Heinrich Himmler
Full name: Heinrich Himmler
Sex: Male Date of Birth: October 7, 1900 Place of Birth: Munich, Germany Date of Death: May 23, 1945 Place of Death: Luneburg Germany Heinrich Himmler was born into a middle-class family in Munich. He was the son of a Roman - Catholic High school teacher, named Gebhard who taught at Ludwig Academic High School. He and his family then moved in 1913 to a town named Lanshut were his father took a position as an assistant principal at a school. Himmler was a very intelligent and organised student who happened to be vigorously patriotic. During World War I, he aspired to serve on the front as an officer but his father was very reluctant, but ended up leaving school and begun his training as an officer. However, Germany had already signed the armistice that would end World War I disabling him to finish his training. Himmler went back to school and graduated in 1919 and studied agriculture at the technical University in Munich. He then joined the Nazi party in August 1923, and in 1926 acted as the propaganda leader for the Nazi party. On January 6, 1929, Adolf Hitler appointed him head of The SS, and also as his own personal body guard. |
Himmler and his involvement in the Holocaust
Himmler was appointed head of the SS in 1929 and from then on began expanding the SS and ensuring that they still obtained control and dominance. In 1933, he built the very first Nazi concentration camp 'Dachau' which was found on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the northeastern part of the town of Dachau, about 10 miles northwest of Munich in southern Germany. which was described as the 'first concentration camp for political prisoners'. Eventually over the years more prisoners migrated into the camp, this time german communists, social democrats, Jehovas witnesses, gypsies and homosexuals were kept among the political opponents. There was a small number of Jews present in 'Dachau' but by November 1938 there were more than 10 000 jewish men imprisoned in the camp. This camp was also used as a training facility for The SS guards, to ensure that the guards new exactly what they had to do, and how to carry it out. It was very important for Himmler that his guards knew how to run the camps, his way. The way prisoners were treated in these camps was barbaric and inhumane, not only was there forced labour, terrible living conditions but prisoners were killed at any time, without any warning. It is unknown of the exact number of prisoners in this camp, but Historians believe between the years 1933 and 1945 it exceeded 188,000. 28, 000 of these were killed not including prisoners who perished there or were un registered.
Himmler obtained strong feelings towards Germany being 'racially pure' and played a huge role in assuring that his ideas were to become the future of Germany. People who had a disability, who did not completely German, and even homosexuals were looked down upon and were not even considered human. They were considered 'others' and were put in camps along with the Jews. To minimise the number of 'others' entering the population, in 1931 Himmler established a Race and Settlement office to help aid with his idea of Germany consisting of only those of the 'Aryan Race'. He allowed his S.S men to 'marry' a woman of a particular look. In this case it was the woman of the Aryan race, these women were rewarded for giving birth to children who looked that certain way, and carried those particular characteristics. Some say they received discounts, coupons and 'special treatment" such as cutting through the line at the supermarket. This way woman were having children that met to Himmlers 'standard' and there would be less and less children being bore who were not 'racially pure'.
During 1934, Hitler announced that the SS was an independent organisation, allowing Himmler to accumulate great power both in and out of the German state. In 1936 he was appointed commander of the unified police forces in Germany, this new title added to Himmler's power enabling him to know who exactly is threatening Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Himmler obtained strong feelings towards Germany being 'racially pure' and played a huge role in assuring that his ideas were to become the future of Germany. People who had a disability, who did not completely German, and even homosexuals were looked down upon and were not even considered human. They were considered 'others' and were put in camps along with the Jews. To minimise the number of 'others' entering the population, in 1931 Himmler established a Race and Settlement office to help aid with his idea of Germany consisting of only those of the 'Aryan Race'. He allowed his S.S men to 'marry' a woman of a particular look. In this case it was the woman of the Aryan race, these women were rewarded for giving birth to children who looked that certain way, and carried those particular characteristics. Some say they received discounts, coupons and 'special treatment" such as cutting through the line at the supermarket. This way woman were having children that met to Himmlers 'standard' and there would be less and less children being bore who were not 'racially pure'.
During 1934, Hitler announced that the SS was an independent organisation, allowing Himmler to accumulate great power both in and out of the German state. In 1936 he was appointed commander of the unified police forces in Germany, this new title added to Himmler's power enabling him to know who exactly is threatening Hitler and the Nazi Party.
Heinrich Himmler and the effect he had on The Holocaust
Heinrich Himmler played an enormous role in the holocaust and its making, some say he was the master mind behind the whole thing. As stated above Himmler was in charge of most of Germany's concentration camps and eastern Europe's death camps. Due to Himmler's excellent organisation skills, he made sure that the 'cattle trains' ran on time and that each camp was run on business lines to ensure they were able to pay for themselves and create profits where ever they could. Unfortunately this all had terrible consequences for the Jews as well as all the other prisoners, imprisoned in the camps. The prisoners themselves were not only affected by Himmler and his decisions but the prisoners family, as many Jewish families were broken up due to men going one place and women and children going to another. Splitting up these families made a detrimental impact on all of them, as they are most likely never going to se each other going, and not knowing i your husband/ children and wife are alive impacts there mental and emotional health tremendously. Not only were these people treated horrendously but were forced to live and work in atrocious conditions, impacting there physical health as well.
His input in the holocaust was significant as if it wasn't him, maybe the holocaust have not have been this severe or even better, never occurred. His actions affected many other people, such as the entire German population, The Soviet union ( as many Jews migrated there to escape), Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and France all took in Jewish migrants, ultimately affecting their countries population and economic system etc.
His input in the holocaust was significant as if it wasn't him, maybe the holocaust have not have been this severe or even better, never occurred. His actions affected many other people, such as the entire German population, The Soviet union ( as many Jews migrated there to escape), Spain, Portugal, Switzerland and France all took in Jewish migrants, ultimately affecting their countries population and economic system etc.
Source 3.1"I shall speak to you here with all frankness of a very serious subject. We shall now discuss it absolutely openly among ourselves, nevertheless we shall never speak of it in public. I mean the evacuation of the Jews, the extermination of the Jewish race."
- Heinrich Himmler (Spoken in German and then translated) To listen to Himmler speaking in German, press 'more' |
Source 3.2It is one of those things which is easy to say. 'The Jewish race is to be exterminated,' says every Party member. 'That's clear, it's part of our program, elimination of the Jews, extermination, right, we'll do it.'
- Heinrich Himmler (Spoken in German and translated) To listen to Himmler speaking in German, press 'more' |
Source 3.3We have taken from them what wealth they had. I have issued a strict order, which SS-Obergruppenführer Pohl has carried out, that this wealth should, as a matter of course, be handed over to the Reich without reserve. - Heinrich Himmler (Spoken in German and translated)
To listen to Himmler speaking in German, press 'more' |
Photo used under Creative Commons from xiquinhosilva