Nazi concentration camps

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entire society in order to eliminate its opponents and deter resistance. Beginning in March 1933, detailed reports on camp conditions were published in the press. Nazi propaganda demonized the prisoners as race traitors, sexual degenerates, and criminals and presented the camps as sites of re-education. After 1933, reports in the press were scarce but larger numbers of people were arrested and people who interacted with the camps, such as those who registered deaths, could make conclusions about the camp conditions and discuss with acquaintances.

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in order to spare inmate productivity had little effect in practice. During the second half of the war, Auschwitz swelled in size – fueled by the deportation of hundreds of thousands of Jews – and became the center of the camp system. It was the deadliest concentration camp and Jews sent there faced a virtual death sentence even if they were not immediately killed, as most were. In August 1943, 74,000 of the 224,000 registered prisoners in all SS concentration camps were in Auschwitz. In 1943 and early 1944, additional concentration camps –

1761: 1640: 1620:, who were hard-hit by the economic crisis and feared decline in status. Most had joined the Nazi movement by September 1931 and were offered full-time employment in 1933. SS leaders typically lived with their wives and children near the camps where they worked, often engaging prisoners for domestic labor. Perpetration by this leadership was based on their tight social bonds, a perceived common sense that the aims of the system were good, as well as the opportunity for material gain. 1472:. By April 1942, when the operation finished, at least 6,000 and as many as 20,000 people had been killed – the first act of systematic killing in the camp system. Beginning in August 1941, selected Soviet prisoners of war were killed within the concentration camps, usually within a few days of their arrival. By mid-1942, when the operation finished, at least 34,000 Soviet prisoners had been murdered. At Auschwitz, the SS used 2044:("The SS State"). Substantial research did not begin until the 1980s. Scholarship has focused on the fate of groups of prisoners, the organization of the camp system, and aspects such as forced labor. As late as the 1990s, German local and economic history omitted mention of the camps or presented them as exclusively the responsibility of the SS. Two scholarly encyclopedias of the concentration camps have been published: 1978: 769: 805: 721: 705: 821: 753: 837: 1849:

restaurants, barracks, factory buildings, or military camps, were joint ventures between industry and the SS. An increasing number of German civilians interacted with the camps: entrepreneurs and landowners provided land or services, doctors decided which prisoners were healthy enough to continue working, foremen oversaw labor deployments, and administrators helped with logistics.

1781:). Other prisoners had to work on constructing and expanding the camps. In the years before World War II, quarrying and bricklaying for the SS company DEST played a central role in prisoner labor. Despite prisoners' increasing economic importance, conditions declined; prisoners were seen as expendable so each influx of prisoners was followed by increasing death rate. 625: 609: 593: 737: 641: 657: 577: 787: 673: 689: 1870:, fear of arrest did not undermine public support for the camps because Germans saw the prisoners rather than the guards as criminals. She writes that demand for SS construction brigades "points to general acceptance of the concentration camps". In Cologne some construction brigade prisoners were shot in broad daylight. 1322:, the "criminal" prisoners at concentration camps needed to be isolated from society because they had committed offenses of a sexual or violent nature. In fact, most of the criminal prisoners were working-class men who had resorted to petty theft to support their families. Nazi raids of perceived asocials, including 1388:, overwhelming the capacity of the system. These prisoners were subject to unprecedented abuse leading to hundreds of deaths – more people died at Dachau in the four months after Kristallnacht than in the previous five years. Most of the Jewish prisoners were soon released, often after promising to emigrate. 1931:

counts the number of survivors at no more than 475,000, calculating that at least 1.1 million of the registered prisoners must have died. According to his estimate, at least 800,000 of the murdered prisoners were not Jewish. In addition to the registered prisoners who died, a million Jews were gassed

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In 1942, the emphasis of the camps shifted to the war effort; by 1943, two-thirds of prisoners were employed by war industries. The death rate skyrocketed with an estimated half of the 180,000 prisoners admitted between July and November 1942 dying by the end of that interval. Orders to reduce deaths

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Arrests of Germans in 1933 were often accompanied by public humiliation or beatings. If released, prisoners might return home with visible marks of abuse or psychological breakdown. Using a "dual strategy of publicity and secrecy", the regime directed terror both at the direct victim as well as the

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Hard labor was a fundamental component of the concentration camp system and an aspect in the daily life of prisoners. However, the forced labor deployment was largely determined by external political and economic factors that drove demand for labor. During the first years of the camps, unemployment

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were targeted and detained in concentration camps. In Western Europe, arrests focused on resistance fighters and saboteurs, but in Eastern Europe arrests included mass roundups aimed at the implementation of Nazi population policy and the forced recruitment of workers. This led to a predominance of

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argues that there were precedents in other countries and that camps were "the logical extension of phenomena that had long characterized colonial rule". Although the word "concentration camp" has acquired the connotation of murder because of the Nazi concentration camps, the British camps in South

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The camps were concentrated in prewar Germany and to a lesser extent territory annexed to Germany. No camps were built on the territory of Germany's allies that enjoyed even nominal independence. Each camp housed either men, women, or a mixed population. Women's camps were mostly for armaments

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In early 1934, the number of prisoners was still falling and it was uncertain if the system would continue to exist. By mid-1935, there were only five camps, holding 4,000 prisoners, and 13 employees at the central IKL office. At the same time, 100,000 people were imprisoned in German jails, a

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were in demand by municipalities to clear bomb debris and rebuild. For the prisoners, chances of survival rarely improved despite the contact with the outside world, although those few Germans who tried to help did not encounter punishment. Germans were often shocked to see the reality of the

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Conditions worsened after the outbreak of war due to reduction in food, worsening housing, and increase in work. Deaths from disease and malnutrition increased, outpacing other causes of death. However, the food provided was usually sufficient to sustain life. Life in the camps has often been

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The visibility of the camps heightened during the war due to increasing prisoner numbers, the establishment of many subcamps in proximity to German civilians, and the use of labor deployments outside the camps. These subcamps, often established in town centers in such locations as schools,

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located near workplaces. More workers were obtained through transfers from prisons and forced labor programs, causing the prisoner population to double twice by mid-1944. Subcamps where prisoners did construction work had significantly higher death rates than those that worked in munitions

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Since their liberation, the Nazi concentration camp system has come to symbolize violence and terror in the modern world. After the war, most Germans rejected the crimes associated with the concentration camps, while denying any knowledge or responsibility. Under the West German policy of

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upon arriving in Auschwitz; including these victims, the total death toll is estimated at 1.8 to more than two million. Most of the fatalities occurred during the second half of World War II, including at least a third of the 700,000 prisoners who were registered as of January 1945.

1583:("death's head"). The guards were housed in barracks adjacent to the camp and their duties were to guard the perimeter of the camp as well as work details. They were officially forbidden from entering the camps, although this rule was not followed. Towards the end of the 1930s, the 1274:, and criminals. Himmler won Hitler's backing and was appointed Chief of German Police on 17 June 1936. Of the six SS camps operational as of mid-1936, only two (Dachau and Lichtenburg) still existed by 1938. In the place of the camps that closed down, Eicke opened new camps at 2016:

Accounts of the concentration camps – both condemnatory and sympathetic – were publicized outside of Germany before World War II. Many survivors testified about their experiences or wrote memoirs after the war. Some of these accounts have become internationally famous, such as

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in Poland – were converted from ghettos or labor camps; these camps were populated almost entirely by Jewish prisoners. Along with the new main camps, many satellite camps were set up to more effectively leverage prisoner labor for the war effort.

1366:(DEST) was set up with funds from Speer's agency for exploiting prisoner labour to extract building materials. Flossenbürg and Mauthausen had been built adjacent to quarries, and DEST also set up brickworks at Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen. 1404:. During the war, the camps became increasingly brutal and lethal due to the plans of the Nazi leadership: most victims died in the second half of the war. Five new camps were opened between the start of the war and the end of 1941: 1861:

argues that "the Germans generally turned out to be proud and pleased that Hitler and his henchmen were putting away certain kinds of people who did not fit in, or who were regarded as 'outsiders', 'asocials', 'useless eaters', or

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in June 1938, targeted homeless people and the mentally ill, as well as the unemployed. Although the Nazis had previously targeted social outsiders, the influx of new prisoners meant that political prisoners became a minority.

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Eastern Europeans, especially Poles, who made up the majority of the population of some camps. By the end of the war, only 5 to 10 per cent of the camp population was "Reich Germans" from Germany or Austria. More than 100,000

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were also established, administratively subordinated to one of the main camps. The number of prisoners tripled from 21,000 in August 1939 to about 70,000 to 80,000 in early 1942. This expansion was driven by the demand for

1131:. The Nazis had no plan for concentration camps prior to their seizure of power. The concentration camp system arose in the following months due to the desire to suppress tens of thousands of Nazi opponents in Germany. The 5023: 1605:

personnel were recruited, making up as many as 52 per cent of guards by January 1945. The manpower shortage was reduced by relying on guard dogs and delegating some duties to prisoners. Corruption was widespread.

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were converted into concentration camps. Other Jews entered the concentration camp system after being deported to Auschwitz. Despite many deaths, as many as 200,000 Jews survived the war inside the camp system.

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interior ministries, or a combination of the above. The early camps in 1933–1934 were heterogeneous and fundamentally differed from the post-1935 camps in organization, conditions, and the groups imprisoned.

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concentration camps up close, but reluctant to aid the prisoners because of fear that they would be imprisoned as well. Others found the poor state of the prisoners to confirm Nazi propaganda about them.

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were targeted for especially harsh treatment which led to a high mortality rate during the first half of the war. In contrast, Reich Germans enjoyed favorable treatment compared to other nationalities.

1170:, there were only a few dozen camps left. About 70 camps were established in 1933, in any convenient structure that could hold prisoners, including vacant factories, prisons, country estates, schools, 971:

during their imprisonment. Most of the fatalities occurred during the second half of World War II, including at least a third of the 700,000 prisoners who were registered as of January 1945. Following

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Most Jews who were persecuted and killed during the Holocaust were never prisoners in concentration camps. Significant numbers of Jews were imprisoned beginning in November 1938 because of

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and German émigrés who returned home. Czech and Austrian anti-Nazis were arrested after the annexation of their countries in 1938 and 1939. Jews were also increasingly targeted, with 2,000

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personnel, and those wounded or disabled, replaced those assigned to combat duties. As the war progressed, a more diverse group was recruited to guard the expanding camp system, including

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who could no longer work (especially those deemed racially inferior). Victims were selected by camp personnel or traveling doctors, and were removed from the camps to be murdered in

1354:" elements would be arrested to keep others working harder. At the same time, Himmler was also focusing on exploiting prisoners' labor within the camp system. Hitler's architect, 6343: 5988: 4712: 1924:, while men's camps had a wider geographical distribution. Sex segregation decreased over the course of the war and mixed camps predominated outside of Germany's prewar borders. 1373: 470: 1306:

By the end of June 1938, the prisoner population had expanded threefold in the previous six months, to 24,000 prisoners. The increase was fueled by arrests of those considered

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the victims of the Nazi regime have been established at many of the former camps and the Nazi concentration camp system has become a universal symbol of violence and terror.

1669:, after which they were always overrepresented as prisoners. During the height of the Holocaust from 1941 to 1943, the Jewish population of the concentration camps was low. 1246:

on 30 June 1934, in which Eicke took a leading role, the remaining SA-run camps were taken over by the SS. In December 1934, Eicke was appointed the first inspector of the

4139: 1689:—were set up outside the concentration camp system. The existing IKL camps Auschwitz and Majdanek gained additional function as extermination camps. After mid-1943, some 68: 6119: 4995: 1346:(May 1939) the first purpose-built camp for female prisoners. The mass arrests were partly motivated by economic factors. Recovery from the Great Depression lowered the 4099: 3900: 5101: 1742:(mostly Germans) or skilled laborers. Prisoner functionaries served at the whim of the SS and could be dismissed for insufficient strictness. As a result, sociologist 1298: 880:(1937 borders). Color-coded by date of establishment as a main camp: blue for 1933–1937, gray for 1938–1939, red for 1940–1941, green for 1942, yellow for 1943–1944. 5704: 1789: 551: 6323: 1727:

struggle for survival, although some mutual aid existed. Individual efforts to survive, sometimes at others' expense, could hamper the aggregate survival rate.

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About 1.65 million people were registered prisoners in the camps, of whom, according to Wagner, nearly a million died during their imprisonment. Historian

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Before World War II, most prisoners in the concentration camps were Germans. After the expansion of Nazi Germany, people from countries occupied by the

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The influx of non-German prisoners from 1939 changed the previous hierarchy based on triangle to one based on nationality. Jews, Slavic prisoners, and

4658: 1598: 1574:(SS-WVHA) to improve the camps' integration into the war economy. Despite changes in the structure, the IKL remained directly responsible to Himmler. 404: 1801:

manufacture. By the end of the war, main camps were functioning more and more as transfer stations from which prisoners were redirected to subcamps.

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The liberation of the camps – documented by the Western Allies in 1945 – has played a prominent part in perception of the camp system as a whole.

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emphasizes that "They took over the role of the SS in order to prevent SS encroachment" and other prisoners remembered them for their brutality.

1602: 1037: 982: 415: 2052:. According to Caplan and Wachsmann, "more books have been published on the Nazi camps than any other site of detention and terror in history". 1796:. Local authorities and private companies could hire prisoners at a fixed daily cost. This decision paved the way for the establishment of many 5230: 4337: 4132: 1731: 743: 169: 1959:, and in March 1945 from concentration camps in Germany. Both Jewish and non-Jewish prisoners died in large numbers as a consequence of these 1816: 4107: 4084: 4062: 4041: 4019: 3995: 3973: 3951: 3927: 3908: 3882: 3860: 3803: 3781: 3762: 3736: 3714: 3690: 3671: 3650: 1908:'s estimate, more than 1,100 satellite camps. This is a cumulative figure that counts all the subcamps that existed at one point; historian 1107: 5610: 5028: 4868: 4579: 4492: 3938: 2013:), some survivors of concentration camps received compensation for their imprisonment. A few perpetrators were put on trial after the war. 1548: 354: 293: 4032:(2009). "The Dynamics of Destruction: The Development of the Concentration Camps, 1933–1945". In Jane Caplan; Nikolaus Wachsmann (eds.). 6415: 6248: 5893: 5356: 5096: 5444: 4643: 4371: 4220: 1884: 1837: 1793: 1532: 1163: 976: 389: 4722: 480: 6471: 5225: 4970: 4778: 4502: 4383: 4325: 4184: 4125: 2049: 1570:(RSHA) took on the responsibility of detaining and releasing concentration camp prisoners. In 1942, the IKL was subordinated to the 811: 303: 164: 5240: 5176: 4702: 4366: 4215: 1331: 631: 615: 546: 455: 184: 115: 4663: 1912:

estimates the number of subcamps to have been 186 at the end of 1943, 341 or more in June 1944, and at least 662 in January 1945.

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military victories, the camps were gradually liberated in 1944 and 1945, although hundreds of thousands of prisoners died in the

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Private sector cooperation remained marginal to the overall concentration camp system for the first half of the war. After the

1690: 1223: 42: 1286:, enabling the SS to exert absolute power. Prisoners, who previously wore civilian clothes, were forced to wear uniforms with 5906: 5719: 5181: 4361: 4354: 4318: 4227: 4196: 4162: 1287: 1112: 865: 794: 179: 120: 90: 5881: 3813:

Goeschel, Christian; Wachsmann, Nikolaus (2010). "Before Auschwitz: The Formation of the Nazi Concentration Camps, 1933-9".

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were imprisoned in the concentration camps. About 1.65 million people were registered prisoners in the camps, of whom about

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estimates that no more than 1 per cent of the labor for Germany's arms production came from concentration camp prisoners.

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At the end of August 1939, prisoners of Flossenbürg, Sachsenhausen, and other concentration camps were murdered as part of

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Early Camps, Youth Camps, and Concentration Camps and Subcamps under the SS-Business Administration Main Office (WVHA)

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Early Camps, Youth Camps, and Concentration Camps and Subcamps under the SS-Business Administration Main Office (WVHA)

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in late 1941, the demand for armaments increased. The WVHA sought out partnerships with private industry and Speer's

1270:, Himmler called for a war against the "organized elements of sub-humanity", including communists, socialists, Jews, 4266: 1519: 6283: 6162: 6132: 6051: 5968: 5801: 5439: 5337: 5298: 5255: 5191: 5064: 4940: 4402: 4249: 4208: 1715: 1656:

and smaller groups from other nationalities were transferred to the concentration camps in direct violation of the

1567: 1493: 1282:(July 1937). Unlike earlier camps, the newly opened camps were purpose-built, isolated from the population and the 1159: 948: 877: 843: 199: 130: 2133:; including those victims, the total death toll has been estimated at between 1.8 million and more than 2 million. 5921: 5736: 5283: 5260: 5171: 5033: 4885: 4873: 4860: 4596: 4414: 4407: 4278: 4254: 4203: 2055:

Stone argues that the Nazi concentration camp system inspired similar atrocities by other regimes, including the

1960: 1792:. In September 1942, Himmler and Speer agreed to use prisoners in armaments production and to repair damage from 1678: 1489: 1323: 1211: 1158:

estimated it at 50,000, with arrests perhaps exceeding 100,000. Eighty per cent of prisoners were members of the

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was taken over by the SS from the Prussian bureaucracy, marking the beginning of a transition set in motion by

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was high and prisoners were forced to perform economically valueless but strenuous tasks, such as farming on

6393: 6383: 6109: 5663: 5460: 5391: 5069: 5054: 4980: 4960: 4955: 4935: 4905: 4895: 4485: 4452: 1653: 1144: 249: 5615: 6104: 5871: 5350: 4928: 4922: 4804: 4552: 1739: 1610: 1563: 1311: 1290:. The number of prisoners began to rise again, from 4,761 on 1 November 1936 to 7,750 by the end of 1937. 1219: 972: 964: 952: 913: 1527:. Expensive security measures distinguished the concentration camps from other Nazi detention facilities. 1040:

died as a result of intentional withholding of food and dangerous working conditions in violation of the

6338: 5963: 5916: 5580: 5331: 4735: 4608: 4075:(2009). "Work and Extermination in the Concentration Camps". In Jane Caplan; Nikolaus Wachsmann (eds.). 4072: 3983: 1804:

At their peak in 1945, concentration camp prisoners made up 3 per cent of workers in Germany. Historian

1218:, a manual which specified draconian punishments for disobedient prisoners. He also created a system of 1136: 1124: 1045: 1041: 1001: 924: 494: 1639: 1553: 1433: 6301: 6238: 6167: 5821: 5605: 5496: 5474: 5369: 5364: 5345: 4690: 4497: 1615: 1579: 1540: 1514: 1497: 1446: 1243: 1025: 928: 441: 298: 5524: 3918:

Orth, Karin (2009b). "The Concentration Camp Personnel". In Jane Caplan; Nikolaus Wachsmann (eds.).

6388: 6296: 6142: 5729: 5514: 4773: 4717: 2113: 2045: 1821: 1765: 1670: 1397: 1140: 993: 891: 31: 4528: 2033: 1064:. Hundreds of thousands were interned and subject to forced labor in harsh conditions. During the 5768: 5763: 5270: 4029: 3842: 3772:

Fings, Karola (2009). "The Public Face of the Camps". In Jane Caplan; Nikolaus Wachsmann (eds.).

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A minority of prisoners obtained substantially better treatment than the rest because they were

1449:; new camps were sent up near quarries (Natzweiler and Gross-Rosen) or brickworks (Neuengamme). 3751:

German Wartime Society 1939–1945: Politicization, Disintegration, and the Struggle for Survival

6373: 6233: 6064: 5978: 5945: 5859: 5676: 5642: 4617: 4103: 4080: 4058: 4037: 4015: 3991: 3969: 3947: 3923: 3904: 3878: 3856: 3830: 3799: 3777: 3758: 3732: 3710: 3686: 3667: 3646: 2068: 1657: 1359: 1167: 1073: 1065: 1013:(1904–1907); the death rate of these camps was 45 per cent, twice that of the British camps. 968: 1084:, "unwanted foreigners" – mainly Eastern European Jews – were confined at Cottbus-Sielow and 6350: 6328: 6147: 6137: 5866: 5854: 5836: 5773: 5519: 5481: 4748: 4475: 3822: 3791: 2023: 1992: 1858: 1785: 1559: 1457: 1319: 1267: 1231: 1227: 1195: 1061: 1053: 274: 1531:

Beginning in the mid-1930s, the camps were organized according to the following structure:

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pogrom in November 1938, 26,000 Jewish men were deported to concentration camps following

1174:, and castles. There was no national system; camps were operated by local police, SS, and 1128: 1081: 1057: 1021: 997: 901: 487: 3703:; Wachsmann, Nikolaus (2009). "Introduction". In Jane Caplan; Nikolaus Wachsmann (eds.). 6333: 6228: 6127: 6098: 5790: 5754: 5714: 5709: 5534: 5419: 5326: 4648: 3870: 3846: 3724: 3638: 1952: 1948: 1589: 1524: 1343: 1175: 1132: 1069: 951:, but as time went on different groups were arrested, including "habitual criminals", " 932: 394: 285: 17: 6465: 6223: 6152: 6043: 5911: 5741: 5698: 5544: 5529: 4827: 4743: 4602: 4562: 4507: 1665: 1381: 1258: 1239: 1207: 1077: 1006: 936: 861: 503: 370: 308: 3895:(2009a). "The Genesis and Structure of the National Socialist Concentration Camps". 1632:

New prisoners who survived a weeklong trip in open boxcars awaiting disinfection at

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quarter of those for political offenses. Believing Nazi Germany to be imperiled by

1215: 1120: 960: 920: 909: 886: 330: 279: 3873:(2009). "The Afterlife of the Camps". In Jane Caplan; Nikolaus Wachsmann (eds.). 2038: 1593:

death squads and massacred Polish Jews as well as Soviet prisoners of war. Older

6441: 5958: 5575: 5429: 4533: 4470: 3700: 2028: 1940: 1921: 1897: 1421: 1283: 1155: 1102: 1017: 857: 269: 6430: 6265: 6038: 5816: 4005: 3892: 2018: 1982: 1928: 1909: 1633: 1594: 1279: 1271: 1171: 1029: 1028:, some of them at locations which were later the sites of Nazi camps, such as 3834: 3826: 3749:(2008) . "Slaves for the 'Home Front': War Society and Concentration Camps". 2027:. The concentration camps have been the subject of historical writings since 1562:, and guard command. In November 1940, the IKL came under the control of the 1250:(IKL); only camps managed by the IKL were designated "concentration camps". 6270: 6076: 4784: 4584: 4052: 2060: 1917: 1724: 1686: 1648: 1413: 1339: 5931: 4117: 1966:

Many prisoners died after liberation due to their poor physical condition.

1601:(who were not part of the SS). During the second half of the war, army and 1154:

The number of prisoners in 1933–1934 is difficult to determine; historian

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Timeline of the establishment of camps (black for main camps, orange for

1774: 1536: 1473: 1351: 1085: 3727:(2020). "Survivors of the Holocaust within the Nazi Universe of Camps". 996:

are conventionally held to have been invented by the British during the

48:"Concentration Camps in Nazi Germany" redirects here. For the book, see 4480: 1956: 1944: 1833: 1682: 1674: 1425: 1409: 1235: 1049: 1587:

expanded its operations and set up military units, which followed the

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Prisoners hauling earth for the construction of the "Russian camp" at

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The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy

1199: 1214:, which became the model followed by other camps. Eicke drafted the 3681:

Buggeln, Marc (2015). "Forced Labour in Nazi Concentration Camps".

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Excludes one million Jews who were gassed directly upon arrival in

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Most of the camp SS leadership was middle-class and came from the

1518: 1451: 1416:(June 1940), which initially operated as a concentration camp for 1297: 1252: 1190: 1106: 919:

The first camps were established in March 1933 immediately after

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White, Joseph Robert (2009). "Introduction to the Early Camps".

3544: 3542: 1222:, which later developed into the camp elders, block elders, and 956: 6188: 6009: 5640: 5130: 4800: 4121: 1330:

To house the new prisoners, three new camps were established:

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Sowjetische Kriegsgefangene im System der Konzentrationslager

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after striking a backroom deal with the previous chancellor,

1060:, and Germany, civilians deemed to be of "enemy origin" were 3903:. Vol. 1. Indiana University Press. pp. 183–196. 3202: 3200: 2736: 2734: 2599: 2597: 2595: 2488: 2486: 2461: 2459: 2457: 2348: 2346: 2112:

The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other

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eliminated the right to personal freedom enshrined in the

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Prisoners lined up for roll call at Sachsenhausen, 1941

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The camps under the IKL were guarded by members of the

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in February 1933 was the pretext for mass arrests. The

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