History of Sorts

WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES

In general, I try to avoid posting graphic images for two reasons. First, I know from personal experience that if something is too disturbing, people tend to look away. Second, we live in a time when many people take offense at almost anything—especially the truth—and often respond by demanding its removal.

However, sometimes it is necessary to confront the harsh reality of what the Holocaust truly was, whether we want to or not.

In 1937, the Nazis built the Buchenwald Concentration Camp, located seven kilometers from Weimar, Germany. Above its main entrance gate, they inscribed the motto Jedem das Seine—meaning “to each his own” or “to each what he deserves.” The gate itself was designed by Franz Ehrlich, a former student of the Bauhaus art school, who was imprisoned at Buchenwald because he was a communist.

Below are just a few examples of what the Nazis believed the prisoners of Buchenwald deserved. These images come from a small photo album. The accompanying text states: These photos were captured in 1945 by an American soldier inside the Buchenwald concentration camp. They were taken by the Germans themselves and serve as a chilling reminder of what one human being is capable of inflicting upon another.

If you think these images are disturbing, know that I have actually chosen to sanitize them—I haven’t posted the even more graphic ones. Some of those will haunt me forever.

This is what well-educated and cultured people are capable of when given a common cause and when all dissenting voices are silenced. History has shown us the terrifying consequences of erasing opposing viewpoints.

source

https://beeldbankwo2.nl/nl/beelden/?mode=gallery&view=horizontal&q=bUCHENWALD&rows=1&page=1