Teaching About the Holocaust in the 21St Century
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Learning and teaching 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 about the history of Europe 1938 1939 1940 Council of Europe Publishing in the 20th century Teaching about the Holocaust in the 21st century has been pro- 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 duced as part of the Council of Europe’s history project “Learning and teaching about the history of Europe in the 20th century”. 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 Given the rise of anti-Semitism in parts of Europe, the access- ibility of “denial” Internet sites and the isolationist stand taken by 1954 1955 1956 certain European political leaders today, Holocaust teaching was given a prominent place in the project. The European ministers of 1957 1958 1959 education have also decided to institute in schools a Holocaust 1960 1961 1962 day of remembrance, reflecting each state’s particular experience. 1963 1964 1965 Although some countries have high standards for Holocaust teaching, others are lacking in material. Teachers often do not 1966 1967 1968 have in-depth knowledge of the subject and, unless they are in a position to carry out personal research, do not know how 1969 1970 1971 to approach a topic much too vast to be categorised simply as “history”. This teaching resource, based on the work of such 1972 1973 1974 widely recognised authors as Raul Hilberg, Sir Martin Gilbert, Saul Friedlander and Christopher Browning, plus first-hand 1975 1976 1977 accounts, including those of Primo Levi, Hermann Langbein 1978 1979 and Claude Lanzmann’s interviewees, offers teachers a body of knowledge for use in course planning. In addition, the author brings to the forefront facts and figures on victims often “over- looked”, Roma/Gypsies, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses. Education Included is a certain amount of material about the nature and implementation of the genocide in different countries. Beyond any specific local characteristics, what emerges from the succinct descriptions of how and where this genocide was carried out is the comprehensiveness of the nazi enterprise. 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 Teaching about the Holocaust in 21st 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 COUNCIL CONSEIL OF EUROPE DE L'EUROPE www.coe.int Jean-Michel Lecomte The Council of Europe has 47 member states, covering virtually the entire con- Teaching about the Holocaust tinent of Europe. It seeks to develop common democratic and legal principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights and other reference texts on the protection of individuals. Ever since it was founded in 1949, in the aftermath in the 21st Councilcentury of Europe Publishing Council of Europe Publishing of the Second World War, the Council of Europe has symbolised reconciliation. Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Editions du Conseil de l’Europe 00000 ISBN 978-92-871-4537-6 Council of Europe Publishers century Editions du Conseil de l’Europe 9 789287 145376 http://book.coe.int Council of Europe Publishing e13/US$20 Council of Europe Publishing Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Council of Europe Publishing Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Council of Europe Publishing Council of Europe Publishing Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Council of Europe Publishing Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Council of Europe Publishers Council of Europe Publishing Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Council of Europe Publishing Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Council of Europe Publishing Editions du Conseil de l’Europe Teaching about the Holocaust in the 21st century Jean-Michel Lecomte Translated from the French by Allen McDonald, Kerry Goyer, Richard McQuiston, Richard Thayer and Andrew Wright Project “Learning and teaching about the history of Europe in the 20th century” Council for Cultural Co-operation Council of Europe Publishing French edition: Enseigner l’Holocauste au 21e siècle ISBN 978-92-871-4536-9 The opinions expressed in this work are those of the author and do not all necessarily reflect the official policy of the Council for Cultural Co-operation or that of the Secretariat. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced or trans- mitted, in any form or by any means, electronic (CD-Rom, Internet, etc.) or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the Publishing Division, Communication and Research Directorate. Cover design: Graphic Design Workshop, Council of Europe Council of Europe Publishing F-67075 Strasbourg Cedex ISBN 978-92-871-4537-6 © Council of Europe, January 2001 Reprinted September 2001, April 2002, February 2003, June 2003, July 2007 Printed at the Council of Europe The Council of Europe was founded in 1949 to achieve greater unity between European parliamentary democracies. It is the oldest of the European political institutions and has 43 member states,1 including the 15 members of the European Union. It is the widest intergovernmental and interparliamentary organisation in Europe, and has its headquarters in Strasbourg. With only questions relating to national defence excluded from the Council of Europe’s work, the Organisation has activities in the following areas: democ- racy, human rights and fundamental freedoms; media and communication; social and economic affairs; education, culture, heritage and sport; youth; health; envi- ronment and regional planning; local democracy; and legal co-operation. The European Cultural Convention was opened for signature in 1954. This international treaty is also open to European countries that are not members of the Council of Europe, and enables them to take part in the Council’s pro- grammes on education, culture, sport and youth. So far, 48 states have acceded to the European Cultural Convention: the Council of Europe’s full member states plus Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Holy See and Monaco. The Council for Cultural Co-operation (CDCC) is responsible for the Council of Europe’s work on education and culture. Four specialised committees – the Education Committee, the Higher Education and Research Committee, the Culture Committee and the Cultural Heritage Committee help the CDCC to carry out its tasks under the European Cultural Convention. There is also a close working relationship between the CDCC and the standing conferences of spe- cialised European ministers responsible for education, culture and the cultural heritage. The CDCC’s programmes are an integral part of the Council of Europe’s work and, like the programmes in other sectors, they contribute to the Organisation’s three main policy objectives: – the protection, reinforcement and promotion of human rights and funda- mental freedoms and pluralist democracy; – the promotion of an awareness of European identity; – the search for common responses to the great challenges facing European society. __________ 1. Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom. 3 The CDCC’s education programme covers school and higher education. At present, there are projects on education for democratic citizenship, history, modern languages, school links and exchanges, educational policies, training for educational staff, the reform of legislation on higher education in central and eastern Europe, the recognition of qualifications, lifelong learning for equity and social cohesion, European studies for democratic citizenship, and the social sciences and the challenge of transition. 4 Contents Foreword ...................................................................................................... 7 Glossary ....................................................................................................... 9 Fact Sheet 1 – Definitions ........................................................................... 11 Fact Sheet 2 – Judaism and Jewishness ...................................................... 13 Fact Sheet 3 – Anti-Semitism ...................................................................... 23 Fact Sheet 4 – Roma/Gypsies ...................................................................... 26 Fact Sheet 5 – The origins of nazism .......................................................... 28 Fact Sheet 6 – Nazi doctrine ........................................................................ 31 Fact Sheet 7 – Anti-Jewish measures: 1933-39 ........................................... 33 Fact Sheet 8 – Concentration camps: their establishment and function ..... 38 Fact Sheet 9 – The persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses ............................. 40 Fact Sheet 10 – Persecution of the Roma/Gypsies ...................................... 42 Fact Sheet 11 – Persecution of homosexuals .............................................. 44 Fact Sheet 12 – The process of dehumanisation ......................................... 47 Fact Sheet 13 – Definition and registration ................................................. 51 Fact Sheet 14 – Designation ........................................................................ 53 Fact Sheet 15 – Confiscations and exclusions ...........................................