The Holocaust Lesson for Kids: Definition & Facts - Lesson | Study.com
History Courses / Course

The Holocaust Lesson for Kids: Definition & Facts

Lesson Transcript
Instructor Jeremy Cook

Jeremy taught elementary school for 18 years in in the United States and in Switzerland. He has a Masters in Education from Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. He's taught grades 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8. His strength is in educational content writing and technology in the classroom

The Holocaust was one of history's most terrible acts which saw to the death of millions. Discover the definition and facts on the Holocaust, working through the beginning to the end of this tragic period in history.

Table of Contents

Show

What Was the Holocaust?

The Holocaust was a terrible time in human history. It happened leading up to and during World War II, when Germany was trying to conquer the rest of Europe. Germany was led by a man named Adolf Hitler. Hitler didn't like Jewish people and blamed them for Germany losing the First World War in 1918. He decided that in order to make the world better, he needed to get rid of the Jewish people and many other races of people that he didn't think were worthy. That was the essence of the Holocaust.

Hitler was the head of the political party called the Nazis. They were responsible for the murder of more than 6 million Jewish people during the Holocaust and millions of others, such as the Poles, European tribal people they called ''gypsies,'' homosexuals, and people with disabilities. All in all, historians estimate that Hitler and the Nazis murdered more than 11 million people.

To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account

An error occurred trying to load this video.

Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support.

Coming up next: Pearl Harbor Attack Facts: Lesson for Kids

You're on a roll. Keep up the good work!

Take Quiz Watch Next Lesson
 Replay
Your next lesson will play in 10 seconds
  • 0:04 What Was the Holocaust?
  • 0:59 The Beginning of the Holocaust
  • 2:15 The End of the Holocaust
  • 2:51 Lesson Summary
View Video Only Save Timeline

The Beginning of the Holocaust

Beginning in 1933, the Nazis forced people to boycott and eventually ban Jewish businesses in Germany. They took away the Jews' German citizenship and made them outcasts. When World War II actually began in 1939, the Nazi armies started marching into other cities in Europe. When they took over a city, they would round up all the Jewish people and force them into one part of the area. Then they would put up a wall around that section of the city so that no one could get out. They called these areas ghettos.

To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account

By the end of the World War II in 1945, the Nazis were murdering thousands of Jews each day in the death and concentration camps. When Germany lost the war and surrendered, the remaining people in the concentration camps were freed. Sadly, only a small handful of people actually survived the camps. When Auschwitz was freed, only 1,200 people were left alive. Some camps, like Belzec, had only two survivors. Once Hitler knew he was going to lose the war, he committed suicide and never faced the consequences for the terrible things he did.

To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account

All right, let's take a moment to review. The Holocaust was a dark time in history when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party carried out a plan to exterminate the Jewish people. They started by banning Jews from working and then started to round them up and put them in walled-off sections of cities so no one could get out. They eventually took the Jews to concentration camps where they were murdered or died of poor treatment. The Holocaust claimed the lives of over 6 million Jews and nearly 11 million people in all.

To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account

Register to view this lesson

Are you a student or a teacher?

Unlock Your Education

See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com

Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a Member  Back

Resources created by teachers for teachers

Over 30,000 video lessons & teaching resources‐all in one place.
Video lessons
Quizzes & Worksheets
Classroom Integration
Lesson Plans

I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.

Jennifer B.
Teacher
Jennifer B.
Try it now
Create an account to start this course today
Used by over 30 million students worldwide
Create an account