Coming to Terms with The Holocaust, Part 9: KZ

In this course, we begin our investigation of Hitler’s concentration camps with their historical roots in Britain’s Boer War (1900-1902) and America’s occupation of the Philippines (1901-1902).  First, we examine the evolution of Konzentrationslager (KZ), from the "wild camps" established by the Sturmabteilung during the seizure of power in 1933 to the creation of death camps in eastern Poland. Then we study three individual camps – Mittelbau-Dora, Ravensbrück, and Bergen-Belsen. Finally, we consider the fate of KZ inmates as the war drew to an end: first, the bizarre death marches which killed more than 250,000 innocents; and second, the infamous Gardelegen Massacre on April 13,1945 and its aftermath. This course will be recorded. Students will have access to videos for the duration of the course.