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587
🔵The Bishop of Antioch Denounces Jews in his Sermons
John Chrysostom, an influential Church Father and Bishop of Antioch, delivered a series of sermons in which he described Jews as "wild beasts" and enemies of Christianity. These sermons helped establish a theological foundation for Christian antisemitism in Europe that endured for centuries. "Wild beasts who murder their own offspring….. and
worship the avenging devils who are the foes of our
life." -
Period: 1096 to 1291
🔵Slaughters During the Crusades
Throughout the Crusades, Christian armies massacred Jewish communities, especially in the Rhineland cities of Mainz, Worms, and Speyer. These mass killings, often sanctioned by local leaders or church figures, marked some of the first large-scale, religiously motivated slaughters of Jews in Europe. "The First Crusade (1096) was accompanied by massacres of Jews and attempts at forced conversion in the Rhineland." -
1215
🔵Fourth Lateran Council Decrees Jewish Badges
At the Fourth Lateran Council, Pope Innocent III mandated that Jews wear distinctive clothing or badges to set them apart from Christians. This decree institutionalized religious segregation and influenced similar laws in later European states. -
1492
🔵Jews Expelled from Spain
Under the Alhambra Decree issued by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Spain expelled its entire Jewish population unless they converted to Christianity. This was one of several 15th-century expulsions across Europe and had devastating social and economic consequences for Jewish communities. -
🔵The Term “Antisemitism” Is Created
German journalist Wilhelm Marr coined the term "antisemitism" to give a pseudoscientific and ideological veneer to anti-Jewish prejudice. His writings helped shift antisemitism from religious to racial and political hostility, influencing later nationalist and Nazi thought. "It was used for the first time in a small book-which
became very popular- called The Triumph of Jewry Over Germanism, by Wilhelm
Marr. That marked an important change in the history of Jewish persecution."(Rogasky, 10) -
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🔵Pogroms in Russia
Following the Russian Revolution and civil unrest, violent mob attacks against Jews, known as pogroms, swept across Ukraine and other parts of the former Russian Empire. Thousands of Jews were murdered or displaced, reinforcing cycles of fear and diaspora. -
🟢Germany is Defeated in World War I
World War I ended in 1918 with Germany’s defeat and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which imposed harsh reparations and territorial losses. The humiliation and economic devastation that followed gave rise to extremist groups, including the Nazis. -
🔵The Protocols of the Elders of Zion Appears in Germany
This fabricated document, originating in Russia and later widely published in Germany, falsely claimed to reveal a Jewish conspiracy for global domination. The Nazis used it extensively to justify anti-Jewish legislation and fuel public hatred. "Hitler was so impressed by the Protocols that he
declared the Nazis could learn a lot about gaining power from its contents." (Rogaky, 11) -
🟢Post-WWI Inflation Hits Germany
In 1923, Germany experienced hyperinflation, with the value of the mark collapsing and ordinary goods costing billions. The crisis led to widespread unemployment and poverty, setting the stage for political instability and radical solutions. "The inflation grew so fast it might cost twice that in the evening. One American cent was worth 1.66 million reichsmarks." (Rogasky, 12) -
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🔵Jews Barred from Professions in Germany
During the Weimar era and especially as Nazi influence grew, Jews were gradually excluded from journalism, law, medicine, and military service. These occupational bans laid the groundwork for the racial laws of the 1930s. -
🟢Adolf Hitler Appointed Chancellor of Germany
President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler Chancellor, believing he could be controlled within a conservative cabinet. Instead, Hitler quickly consolidated power and dismantled democratic institutions. "Once he was appointed chancellor, Hitler
began to dismantle democratic practices in Germany, thus beginning the reign
of devastation that would flow from Germany throughout Europe until the end
of World War II." (Rumblings of Danger, 1) -
🔴Hitler Orders a Concentration Camp to Be Built in Dachau
Just weeks after taking power, the Nazis opened Dachau near Munich as the first official concentration camp. -
🔴Dachau Concentration Camp Opens
Initially used for political prisoners. It would later become a model for the expanding camp system and a site of horrific abuses. -
🔵Hitler’s Government Directs a Boycott of Jewish-Owned Stores
The Nazi regime initiated a national boycott of Jewish businesses, targeting shops, doctors, and lawyers in an effort to isolate Jews from German economic life. Though limited in success, it signaled the beginning of state-sponsored antisemitic policy. -
🔴The First Mention of “Judenrat” in Government Documents
German authorities introduced the concept of the “Judenrat,” or Jewish Council, to manage Jewish communities under occupation and implement Nazi orders. These councils were forced into morally impossible roles, including registering fellow Jews and organizing deportations. -
🔵Jews and Non-Aryans Expelled from Civil Service Jobs
The “Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service” removed Jews and political opponents from government positions. This marked the formal start of Aryanization policies and the erosion of Jewish civil rights. -
🔵Law for the Prevention of Offspring with Hereditary Diseases Enacted
This Nazi eugenics law mandated the forced sterilization of people with disabilities, mental illness, and other conditions deemed hereditary. Over 400,000 people were sterilized under this policy, which foreshadowed later racial “cleansing” programs. -
🟢Hitler Names Himself Führer
After the death of President Hindenburg, Hitler merged the offices of Chancellor and President and declared himself Führer, or supreme leader. This completed his consolidation of absolute power in Germany. -
🔵Nuremberg Race Laws Enacted
At the annual Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Hitler introduced two major laws: the Reich Citizenship Law and the Law for the Protection of German Blood and Honor. These laws stripped Jews of German citizenship and outlawed marriage and sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews. "In 1935, attacks against Jews escalated. On September 15, the Nuremberg Race Laws were enacted, stripping German Jews of their citizenship and depriving them of all of their political rights."(Rumblings of Danger, 2) -
Period: to
🔵Kristallnacht (The Night of Broken Glass)
Following the assassination of a German diplomat by a Jewish teenager in Paris, Nazi leaders unleashed a wave of coordinated violence against Jews across Germany and Austria. Over 1,400 synagogues were burned, 7,500 businesses were destroyed, and 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to camps. "We were paralyzed by fear. It was not just a normal fear of reprisals. The year 1938 had been the worst so far, one anti-Jewish decree had followed on the heel of the other." (Weinberg, 35) -
🟢Germany Invades Poland
Germany launched a massive invasion of Poland using blitzkrieg tactics, beginning World War II in Europe. This also marked the beginning of full-scale antisemitic terror under military occupation, targeting the 3 million Jews living in Poland. -
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🔴First Deportations Take Place to “No-Man’s-Land” Between Germany and Poland
Nazi authorities began expelling Jews from Germany and Austria, dumping them at the Polish border in inhumane conditions without shelter or resources. These deportations were the first efforts to forcibly remove Jews from the Reich and foreshadowed later mass transports. -
🔴The Warsaw Ghetto Is Completed and Sealed Off
German authorities finalized the construction of the Warsaw Ghetto, walling in over 400,000 Jews in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions. This became the largest ghetto in Nazi-occupied Europe and a central site of suffering, resistance, and later deportation. -
🔴First Death Marches Begin in Poland
As Soviet forces advanced, the SS began evacuating camps, forcing tens of thousands of prisoners on death marches in freezing winter conditions. Thousands died from exhaustion, starvation, or execution along the way. "One day, I saw a death march. They pushed the people like cattle through the middle of the town. And the Gestapo was kicking and pushing those who walked too slowly or that were not in line." (Opdyke, 448) -
🔴First Experiments with Carbon Monoxide Gas Conducted
As part of the T4 euthanasia program, Nazi doctors conducted lethal gas experiments using carbon monoxide in sealed rooms to kill the disabled. These early tests laid the technical foundation for the gas chambers used in extermination camps. -
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🔴First Deportations to Lodz Ghetto and “Final Solution” Planning
Thousands of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto were deported to forced labor camps and killing centers. Deportations would intensify in 1942 with the opening of extermination camps like Treblinka. -
🔴Gas Van Tests Carried Out
The SS tested mobile gas vans, in which victims were locked in the back and asphyxiated with exhaust fumes. These vans were first used in occupied Poland and would later become a common method of mass murder. -
🔴First Prisoners Arrive at Auschwitz
Auschwitz opened as a combined concentration and extermination camp. It quickly became the deadliest site of the Holocaust, where over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered. -
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🔴Youth Movements Prepare for Armed Resistance in Ghettos and Camps
Inspired by the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, Zionist and socialist youth groups began organizing underground cells and stockpiling weapons. These networks played key roles in later revolts in places like Vilna, Bialystok, and Auschwitz. -
🔴Deportations from the Warsaw Ghetto Begin
Thousands of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto were deported to forced labor camps and killing centers. Deportations would intensify in 1942 with the opening of extermination camps like Treblinka. -
🔴Jewish Underground Launches Grenade Attack on German Officers
In Nazi-occupied areas, Jewish underground members attacked a coffee shop frequented by German soldiers, killing and wounding several. These bold acts of resistance demonstrated that Jews were not passive victims, despite overwhelming Nazi power. -
🔴Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Begins
On the eve of Passover, Jewish resistance fighters in the Warsaw Ghetto launched an armed revolt against German forces sent to deport the remaining inhabitants. The uprising lasted nearly a month, becoming the most famous act of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. "It was not the usual gunfire one heard from the ghetto; this time the bursts were deafening. Powerful detonations made the earth tremble." (Meed, 326) -
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🔴The Jewish Underground Ceases to Exist in Many Areas
After years of resistance, many Jewish underground movements were crushed by Nazi crackdowns or suffered from overwhelming losses. Despite their destruction, their efforts are remembered as acts of extraordinary courage in the face of genocide. -
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🔴Liquidation of Concentration Camps Begins
The Nazis destroyed evidence of crimes by demolishing camps and killing remaining prisoners before liberation. Many survivors were left in horrific conditions when Allied forces finally arrived. -
🔴Prisoner Revolt in Auschwitz
Sonderkommando prisoners blew up Crematorium IV using explosives smuggled in by female prisoners. Though quickly crushed, the revolt killed several SS guards and became a powerful symbol of defiance. -
🟢Germany Surrenders – End of WWII in Europe
Germany unconditionally surrendered to Allied forces, bringing an end to World War II in Europe. The full extent of the Holocaust became clear as Allied troops liberated camps and documented the atrocities. -
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🔴The Doctor’s Trial (Part of the Nuremberg Trials)
As part of the Nuremberg Military Tribunals, 23 Nazi doctors and officials were tried for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including involuntary sterilization and lethal medical experiments on prisoners. The trial set important precedents for medical ethics and international law.