Concentration_Camps

Concentration Camps Concentration camps are prison camps in which members of minority groups, political enemies or people of physical irregularity are kept. In most cases it is a permanent imprisonment. The concentration camps of Hitler’s era and of the Nazi regime are normally associated with mass death, torture and gruesome scientific experimentation. In reference to the Holocaust, about three fourths of the prisoners were killed never seeing freedom again. The first concentration camps were set up in 1933. In the early days of Hitler, concentration camps were places that held people in protective custody. Victims for protective custody included those who were both physically and mentally ill, gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, Jews and anyone against the Nazi regime. Gypsies were classified as people with at least two gypsy great grandparents. By the end of 1933, there were at least fifty concentration camps through out occupied Europe(Israel 152). At first, the camps were controlled by the Gestapo (police), but by 1934 the S.S. (Hitler's personal security force) were ordered by Hitler to control the camps(Prince 518). Camps were set up for different purposes. Some for forced labor, others for medical experimentation. Later on, some became death/ extermination facilities. Transition camps were set up camps, people, auschwitz, prisoners, concentration, camp, jews, new, gas, death, one, chambers, because, york, nazi, labor, first, few, conditions, work, three, set, out, holocaust, died, being, working, women, told, time, soup, soldiers, shot, once, killed, kept