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K-5 Course Material

Introductory History of the Holocaust

 

A long time ago, between 1933 -- 1945, when your grandparents were children, a man named Adolf Hitler was the leader of Germany. The people that followed Hitler were called Nazis. They chose the swastika as their symbol.

Hitler and the Nazis had many plans for their country. First, their armies would take over the entire world. While they were doing this, they would try to create a nation of "Aryans", people they considered to be better than everyone else and superior. Finally, they would kill all of the people they believed to be different and inferior and who were not needed to do the hard work.

The most inferior group in the eyes of the Nazis was the Jews. During the 12 years that Hitler ruled, 6 million Jews were killed. Today we call these years, the Holocaust. Many other people were also killed by the Nazis, including those who spoke up against them.

There were some people who helped to save Jews even though they would have been punished if they were caught. We call these people "Righteous Gentiles". They are honored at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum in Israel.

Germany and the Nazis lost W.W.II and their plans were never completed.

We are all fortunate to be living in a democratic country like the United States. No matter what our religion, color of skin, or beliefs, we are protected by our constitution and by our government. As long as we care about each other and try to get along, nothing like the Holocaust will ever happen again to any group of people.

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