Wannsee Conference

Quick Facts: Who was Wannsee Conference?

Subject:

Wannsee Conference

Known for:

The 1942 Nazi meeting that formalized the logistics for the Holocaust.

Verified Source:

2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

The Wannsee Conference (German: Wannseekonferenz, German pronunciation: [ˈvanzeːkɔnfeˌʁɛnt͡s] ) was a meeting of senior government officials of Nazi Germany and Schutzstaffel (SS) leaders, held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee on 20 January 1942. The purpose of the conference, called by the director of the Reich Security Main Office SS-Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, was to ensure the co-operation of administrative leaders of various government departments in the implementation of the Final Solution to the Jewish Question, whereby most of the Jews of German-occupied Europe would be deported to occupied Poland and murdered. Conference participants included representatives from several government ministries, including state secretaries from the Foreign Office, the justice, interior, and state ministries, and representatives from the SS. In the course of the meeting, Heydrich outlined how European Jews would be rounded up and sent to extermination camps in the General Government (the occupied part of Poland), where they would be murdered in the Holocaust. Discrimination against Jews amplified immediately after the Nazi seizure of power on 30 January 1933.

Career & Major Achievements

Violence and economic pressure were used by the Nazi regime to encourage Jews to voluntarily leave the country. After the invasion of Poland in September 1939, the extermination of European Jews began, first through mobile death squads like the Einsatzgruppen, and the murders continued and accelerated after the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. On 31 July 1941, Hermann Göring gave written authorization to Heydrich to prepare and submit a plan for a "total solution of the Jewish question" in territories under German control and to coordinate the participation of all involved government organisations. At the Wannsee Conference, Heydrich emphasised that once the deportation process was complete, the fate of the deportees would become an internal matter under the purview of the SS. A secondary goal was to arrive at a definition of who was Jewish.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

One copy of the Protocol with circulated minutes of the meeting survived the war. It was found by Robert Kempner in March 1947 among files that had been seized from the German Foreign Office. It was used as evidence in the subsequent Nuremberg trials. The Wannsee House, site of the conference, is now a Holocaust memorial. Legalized discrimination against Jews in Germany began immediately after the Nazi seizure of power in January 1933.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1933: 1933 Milestone — Discrimination against Jews amplified immediately after the Nazi seizure of power on 30 January 1933.
2. 1939: 1939 Milestone — After the invasion of Poland in September 1939, the extermination of European Jews began, first through mobile death squads like the Einsatzgruppen, and the murders continued and accelerated after the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941.
3. 1941: 1941 Milestone — On 31 July 1941, Hermann Göring gave written authorization to Heydrich to prepare and submit a plan for a "total solution of the Jewish question" in territories under German control and to coordinate the participation of all involved government organisations.
4. 1942: 1942 Milestone — The Wannsee Conference (German: Wannseekonferenz, German pronunciation: [ˈvanzeːkɔnfeˌʁɛnt͡s] ) was a meeting of senior government officials of Nazi Germany and Schutzstaffel (SS) leaders, held in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee on 20 January 1942.
5. 1947: 1947 Milestone — It was found by Robert Kempner in March 1947 among files that had been seized from the German Foreign Office.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Wannsee Conference

True or False: “The Wannsee Conference was primarily focused on coordinating German efforts to secure agricultural resources from occupied territories.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While resource control was a factor in Nazi planning, the primary focus of the conference was the logistical implementation and coordination for the 'Final Solution' concerning European Jews.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Abdulsalami Abubakar — Historical peer (Born in 1942) (1942): Retired Nigerian Army General who oversaw the transition to democracy in 1999.
• Alexander Belyaev — Historical peer (Died in 1942) (1942): Pioneering Soviet science fiction writer, known as 'Russia's Jules Verne'
• 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.
• Ada Yonath — Historical peer (Born in 1939) (1939): Pioneering crystallographer known for elucidating the structure and function of the ribosome.
• Alan Ayckbourn — Historical peer (Born in 1939) (1939): Prolific British playwright and director known for domestic farce and ensemble pieces.
• 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.
• Al Capone — Historical peer (Died in 1947) (1947): Notorious American gangster and businessman during the Prohibition era.
• Alan Guth — Historical peer (Born in 1947) (1947): Pioneering cosmologist known for developing the theory of cosmic inflation.

Frequently Asked Questions about Wannsee Conference