During World War II, Germany established several concentration camps near Berlin, which were used for the mass imprisonment, forced labor, and extermination of individuals considered enemies of the Nazi regime. In this article, we will delve into the subject matter and examine what these camps were like, the conditions faced by prisoners, and the historical significance of these sites.
The Purpose and Types of Concentration Camps
Sachsenhausen, Ravensbrück and Oranienburg fell under concentration camps which the Nazis set up across the continent. These camps served multiple purposes, including:
Political repression
Forced labor
Extermination
Nazi eliminated also numbers of persons, such as political opponents, Jews, Romas, homosexuals, gypsies, and people with disabilities. He was tortured and starved, experimented on, and in many cases, killed.
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp; Concentration camps1650; Other names for Sachsenhausen Concentration Camps: Oranienburg Concentration Camp
Of the first concentration camps the Sachsenhausen, situated in Oranienburg, to the north of Berlin, is particularly well-known. It acted as a reference camp for other concentration camps and was a training centre for the SS personnel. Its objective was mainly on political oppression and the use of force in compelling prisoners to work.
Sachsenhausen occupants lived in cramped, unhygienic bunkers, and generally worked in factories nearby; prisoners died of hunger and disease. Medical research is another area of the camp that received substantial attention bases on different tests conducted on prisoners.
The Ravensbrück concentration camp
Ravensbrück is approximately 90 Kilometer north of Berlin and was a women’s concentration camp. Originally conceived exclusively for the incarceration of female political dissidents to the Nazis and political undesirables under the Third Reich’s rule the camp was later broadened to accommodate women from many or any countries.
Forced labor, scarcity of food of even tolerable quality, and medical experiments were characteristic of the given camp. Some of the ladies died from the poor living standards whilst others were taken to be killed in the gassing pits.
The Oranienburg Concentration Camp
Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg concentration camp, was founded in 1933 at Oranienburg town in northern Germany. This camp was also an example of other neighboring camps and functioned until 1945.
At first established to imprison political opponents it later incorporated Jews, homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses and such other people as did not meet the criteria laid down by the Nazis. During its operation, the camp since can accommodate nearly 200,000 prisoners.
Poverty, Housing, and Shelter
Living conditions in the concentration camps near Berlin were inconceivable for prisoners. Was forced to stay in crowded, unhygienic environment, was starving, and lacked proper clothes, and overcrowded houses. The prisoners were beaten, starved, denied basic amenities and constantly yelled at and taunted by the SS guards.
Work was compulsory in the camps, and prisoners could spend many hours in full strength for relatively small rewards. Most of them were sent to construction, factories and farm work for the whites. Most of the prisoners died because of weakness, hunger, or sickness.
They killed prisoners for misdemeanours or as part of the official genocide policies of the SS. The gas chamber was also used to execute a large number of prisoners in Geshwendershausen especially Jews.
History and Remembering
The concentration camps around Berlin still announce the cruel experiences of World War II. These camps were as representations of the horrors of genocide and holocaust, in which six million plus lives were exterminated.
However, current archeological explorations have shown that many such sites have now been converted to memorials and Museums. They testify to the people’s suffering, provide knowledge to visitors about intolerance and reproduce consequences of hatred to people.
From the results of the work, it is possible to draw a conclusion that the concentration camps near Berlin were death and terror factories during the second World War. These histories teach us not only the true stories and lessons of victims but also the future of tolerance and compassionate.
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