Germany
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My mother was born on December 10, 1935, and passed away on January 26, 1996, at the age of 60. It felt far too young, but I took solace in the fact that she lived a full life, witnessing all her children grow up and settle into their lives. Sigmund Cohen, born on the same…
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The Holocaust, history’s darkest chapter, was not merely the work of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party elite. It was a sprawling, systematic effort that relied heavily on the participation of professionals and civil leaders across German society. From bureaucrats and lawyers to doctors and educators, the Holocaust would not have been possible without their…
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On November 12, 1938, the Nazi regime issued the Decree on the Elimination of Jews from Economic Life, marking another chilling step in its systematic campaign of persecution against Jewish people. This Decree sought to segregate Jews entirely from the German economy, forbidding them from owning businesses, selling goods and services, or engaging in trade.…
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When you see a photograph of a Wehrmacht officer in the context of the Holocaust, it’s natural to assume he was complicit in the atrocities of that time. Yet, in the case of Lieutenant Albert Battel, that assumption couldn’t be more wrong. Battel defied expectations and risked his life to oppose Nazi crimes—revealing an extraordinary…
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The Edelweiss Pirates, or Edelweißpiraten, were a group of loosely organized German youth who stood in open defiance of the Nazi regime during the Third Reich. They played a unique if often overlooked, role in resisting Nazi authority, fighting against conformity, and supporting anti-fascist efforts. Although they were not as coordinated or ideologically unified as…
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The Persecution of Freemasons During the Holocaust The Holocaust is widely recognized for the systematic genocide of six million Jews, along with the persecution and murder of other marginalized groups such as Roma (Gypsies), disabled individuals, Slavs, political dissidents, and homosexuals. However, lesser-known is the plight of the Freemasons (a global fraternal organization) that became…
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The Flensburg Government refers to a short-lived, provisional government of Nazi Germany that existed in the final days of World War II, from May 2 to May 23, 1945. Named after the town of Flensburg in northern Germany, near the Danish border, where it was headquartered, this government represented the last vestiges of the Third…
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The German assault on Liège, which commenced on August 5, 1914, and lasted until August 16, 1914, stands as the inaugural battle of World War I. This significant early confrontation set the stage for the brutal and protracted conflict that would engulf Europe for the next four years. The Battle of Liège exemplifies the strategic,…
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The story of C&A during the Nazi regime is a microcosm of the broader interaction between businesses and totalitarian states. Founded in 1841 by Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer in the Netherlands, C&A grew to become a major player in the European clothing retail industry by the early 20th century. The rise of the Nazi regime…
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Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi Concentration Camp located near the town of Bergen in Lower Saxony, Germany. Initially established in 1940 as a prisoner-of-war camp, it was later converted into a concentration camp. Early Years (1940-1943): Initially served as a POW camp primarily for French and Belgian soldiers. Later, Soviet prisoners were also held here, many…
History of Sorts 