The Wiener Holocaust Library
LINKS Click items in the list above and on the left hand side below
Courtesy of the Wiener Holocaust Library Collections
The Holocaust was the culmination of a number of factors over a number of years.
Historic antisemitism , the rise of eugenics and nationalism , the aftermath of theFirst World War, the rise of the Nazis, the role of Adolf Hitler, the internal operationof the Nazi state, the Second World War and collaboration all played key rolesin the timing and scale of the final catastrophe.
This section aims to explore how these individual factors contributed to the Holocaust.
EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE HOLOCAUST
The history of the Holocaust is complex and vast. While The Holocaust Explained is not able to cover every aspect of Holocaust history, it does seek to aid understanding and help learners to navigate through the sequence of events.This timeline aims to take readers through the main events preceding,during, and following the Holocaust.
HOW AND WHY DID THE HOLOCAUST HAPPEN
In 1941, the Nazis persecution of the Jews became a genocide .In just under four years, millions of people we're deliberately murderedat the hands of the Nazis and their collaborators.This mass murder became known as the Holocaust.
At each stage of the Nazis persecution of Jews and others that they deemed undesirable, people resisted their rule, responded to their policies, and collaborated with them in a variety of ways.
This section will explore how people, groups and countries across the world reacted to the Nazi rule and persecution.
TOPICS IN THIS SECTION
Survival and legacy
In 1944 and 1945, Allied forces liberated thousands of people from Nazi incarceration as they advanced towards Berlin. On 7 May 1945, Nazi Germany surrendered and theSecond World Warwas over. Although the war had ended, for survivors, and Europe more widely, the process of reconstruction was just beginning.
This section will explore the difficulties survivors of the Holocaust faced as they attempted to reconstruct their lives:Displaced Persons (DPs) camps, thedenazificationprocess, thepostwar trialsof Nazis and their collaborators, and how the Holocaust has beenrememberedand memorialised.
Life before the Holocaust
The history of Judaism, of Roma and Sinti and of other groups persecuted by the Nazis is rich and diverse. The Holocaust wiped out complete communities, most of which we're not rebuilt following the war.
This section aims to uncover what everyday life was like for these lost communities pre-Holocaust.