Books in The Holocaust series

During the 1930s and 1940s, the Nazi government in Germany carried out one of the greatest slaughters of human beings that the world has ever known. Led by dictator Adolf Hitler, the Nazis stirred up hatred for Jews. At first they tried to force Jews out of Germany. Then they took away their civil rights. Finally, they tried to eliminate all the Jews in Europe by sending them to death camps. How could such a tragedy occur? Where did the hatred start? These are just some of the issues Architects of the Holocaust explores.

The Holocaust has had a lasting impact on the entire world. From its effects on people and families to entire cities and countries, to its influence on popular culture, art, music, and international law, the Holocaust left a scar that will never completely heal. Through dramatic photographs and eyewitness accounts, Legacy of the Holocaust provides a thorough understanding of the lingering fallout from one of history's darkest moments.

This book shows that even brutal treatment by the Nazis and the ever-present threat of death were unable to destroy the creative impulses of the people trapped in the ghettos and concentration camps. Poetry, diary entries, song lyrics, drawings, and paintings from the time express the full range of emotions, including the craving for normality in the very abnormal situations.

“The train arrives, 45 wagons with about 6,700 people, about 1,450 of them dead on arrival. They leave their baggage, undress, have their heads shaved, then go into the death chamber.” This is part of an account by Kurt Gerstain an SS officer who served at Belzec death camp. Belzec was just one camp in a whole system created to carry out the Nazis' "Final Solution"--the mass murder of Jews and others that we now call the Holocaust. ‘The Camp System’ shows how the Nazis created a huge network of camps, from the first concentration camps for their political opponents, to the death camps where millions of Jews and other "undesirables" were gassed. This book explains how the SS ran the camps and why they valued some prisoners more than others. Each book includes: first-hand accounts from people involved in the Holocaust; an in-depth study of a key topic mentioned in the book; detailed timeline to help place important events; and a further reading and sources section.