The Camps of Death

Descriptive Essay # 113778

History > European - World Wars
Holocaust Studies

The Camps of Death

A look at the concentration and extermination facilities of WWII.

2,767 words () | 5 sources | APA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper covers the origins, the operations and the ultimate shut down of the concentration and extermination camp system of the Third Reich. The author gives a comprehensive explanation on the differences between concentration and extermination camps. The activities that took place in the camps are also discussed as well as the types of prisoners that were held and killed in these camps. In addition, the author also looks at the medical experiments that took place.

Outline:
Origins of a Nightmare
Pre-War Derivations
The Camps in War
Concentration v. Extermination
Activities of Murder
Labor
Medical Experiments
Mass Murder
The End of Horrors
Evacuation and Liberation
Summary and Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Henrich Himmler and Oswald Pohl. Prisoners of the facilities quickly found themselves in a bleak world of suffering; a world filled with hard labor, cruel medical experiments, and mass murder. In nineteen-forty-four, a new hope was found in the advancement of the Allies and revolts spread throughout the camps. However, as the likelihood of liberation grew, so did Himmler's fears of losing control. In desperation, he ordered an evacuation of every concentration and extermination camp in the Reich's Eastern territories. The death marches that resulted sent many more innocents to their graves. The nightmare ended in April nineteen-forty-five."

Sample of Sources Used:

Office Nazi Conspiracy and Aggression Vol. I... 1946.
Aly, Gotz 'Final Solution': Nazi Population Policy and the Murder of the European Jews. London: Arnold. 1999.
Friedlander, Saul The Years of Extermination: Nazi Germany and the Jews, 1939-1945... 2008.
Hilberg, Rahl The Destruction of the European Jews Vol. III. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. 2003.
Yahl, Leni THE HOLOCAUST, THE FATE OF EUROPEAN JEWRY. Oxford. 1990.