A)
Gestapo:Hitler's secret State Police, a branch of the SS. It had the authority to do whatever it wanted, dealt with potential "enemies of the state".
Protective Custody: A Nazi codeword for prison; people who were arrested under suspicion of being enemies of the state were forced to sign an Order of Protective Custody, and would be brought to prison.
Concentration Camps: Where potential enemies of the state were brought, until the Gestapo felt like releasing them.
Death Head Units: Branch of the SS, , who wore skull and crossbones on their uniforms.
B)
People likely to be in the concentration camps:
-"Politicals": Communists, geunuine political prisoners, people who had spoken against Hitler.
-"Work-Shy": People who lost jobs and then applied for unemployment benefits, but might have turned down a job they were offered.
-"Bibelforscher": Religious sect that refused military service
-Homosexuals
- 'Professional Criminals"
C)
1. Judging by the evidence of Part B, I would say that the purpose of these camps was to start Hitler's process of weeding out the "undesirables" from German society, and start his master race. Here he gets rid of the "lazy" people - those who aren't working, those who aren't willing to fight; he gets rid of the homosexuals; he gets rid of the criminals; and he gets rid of those who oppose him politically. Ideally, if Hitler were to get every person fitting this description into the concentration camps, he would practically have his perfected Aryan race.
2. I think that the prisoners were treaty so poorly because these were Hitler's undesirables. He didn't want these people infecting his Aryan race anyways, and probably would consider it a bonus that they died while in the camps. It also gave him an excuse for murdering people, because if somebody dies due to punishment for not working, it sounds like they weren't completely undeserving of that fate. Also, the harshness of the treatment in the prison camps probably kept people who weren't in concentration camps in line, out of fear.
Monday, October 12, 2009
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