Catalyst for the establishment of the concentration camp system

The Reichstag Fire in February 1933 led to the suspension of civil liberties and the arrest of political opponents, prompting the creation of the first concentration camp

Evolution of the purpose of concentration camps

Initial purpose of suppressing political opposition

Concentration camps were initially used to detain political adversaries, but their purpose later expanded to include the persecution and extermination of targeted groups

Shift towards racial persecution

As Nazi ideology intensified, the focus of concentration camps shifted towards the systematic oppression and annihilation of Jews, Romani people, and other "racially undesirable" groups

Development of a complex system of detention facilities

The Nazi regime established a network of concentration camps, forced labor camps, prisoner-of-war camps, transit camps, and extermination camps to enforce state terror and racial policy

Command and control of the camps

Each camp was overseen by a commandant and staffed by SS guards, with centralized control under the Concentration Camps Inspectorate

Role of prisoner functionaries

Prisoners were given supervisory roles over their fellow inmates, known as "Kapos."

Establishment of uniform standards and practices

Theodor Eicke, head of the Concentration Camps Inspectorate, implemented strict regulations and procedures that were used to facilitate the genocide of the Holocaust

Rapid expansion of the camp system

The number of camps and prisoners increased dramatically after the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938 and the start of World War II in 1939

Conditions within the camps

The use of forced labor and implementation of the Final Solution led to high death rates due to starvation, disease, and overwork

Liberation of the camps

Allied forces began liberating the camps in 1944, exposing the horrors of the Nazi regime and marking the beginning of a historical reckoning with the crimes of the Holocaust