Nazi concentration camps

Quick Facts: Who was Nazi concentration camps?

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Nazi concentration camps

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System of camps operated by Nazi Germany for imprisonment, forced labor, and mass murder.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Nazi Germany built and operated a system of concentration camps (German: Konzentrationslager) between 1933 and 1945. In these camps, prisoners were held in inhumane conditions, with the majority of prisoners dying from causes including disease, malnutrition, forced labor, maltreatment and execution by their captors. There were more than a thousand such camps, including subcamps in Germany and German-occupied Europe. In addition to the concentration camps, there were several other kinds of internment camps, and from 1941 onward an associated system of extermination camps was created that was dedicated solely to the systematic murder of millions of people. Millions of other victims of Nazi Germany were also killed in places outside the concentration camp system.

Career & Major Achievements

The first concentration camps were established in March 1933 immediately after Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. Following the 1934 purge of the SA, the concentration camps were run exclusively by the SS via the Concentration Camps Inspectorate and later the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office. Initially, most prisoners were members of the Communist Party of Germany, but as time went on different groups were arrested, including "habitual criminals", "asocials", and Jews. After the beginning of World War II, people from German-occupied Europe were imprisoned in the concentration camps. Initially, conditions were harsh but rarely deadly, but the availability of food and shelter declined after the start of the war.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Although forced labor was a ubiquitous feature of the camps, and prisoner labor was increasingly used for war production, it was only a marginal feature of overall wartime production. About 1.65 million people were registered prisoners in the camps, of whom about a million died during their imprisonment. Most of the fatalities occurred during the second half of World War II, including at least a third of the 700,000 prisoners who were registered as of January 1945. Following Allied military victories, the camps were gradually liberated in 1944 and 1945, although hundreds of thousands of prisoners died in death marches. The camps often met with approval from Germans while they were in operation, due in part to Nazi propaganda depicting the prisoners as dangerous criminals.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1933: 1933 Milestone — Nazi Germany built and operated a system of concentration camps (German: Konzentrationslager) between 1933 and 1945.
2. 1934: 1934 Milestone — Following the 1934 purge of the SA, the concentration camps were run exclusively by the SS via the Concentration Camps Inspectorate and later the SS Main Economic and Administrative Office.
3. 1941: 1941 Milestone — In addition to the concentration camps, there were several other kinds of internment camps, and from 1941 onward an associated system of extermination camps was created that was dedicated solely to the systematic murder of millions of people.
4. 1944: 1944 Milestone — Following Allied military victories, the camps were gradually liberated in 1944 and 1945, although hundreds of thousands of prisoners died in death marches.
5. 1945: 1945 Milestone — Most of the fatalities occurred during the second half of World War II, including at least a third of the 700,000 prisoners who were registered as of January 1945.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Nazi concentration camps

True or False: “The initial establishment of the concentration camp system was a direct, pre-planned policy goal of Adolf Hitler from the outset.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The Nazi concentration camp system arose in the months following Hitler's seizure of power due to the desire to suppress political opponents, rather than being part of an initial master plan.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• 13th Dalai Lama — Historical peer (Died in 1933) (1933): Spiritual leader of Tibet who championed national independence and modernization.
• Abolhassan Banisadr — Historical peer (Born in 1933) (1933): Iranian politician who served as the first president following the Islamic Revolution.
• Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi — Historical peer (Born in 1945) (1945): Yemeni politician who served as the second President of Yemen from 2012 to 2022.
• Adolf Hitler — Historical peer (Died in 1945) (1945): Austrian-born German politician who became dictator of Germany during the Nazi era.
• Adam Kuper — Historical peer (Born in 1941) (1941): Influential British social anthropologist known for research in Southern Africa.
• Adnan Khayr Allah — Historical peer (Born in 1941) (1941): Iraqi military officer and Minister of Defense, closely associated with the Ba'ath regime.
• Abdullah Ibrahim — Historical peer (Born in 1934) (1934): Pianist and composer, considered the leading figure in the subgenre of Cape jazz.
• Abimael Guzmán — Historical peer (Born in 1934) (1934): Peruvian Maoist revolutionary leader, founder of the Shining Path.
• Abdülmecid II — Historical peer (Died in 1944) (1944): Last Ottoman Caliph and prominent Turkish aesthete, head of the Osmanoğlu family.
• Agustín Barrios — Historical peer (Died in 1944) (1944): Paraguayan virtuoso classical guitarist and composer, celebrated for his prolific works.

Frequently Asked Questions about Nazi concentration camps