31 The Treatment of Different Minority Groups in Nazi Germany by Declan McLaughlin
Delving deeper into the treatment of different minority groups in Nazi Germany
Kennzeichen für Schutzhäftlinge in den Konzentrations Lagern Nazi Germany concentration camp prisoners’ badges by Unknown Author, Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain
| Curriculum Context | VCE Modern History Unit 1, Area of Study 2 (VCAA, 2020) |
| Historical Context | How Jewish, Romani and homosexual people were treated under the Nazi regime in Germany and occupied areas. |
| Historical Thinking Concepts | Explore historical perspectives
Ask and use historical questions |
| Learning Intentions | Understand the unique and similar perspectives of and challenges faced by the different minority groups during the Holocaust.
Use historical questions to spark further inquiry. |
Activity
Create a small group of 2-4. Building on your previous understanding of how the Jewish were targeted during the Holocaust, delve deeper into how other minority groups (specifically homosexuals and Romani) were treated by the Nazi regime. You should explore different perspectives from homosexuals and Romani at the time, as well as how historians recount the events and persecution which occurred. As you encounter new information, you should ask yourself: “How is this different from how other groups were treated? How is this similar?”
Resources
Feel free to use the following resources to start your investigation, although you should be looking to find your own sources through your research:
Opression – Roma (look through the images for firsthand accounts)
Homophobic Propaganda and the Denunciation of Same-Sex-Desiring Men under National Socialism
Once your group has completed its research and analysed the findings using the questions mentioned above, you must complete the Venn Diagram (below) to gain a visual representation of the similar and unique treatments each group faced. Ensure you reference where you got the information from.
Extension: If you complete this section of the activity before the other groups, begin investigating how these different groups were treated in Australia in the same period.
References
Micheler, S. (2002). Homophobic Propaganda and the Denunciation of Same-Sex-Desiring Men under National Socialism. Journal of the History of Sexuality 11(1), 105-130. doi:10.1353/sex.2002.0011.
The Holocaust Explained. (n.d.). Opression – Roma. The Holocaust Explained. https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/life-in-nazi-occupied-europe/oppression/roma/
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. (2021). Gay Men Under the Nazi Regime. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/gay-men-under-the-nazi-regime
Unknown Author. (n.d.). Kennzeichen für Schutzhäftlinge in den Konzentrations Lagern Nazi Germany concentration camp prisoners’ badges [photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kennzeichen_f%C3%BCr_Schutzh%C3%A4ftlinge_in_den_Konzentrationslagern.jpg
VCAA. (2020). VCE History Study Design, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority. https://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/curriculum/vce/vce-study-designs/history/Pages/index.aspx
