Governor Phil Murphy • Lt. Governor Tahesha Way

NJ Holocaust Grades 9-12 Curriculum: Unit 3

Unit Topic: From Dehimanization to Persecution and Mass Murder
Grade(s): 9-12

Unit Goal: Students will analyze the systematic dehumanization of targeted groups in Nazi Germany and how this process facilitated the transition from persecution and mass murder, understanding the psychological, social, and political mechanisms that allowed such atrocities to occur.

Objectives:

  1. Explore the concept of dehumanization, identifying its characteristics and the psychological impact it has on victims and perpetrators during the Holocaust.
  2. Analyze the motivations, actions, and responsibilities of perpetrators and collaborators, exploring the ethical implications of complicity and the responsibilities of individuals in the face of injustice.
  3. Analyze the ways in which the Nazi regime targeted various groups, including Roma, disabled individuals, homosexuals, political dissidents, and others, exploring the ideologies and policies that justified their persecution and the impact this had on those communities.
  4. Evaluate the social, psychological, and economic factors that contributed to public compliance with Nazi policies, including fear, peer pressure, and the desire for conformity.
  5. Analyze the purpose and impact of ghettos as a means of isolating and controlling Jewish populations.
  6. Examine the various types of camps established by the Nazis, including concentration camps, forced labor camps, and extermination camps, analyzing their roles in the implementation of the Final Solution.
  7. Investigate how the Nazi regime exploited Jewish and other persecuted populations for forced labor, examining the role of various corporations in this system, the economic motivations behind their complicity, and the moral implications of profiting from such practices.

  1. How did individuals and communities respond to the dehumanization and persecution of their neighbors, and what factors influenced their choices to resist or comply?
  2. How did the Nazis target and persecute non-Jewish groups like the Roma, disabled people, homosexuals, and political opponents? How does studying their treatment along with that of Jews help us understand the Nazi regime's methods and beliefs?
  3. How did the establishment of ghettos serve to isolate and dehumanize Jews, and in what ways did they reflect the broader aims of Nazi policies?
  4. What functions did concentration and extermination camps serve in the Nazi regime's strategy of dehumanization, and how did these camps facilitate the implementation of the Final Solution?
  5. What role did corporate interests play in the Nazi economy, particularly in relation to the use of slave labor, and what are the ethical implications of this complicity?

  1. Individuals and communities responded to dehumanization and persecution in different ways, influenced by fear, personal beliefs, and moral convictions. Their choices to resist or comply show the complexities of human behavior under oppression and remind us of the importance of empathy, solidarity, and standing up for others in the face of injustice.
  2. The Nazis targeted many groups beyond Jews, including the Roma, disabled individuals, homosexuals, and political dissidents, using similar methods of oppression. Studying how these groups were persecuted helps us understand the broader scope of Nazi ideology and the destructive power of hatred and discrimination.
  3. The establishment of ghettos served to isolate and control Jewish populations, creating conditions that facilitated dehumanization and suffering, while simultaneously reflecting the Nazi regime's goals of segregation and eventual extermination.
  4. Concentration and extermination camps were central to the Nazi regime's plan of dehumanization, serving as places for imprisonment, forced labor, and mass murder. These camps were crucial in carrying out the Final Solution, where millions were systematically killed, reflecting the horrifying extent of Nazi cruelty and the disregard for human life.
  5. Corporate interests played a significant role in the Nazi economy through the use of slave labor, helping to fuel the war effort and profit from human suffering. Studying this complicity raises ethical questions about responsibility in times of injustice and the lasting impact of actions.

PERPETRATORS AND COLLABORATORS 

PERSECUTED GROUPS

CREATION OF THE GHETTOS

    ESTABLISHMENT OF CONCENTRATION, TRANSIT, AND LABOR CAMPS

    THE FINAL SOLUTION

    UNIT LITERATURE

      PERPETRATORS AND COLLABORATORS 

      PERSECUTED GROUPS

          CREATION OF THE GHETTOS

          • Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History -Art Spiegelman (Teacher's Guide) *available in Spanish 
          • Names in a Jar - Jen­nifer Gold
          • Irena's Children -Tilar J. Mazzeo (Reading Guide)
            • available in Spanish - Los Ninos de Irena 
          • Milkweed -Jerry Spinelli (Teacher’s Guide)
          • We Were the Lucky Ones -Geor­gia Hunter (Reader’s Guide)

                  CONCENTRATION, LABOR, AND TRANSIT CAMPS

                      THE FINAL SOLUTION 

                      EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

                      CROSS-CURRICULAR TIES

                      US History

                      Biology and Psychology

                      Art, Photography, and Music

                      Women’s Studies

                      World Languages - French

                      • 6.1.12.HistoryUP.11.b: Compare the varying perspectives of victims, survivors, bystanders, rescuers, and perpetrators during the Holocaust.
                      • 6.2.12.HistoryUP.4.c: Compare and contrast the actions of individuals as perpetrators, bystanders, and rescuers during events of persecution or genocide, and describe the long-term consequences of genocide for all involved.
                      •  6.2.12.CivicsHR.4.a: Analyze the motivations, causes, and consequences of the genocides of Armenians, Ukrainians, Jews in the Holocaust and assess the responses by individuals, groups, and governments and analyze large-scale atrocities including 20th century massacres in China.
                      • 6.2.12.HistoryCC.4.b: Assess the short- and long-term demographic, social, economic, and environmental consequences of the violence and destruction of the two World Wars.
                      • 6.2.12.HistoryCC.4.g: Use a variety of resources from different perspectives to analyze the role of racial bias, nationalism, and propaganda in mobilizing civilian populations in support of “total war.”