Oswiecim chemical plant. In 1942, Auschwitz III-Monowitz concentration camp was established. Auschwitz became the largest camp built by the Nazis in 1940 (“United” 1). By the autumn of 1944, other camps were built as well: prisoner’s camp, special camp, neutral camp, star camp, and Hungarian camp.

Not only did the Jews occupy these camps, Poles were sent there by the German authorities. These people were considered dangerous because of their status: The elite, political, and spiritual leaders and members of the intelligentsia, cultural and scientific figures, and also members of the resistance movement. Over time, approximately four hundred thousand people were stationed in the camp and sub-camps. Two hundred thousand were Jews, more than one hundred forty thousand were Poles, and twenty thousand were gypsies from different parts of the country; over ten thousand Soviet prisoners of war, and over ten thousand prisoners of other nationalities (“History 1). Jewish men, women and children were killed in the Birkenau gas chambers. Towards the end of the war, the SS knew that such crimes must be covered. By doing so, they began to destroy documentations, dismantle gas chambers and the crematoria, and burn other buildings which were involved in this extermination act (Holocaust History par. 9). In 1946, Poland founded a museum at the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp in remembrance of its victims. According to Encarta encyclopedia by 1944, about twenty-two million visitors had passed through the iron gates that bear the motto Arbeit Macht Frei- work makes one free.

In Art Spiegelman’s illustration of Maus, he writes about the challenges his family and other Jews faced during the Holocaust. In his book, the cats represent the (Nazis) the mice (Jews), pigs (Poles) and the dog (African American). As Artie’s father, Vladek, reminisce about his life as a prisoner, he explains how the Jews were gathered together in one place and segregated. The people who had experience in working and who were young to work were sent to the right. Those who were old in age and had lots of children were sent to the left. Vladek knew something terrible was going to happen. Many families were separated, including Vladek’s family ( I: 91). While Artie tries to record his father’s story, frustration was apparent in his actions. For example, when Artie and his wife, Francoise, were visiting Vladek, he asked them to help prepare bank papers. During this process, Vladek told them their calculations were incorrect. Eventually, after a couple of hours, Vladek called Artie lazy. Frustrated, Artie says, “Lazy? Damn it. You’re driving me Nuts!” (I:23).

Eventually, Vladek and Anja (Art’s parents) were sent to the concentration camp in Auschwitz. Vladek explains the rigorous hard labor they had to endure. Before going to the campus, the Jews businesses were boycotted. Their houses were ran-sacked and all their goods stolen. The Jewish newspaper was even stopped. In the cold weather, they had to work without the appropriate necessities to keep them warm. If they were lucky, they would be fed bread and cold soup (I:53). As the prisoners traveled through Germany, the execution continued (I:61). The Jews had their body hair shaved and clothes taken away along with their citizenship papers. They were ordered to wear striped uniforms for identification