Victims of Nazi Germany

Nazi Germany hurt and chased many groups of people between 1933 and 1945 because of who they were. They targeted people based on their race, ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or if they had mental or physical disabilities. These unfair actions were planned by the Nazi Party and done on a very large scale.

Most of the people hurt by the Nazis were Jewish, Romani, or Slavic. Many were forced to live in special areas called ghettos before being taken to places like concentration or extermination camps. After World War II began, the Nazis worked very hard to remove whole communities they did not like from German-occupied Europe. They used many cruel ways to do this, including taking away their things, making them work very hard, and more.

We know that many people lost their lives because of the Nazis. This included about six million European Jews, 200,000 Romani people, and many others. All these groups were seen by the Nazis as a danger to their plans, even though this was based on unfair and wrong ideas about different people. The actions of Nazi Germany caused huge suffering and loss of life during one of the darkest times in history. For more about what happened to Jewish people, see The Holocaust. For notable individuals who were hurt or killed by the Nazi regime, see List of victims of Nazism.

Scope of usage

Further information: List of victims of Nazism and Holocaust trivialization

The word Holocaust mainly talks about the systematic mass-murder of the Jewish people in German-occupied Europe. But, the Nazis hurt and killed many other people too. They thought these people were not good enough or unwanted.

Non-Jewish victims of Nazism were groups like Slavs such as Russians, Belarusians, Poles, Ukrainians and Serbs; the Romani (also called gypsies); LGBT people; people who were mentally or physically disabled; Soviet soldiers they caught; Roman Catholics; Jehovah's Witnesses; Spanish Republicans; Freemasons; people of different skins especially Afro-German people; and many other smaller groups.

All together, the Nazis killed about six million Jewish people and many millions of others during the war. Many died in special prisons called concentration camps like Dachau, and others died in bigger killing places such as Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Racial/ethnic or national groups

Jews

The effort to move people like the Jews out of Germany and other areas controlled by Germany during World War II was known as the Holocaust. This was done mainly by German forces and their helpers, both German and from other places. Early in the war, many Jews were placed in crowded city areas called ghettos. By 1941, the Nazis had decided to kill all the Jews living in Europe at that time. The number of Jews in Europe dropped from about 9.7 million to about 3.6 million, and the total number of Jews worldwide dropped by one-third from about 16.6 million in 1939 to about 11 million in 1946. Killing the Jews was a top priority for the Nazis, no matter the cost.

In January 1942, Nazi leaders met and talked about how to carry out what they called the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question." Jewish people were taken from their homes and sent to special camps designed for killing, including:

As the war went on and the German army struggled, they still used many resources to carry out these killings.

Poland, home to many Jews before the war, saw about 3 million of its Jewish people killed, or about 90 percent of its Jewish population. Reports about the Holocaust reached leaders in other countries, but many people did not fully understand what was happening at the time.

Greece, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Lithuania, Bohemia, the Netherlands, Slovakia and Latvia lost over 70 percent of their Jewish populations. In Belgium, Romania, Luxembourg, Norway, and Estonia, about 50 percent of Jewish people were killed. Over one-third of the Jews in the Soviet Union were killed. France lost about 25 percent of its Jewish population, and Italy lost between 15% and 20%. In Denmark, most Jewish people were saved and taken to Sweden by Danish people and sailors.

Although Jews are a group tied to both religion and culture, the Nazis treated them purely as a race and saw them as their main enemy.

Slavs

Further information: Genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia and Hunger Plan

The Slavs were among the groups treated very badly by the Nazis during the war. Many Poles, Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians, Slovenes, Serbs and others were killed. The Nazis wanted to take land called Lebensraum for people they thought were better, which meant hurting many Slavic people.

Polish people

Main articles: Genocide of Poles by Nazi Germany and Expulsion of Poles by Nazi Germany

The Nazi takeover of Poland was very harsh, and more than 1.8 million ethnic Poles and about 3 million Polish Jews were killed. This was about 22 percent of Poland's population. The Nazis started planning to kill Poles even before the war began. They targeted leaders and important people, but also killed many ordinary Poles. Many Polish people were sent to places like Auschwitz-Birkenau. The city of Warsaw was almost completely destroyed by the Nazis in 1944.

Ukrainians

Russians and Soviet POWs

Main articles: Generalplan Ost, German atrocities committed against Soviet prisoners of war, Ostarbeiter, and German occupation of Byelorussia during World War II

During the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, millions of soldiers were taken prisoner and treated very badly. Many died from hunger, cold, or were killed. Civilians in areas the Nazis took over also suffered greatly.

Romani people

Main article: Romani Holocaust

The Nazis also targeted the Romani people, also known as Gypsies. Their treatment was similar to that of the Jews. Many Romani people were killed in the same camps as Jews.

Estimates suggest that between 250,000 to 500,000 Romani people were killed.

Non-Europeans

Main article: Racial policy of Nazi Germany

Black people

Main article: Persecution of black people in Nazi Germany

Asian and Turkic peoples

Japan signed the Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy in 1940 and was part of the same side in the war. No Japanese people were deliberately harmed by the Nazis because they were seen as "honorary Aryans". The same was true for Turks and other similar groups.

People with disabilities

Main article: Nazi eugenics

During the time of Nazi Germany, people who had mental or physical disabilities were treated very unfairly. The Nazi leaders believed that these individuals were not good enough for their society and did not deserve care. Many were forced into hospitals, and some were even sterilized without their permission.

The Nazis started a program called the T-4 Program in 1939, which sadly led to many people with disabilities being harmed. They believed this would keep their idea of a "perfect" race pure. Even though some of these actions were stopped later, many innocent people suffered greatly during this terrible time.

Homosexual men

Main article: Persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany

During the time of Nazi Germany, men who loved other men were treated unfairly. The Nazi leaders thought these men were not strong enough to fight for Germany and that they would not have children to grow the nation. They worried that if men did not have children, Germany would not be strong. Many men who loved other men were arrested and put in places where they could not leave. Some were sent to special camps where they were forced to wear a pink triangle to show they were in that group. While not all were hurt, many lost their homes and families because of these unfair rules.

After the time of Nazi Germany ended, many of these men still faced unfair treatment. They were punished by laws that said it was wrong for men to love other men, even though they had already suffered greatly.

Political groups

Many people who worked against the Nazi government were hurt or killed. This included people from many different backgrounds who did not agree with the Nazis' ideas and actions.

Groups such as communists, socialists, and others who stood up to the Nazis were often among the first to be arrested or worse when the Nazis took over new areas. People from countries that fought against Germany, like those from the Allies, were also sometimes sent to camps or treated very badly. Even some soldiers from Western countries, like the United States, were sent to harsh camps under very difficult conditions.

Religious groups

Further information: Kirchenkampf

The Nazis targeted religious groups for political and ideological reasons.

Jehovah's Witnesses

Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany

Many Jehovah's Witnesses stood firm against Nazi pressure to follow their rules. Because they refused to join the army or support the war, they faced harsh treatment. Sadly, between 2,500 and 5,000 of them were killed in concentration camps.

The Mortal Agony of Christ Chapel at Dachau commemorates the clergy who were imprisoned there.

Catholics

Main article: Nazi persecution of the Catholic Church in Germany

The Nazis wanted to remove Christian influence from Germany. They arrested thousands of Catholic priests, nuns, and leaders, shutting down schools, churches, and groups. In 1940, a special prison for priests was set up at Dachau Concentration Camp, where many were held. Even Pope Pius XI spoke out against the Nazis for breaking promises to protect the Catholic Church.

In areas they took over, like Austria and parts of Czechoslovakia, the Nazis closed Catholic schools and organizations and sent priests to camps. In Poland, the Nazis worked hard to destroy the Catholic Church, arresting leaders and closing churches.

Protestants

Polish Franciscan Maximilian Kolbe was murdered at Auschwitz.

Further information: Protestant Reich Church and Confessing Church

The Nazis tried to control Protestant groups by creating a new church that matched their beliefs. Those who disagreed formed the Confessing Church, but they were also treated badly.

Freemasons

While the Nazis sometimes blamed Freemasons in their messages, there was no strict rule against them, and it is not known how many were arrested or killed just for being Freemasons.

Other groups

The Nazi regime targeted many groups besides Jews, Romani, and Slavs. Civilians who were thought to support resistance movements, along with their families and entire villages, faced severe actions by the SS and police. Some villages were destroyed, such as Lidice, Khatyn, Kragujevac, Sant'Anna, and Oradour-sur-Glane. In occupied Poland, helping Jews could lead to very serious consequences.

People considered "social deviants" — such as prostitutes, vagrants, alcoholics, drug addicts, peace activists, people who refused to join the military, and common criminals — were also sent to concentration camps. Some of these prisoners were forced to guard others. Germans and Austrians who had lived abroad and were seen as influenced by foreign ideas were also sent to camps, marked with a blue triangle.