Final SolutionThe Final Solution or the Final Solution to the Jewish Question was a plan orchestrated by Nazi Germany during World War II for the total extermination of people they defined as Jews. This secret policy of deliberate and systematic genocide across German-occupied Europe and all other areas that the Nazis controlled or influenced likely began in 1941, and was formally revealed to non-SS leaders of the German government at the Wannsee Conference in January 1942.
Reinhard HeydrichReinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich (; German:; 7 March 1904 – 4 June 1942) was a high-ranking SS and police official in Nazi Germany as well as one of the principal architects of the Holocaust. He held the rank of SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Polizei. Many historians regard Heydrich as one of the most sinister figures within the Nazi regime. Adolf Hitler described him as "the man with the iron heart".
Jewish questionThe Jewish question was a wide-ranging debate in 19th- and 20th-century Europe that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews. The debate, which was similar to other "national questions", dealt with the civil, legal, national, and political status of Jews as a minority within society, particularly in Europe during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
Nazi GermanyGerman state from 1933 to 1945Nazi Germany, officially the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a totalitarian dictatorship.
German-occupied EuropeBetween 1938 and 1945, Nazi Germany occupied or controlled vast territories of Europe. Peaking in 1941–1942, Germany and the other Axis powers (namely Italy) were governing more than half of the entire continent's population through direct administration, civil occupation, and military occupation, as well as by establishing puppet states. Germany's expansionist campaigns under the Nazi Party of Adolf Hitler ultimately led to the beginning of World War II in 1939.
WannseeWannsee (German pronunciation:) is a locality in the southwestern Berlin borough of Steglitz-Zehlendorf, Germany. It is the westernmost locality of Berlin. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger Großer Wannsee (Greater Wannsee) and the Kleiner Wannsee (Little Wannsee), located on the Havel and separated by the Wannsee Bridge. The larger of the two lakes covers an area of 2.7 km (1.0 mi) and has a maximum depth of 9 m (30 ft).
SchutzstaffelGerman Nazi paramilitary organisation (1925–1945)The Schutzstaffel (German:; lit. 'Protection Squadron'; SS; also stylised with SS runes as ᛋᛋ) was a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe during World War II. It began with a small guard unit known as the Saal-Schutz ("Hall Security") made up of party volunteers to provide security for party meetings in Munich.
Reich Security Main OfficeThe Reich Security Main Office (German: Reichssicherheitshauptamtpronounced, RSHA) was an organization under Heinrich Himmler in his dual capacity as Chef der Deutschen Polizei (Chief of German Police) and Reichsführer-SS, the head of the Nazi Party's Schutzstaffel (SS). The organization's stated duty was to fight all "enemies of the Reich" inside and outside the borders of Nazi Germany.
German languageGerman (Deutsch, pronounced [dɔɪ̯tʃ] ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It is also an official language of Luxembourg, Belgium and the Italian autonomous province of South Tyrol, as well as a recognised national language in Namibia.
JewsEthnoreligious groupEthnic group
ObergruppenführerObergruppenführer (German:, lit.'senior group leader') was a paramilitary rank in Nazi Germany that was first created in 1932 as a rank of the Sturmabteilung (SA) and adopted by the Schutzstaffel (SS) one year later. Until April 1942, it was the highest commissioned rank after only Reichsführer-SS. Translated as "senior group leader", the rank of Obergruppenführer was senior to Gruppenführer.
BerlinBerlin is the capital and largest city of Germany. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union (EU). The metropolis is also one of the states of Germany, being the third-smallest state in the country by area. Berlin is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg, bordering Brandenburg's capital Potsdam to the southwest.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.