Concentration camps, Abk. KZ, were camps for holding of civilians during a
war. They were introduced by the Spaniards during the revolution of 1895
on Cuba and of England 1901 in
the Burenkrieg. Later they were usually called internment camps. In
totalitarian states 20. Century were they a means for the suppression of "public
enemies", particularly in National Socialist Germany (1933 - 1945). Here
political opponents came, rassisch pursued (particularly Jews), criminal
one, "Asoziale",
homosexuals and others into the concentration camps. The prisoners
were without rights and to worst Quaelereien as well as drakonischen
punishments exposed. They had to implement hard labour, which had to be
carried out up to the total exhaustion. Many prisoners came usually right
after the arrival into the gaskammern. The number of the victims was very
high.
The first concentration camps were established 1933 (with the seizure of
power by Hitler). Been subordinate since 1934 it altogether the SS.
Existed until 1939 the three large camps Dachau, beech forest and Saxonia
living and 25 smaller camps. The extent of the Graeuel was masked by
hardest being silent requirements. The number of the concentration camps
rose until 1944 to 22 with 165 external bearings. In the extermination
camps (Auschwitz, Maidanek among other things as well as in the Gettos in
Warsaw, Lemberg and Riga) the mass murders at the Jews were committed.
1945 - 1950 was used the concentration camps lain in their sphere of
influence by the Soviet (Russian) military administration at that time as
internment camps. 1990 was discovered mass graves from this period.
|

Prisoners with hard manual labor. |