Book Burnings- Tamzida

“Book Burning” has been traditionally used and continued for many years in the coarse of history. People burned books, in order to show hatred, uncertainty and disagree or when they opposed the culture, religion and ethnicity of a book. People believed that the destruction of books are a destructions of their enemies. Book burning has been most famous in the past in Germany when Hitler and his Nazi party burned many books. Between 1817 and 1933, university student organization burned books. This was considered un-German. In 1933, a student association group started to burn any books that weren’t written by Germans. Later on, in that same year, a group of university students burned over 20,000 Jewish books. Another group of people claimed to go on a strike/ parade to show their hatred for Jewish people. This group included professors, students, workers and many more. Students happily threw books related to Jews into the fire they built and vandalized all Jewish related books. Nazi claimed the Jewish book burning a way to “cleanse” their nation. The Nazis burned the written materials of German-Jewish poet Heinrich Heine’s books who had written in his 1821 play “Where they burn books, they will also ultimately burn people.”

Below are the book burnings that took place in the history of book burnings.

·         In March, 2001, an association in India burned the Qur’an to show their hatred towards the Taliban..

·         In July 2001, many Harry Potter books were burned, by the Harvest Assembly of God.

·         In April 2004, a book burning took place in Canada, Montreal. The culprit behind the burning said that he was inspired to this because of so many book burnings-taking place in the middle east.

·         In 2011, a Florida pastor Terry Jones burned many copies of the Qur’an stating, "Islam is of the Devil," This angered many and started a protest around the world. Leaders of big countries noticed this disturbance including Barack Obama. They charged him to stop this madness saying and that the Islamic Holly Book is to be respected and prayed for.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2010/09/10/f-book-burning-timeline.html

http://www.ehow.com/about_6732024_book-burning.html

http://thisongoingwar.blogspot.ca/2011/05/27-may-11-on-boycotts-and-banning-books.html

"The Book Thief, Markus Zusak"

Quotes:

"There were the erased pages of Mein Kampf, gagging, suffocating under the paint as they turned."

"Did they deserve any better, these people? How many had actively persecuted others, high on the scent of Hitler's gaze, repeating his sentences, his paragraphs, his opus? Was Rosa Hubermann responsible? The hider of a Jew? Or Hans? Did they all deserve to die? The children?"

"I have hated the words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right."

By: Fahad Jaffar and Hamed Yousufi

The Kristallnacht

The Kristallnacht was a horrible day in the eyes of millions of Jewish people. On this day tens of thousands of Jews were killed, wounded, or sent to concentration camps. This all started when a seventeen-year-old Jewish boy Herschel Grynszpan shot and killed a German at the German embassy. On November, 9tn Nazi troops and SS troops rolled all over Germany and as they made their way through towns, they would destroy any Jewish property that they could get their hand on. After the attack over 25000 Jews were rounded up and taken to concentration camps. To add to this cruelty the victims that survived and that were not sent to concentration camps had to pay for all damages caused by the Germans. The Germans targeted Jewish shops, stores and synagogues, which are places that Jews go to pray. After the Germans burned the synagogues, they would later be turned into parking lots. In conclusion, the Kristallnacht was a horrifying display of cruelty and racism.

"World War II in Europe." Kristallnacht. The History Place, 1997. Web. 9 May 2012. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/knacht.htm

Bomb Shelters (Germany)

The article “Defending Against the Allied Bombing Campaign: Air Raid Shelters and Gas Protection in Germany, 1939-1945” by Samuel Crowell is about the argument if in each of the crematoria at Birkenau was equipped with a gas-tight bomb shelter or not which was made by Arthur R. Butz in September of 1996. 

In this article, it states that there were different types of shelters and equipment to use. The basic bomb shelter in Germany was the home shelters (also known as do-it-yourself shelter). In order for home bomb shelter were made, there had to meet specifications such as rudimentary gas-proofing, at least one emergency exit, and many more. I have learned that the Bomb shelters in Germany used during the 1930s - 1940s protected million of citizens, armies (military) from air attacks and they still exist in today’s society.

Pictures:

Image on the left is a hochbunker or 

a above ground bomb shelter.

Image on the left is a blueprint (plans)

for a basement bomb shelter.

Interesting Facts:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·    <!--[endif]-->structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks (bombing) from the air

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·    <!--[endif]-->Many people who were tired of repeatedly interrupting their sleep would go back and forth to the shelters and took up residence in a shelter.

Click here to go to the video:

Significant quotes:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·    <!--[endif]-->"Did they deserve any better, these people? How many had actively persecuted others, high on the scent of Hitler's gaze, repeating his sentences, his paragraphs, his opus? Was Rosa Hubermann responsible? The hider of a Jew? Or Hans? Did they all deserve to die? The children?" - Death in p. 375

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·    <!--[endif]-->“The last time I saw her red. The sky was like soup, boiling and stirring. In some places, it was burned. There were black crumbs and pepper, streaked across the redness.” - Death in p. 12

Click here to go to the article:

Reference:

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·    <!--[endif]-->“History Revisionism”. Defending Against the Allied Bombing Campaign: Air Raid Shelters and Gas Protection in Germany, 1939-1945. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://vho.org/GB/c/SC/inconabr.html>

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·    <!--[endif]-->“Grade Saver”. The Book Thief Quotes. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www.gradesaver.com/the-book-thief/study-guide/quotes/>

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·    <!--[endif]-->“Woodland Junior School”. Air Raid Shelters. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/war/shelters.htm>

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·    <!--[endif]-->“Youtube”. WW2 German Bunker & Shelters near La Prevote, Guernsey. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtXfOHk-oX0>

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·    <!--[endif]-->“Shmoop University”. The Book Thief War Quotes Page 1. Web. 09 May 2012. <http://www.shmoop.com/book-thief/war-quotes.html>

By: Tosin Taiwo

Beyond the attire.

During the Hollacaust many of not all of Hitler's party would wear attire with a certain symbol sewed on to the arm, this represented they were apart of the Nazi party. Many of these symbols represent and show other people that you support and or work for Hitler, this can also distinguish who is who In a crowd. Many reasons could be that you did not want to mix a German up with being a Jew because that person could be sent to a gas chamber to die, which was one of the most commons way to kill the Jewish population.  One interesting fact was back in 2010 a Nazi costume was spotted at a costume outlet which sparked a complaint from a U.S. based Jewish organization. The complaint was for the immediate "removal.." from the stores as it could and is offensive to many members of the jewish community. After being removed from stores a spokesperson for Don Quijote Co. Stated "We have completely removed the product from out stores." Also including "We take  responsibility for selling this product" 

Allied Bombing on Germany

On the evening of February 13^th, 1945, the allied planes bombed the defenseless German city of Dresden. This event was named as one of the most disastrous event in World War II. Dresden had no military value; it was just a hospital city for wounded German soldiers. But, in spite of that it was bombed relentlessly. An air force unit was once located there for protection but it was moved to some other place, where it could be of more use. On the day of the bombing there was a circus in town and the citizens felt relatively safe, even though almost every houses were filled with refugees, mostly from Breslau.

            It was Churchill and President Roosevelt’s idea to bomb the city and reduce it to ashes. This was done to impress Stalin and show him the power of the Allied forces. 700,000 phosphorous bombs were dropped on the city. Within less than 14 hours, an estimated one-third of the population had died. After the first raid, a huge firestorm erupted within the inner city and the temperature there reached about 1600 degrees Celsius. The second raid came 3 hours later, intended to bring out the civilians from their shelters. The Allied planes bombed Grosser Garten, where most of the survivors had gathered. Within minutes the whole park was ablaze with trees and human limbs. The third raid happened in the morning of February 14^th. American mustangs shot down rescue vehicles and survivors on the shores of the Elbe River. Most people died painlessly; they either simply disintegrated or melted into a think liquid. After the raid was over, the only remains of Dresden was a scorched ruin filled with mutilated corpses.

Read article here.

Interesting Facts

1. 1477.7 tons of High Explosive bomb, the second largest amount of high explosive bombs dropped on Dresden.
2. Part of the reason for the bombing, as is shown even in officially recorded statements, was to show Russia our bombing capabilities.
3. On 4 September Hitler promised the crowd at a Berlin rally: "When the British air force drops two or three or four thousand kilograms of bombs, then we will in one night drop 150, 230, 300 or 400 thousand kilograms - we will raze their cities to the ground".
4. Approximately 85,000 people died directly from the bombing of Hiroshima. 135,000 people died in the bombing of Dresden.
5. Many nurses stationed at Dresden tried to help survivors by bringing them to the shores of the Elbe River but these people were ruthlessly gunned down by low-flying American Mustangs.
   
   Relevent Quotes:1)"This is Himmel. You got bombed, my girl. Es tut mir leid, Schatzi. I'm sorry, darling."- A man from the LSE, pg-533.
   
   2)"The girl's mouth wandered on, even if her body was now still. She had forgotten her wails for Hans Hubermann. That was years ago - a bombing will do that."- Death referring to Liesel after the bombing, pg-533.
   
   Bibliography:
   
   
   Angelfire, . "Facts about the bombing." For Those Interested in the Bombing of Dresden. n.d. n. page. Web. 9 May. 2012. <http://www.angelfire.com/ky3/dresdenforschool/>.
   
   BBC, . "Britain bombs Berlin." BBC- History. n.d. n. page. Web. 9 May. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/events/britain_bombs_berlin>.

   
   

   By Munzir R. and Saadat H.

The German Resistance

Roland Freisler (centre), gives the salute of the Nazis
at the trialof conspirators. 
This trial condemned thousands 
of German resistance members to death.

The German resistance was not alone. There were multiple groups who all worked together, opposing the Nazi power. The resistance powers opposed Hitler’s power in a multitude of underground projects and efforts. The resistance movement was not unified. There were different efforts in different countries at varying times. Although not unified they resistance did have some organized groups, with communists leading them. Some of the organisations worked together to take military action against the Nazi power (instead of the usual underground movements). There were many that contributed in different ways to the German resistance of the Nazi power.

Carl Goerdeler, a leader of the July 1944 conspiracy to kill
 Hitler stands at the trial mentioned in the caption of the 
previous picture. He was also condemned to death.

If you wish to read the full article click here.



In a quick summary the resistance was a group of people who opposed the Nazi power, particularly the Germans within Nazi Germany.
  

Some interesting facts:

In Nazi Germany, it wasn't rare for a family or a person to be hiding a Jew.  
Many of the German resistance groups, such as The White Rose, consisted of university students and were non-violent, they based most of their acts of resistance around leaflets and graffiti.

Relevence to the book:

“Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it for twenty-four hours a day. That was the business of hiding a Jew. ” Liesel page 211

“She imagined herself walking over, gently tearing sme fluffy hair to the side, and whispering into the woman’s ear: There’s a Jew in my basement.” Liesel to Ilsa Herrman page 245

 

A video of clips from Valkyrie a modern-day film focused on the efforts of German resistance groups.

Citations: 

The Article:

"resistance." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 01 May. 2012. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/499273/resistance>.
First picture:
Sueddeutscher Verlag Bilderdienst, and DIZ Muenchen GMBH . German Resistance to Hitler . N.d. Photograph. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.Web. 9 May 2012. <http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_ph.php?ModuleId=10005208&MediaId=1573>.

Second picture:
Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz. German Resistance to Hitler . N.d. Photograph. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.Web. 9 May 2012. <http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/media_ph.php?ModuleId=10005208&MediaId=1552>.
First fact:

Fest, Joachim. Plotting Hitler's Death: The German Resistance To Hitler, 1933–1945. Owl Books, 1997. 252. Print.

Second fact:

Students Against Tyranny: The Resistance of the White Rose, Munich, 1942-1943
White Rose, The (pamphlet) Franz J. Muller,et al., White Rose Foundation, Munich 1991
At the Heart of the White Rose: Letters and Diaries of Hans & Sophie Scholl Inge Jens, ed., Harper & Row, 1987
USHMM
The Novel:
Zusak, Markus. The Book Theif. New York: Knopf, 2006. 221, 245. Print. 

Nazis on Jews

Nazis on Jews

By 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany has created around 20,000 camps to take custody of their victims. These camps were used for many reasons. They forced people to work. They also had extermination camps. They built this so they can do a mass murder. The Nazis have built a number of detention facilities so they can eliminate their “enemies of state.” The prisoners in the early concentration camps were German Communists, socialist, social democrats, ect. The meaning of concentration camps means people very held physically in one location. In March 1938, the Nazis arrested German, and Austrian Jews. Nazis opened up camps where thousands of prisoners died from starvation and exhaustion. These camps expanded quickly which lead to Nazi doctors performing experiments on the prisoners. Later during the German invasion of the Soviet Union more camps were expanded and built in Poland. Later these camps became POW camps where thousands of Soviet POWS were killed. In Nazis Germany, those of Jewish race were terrorized to an even greater extent when the Nazis established the “Final Solution” within Poland. These were even bigger concentration camps designed to kill more prisoners at once. Gas was one of their main approaches to kill the Jews. Many prisoners were killed and very few made it out alive due to the conditions the Jewish had faced within of the “Final Solution”.

Facts:

• Nazi Germany built 20,000 camps
• Nazi created an extermination camp, so they can murder massive amount of people
• More than 3 million prisoners have died in the Nazis concentration camps

Significant Quotes:

(393) “He was dead. The man was dead. Just give him five more minutes and he would surely fall into the German gutter and die. They would all let him, and they would all watch.”

(375) "Did they deserve any better, these people? How many had actively persecuted others, high on the scent of Hitler's gaze, repeating his sentences, his paragraphs, his opus? Was Rosa Hubermann responsible? The hider of a Jew? Or Hans? Did they all deserve to die? The children?"

(110) “Today is a beautiful day, not only is it our great leader’s birthday-but we also stop our enemies once again. We stop them from reaching into our minds”

Citation:

United States Holocaust Museum. "Nazi Camps." Holocaust Encyclopedia [Washington] 6 1 2011, n. page. Print. <http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005144>.

Survivors of the Holocaust. May 1945. Photograph. Retrieved from http://isurvived.org/

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.

Regensburger, Beim. Jews forced to hold up anti- Jew posters. 1938. Photograph. Retrieved from isurvived.org

By: Lahina, Pariza and Siham