The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust (ISC Class 11 History)
Updated 17 October 2026 · Fact-checked
Nazi racial ideology treated Jews as an enemy race. Persecution escalated in stages: the 1933 boycott and dismissals, the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, Kristallnacht on 9-10 November 1938, ghettos from 1939-41, killing squads after 1941 and the "Final Solution" planned at the Wannsee Conference in January 1942. About six million Jews were murdered.
Notice that persecution grew step by step, from boycott and laws to ghettos and mass murder, ending in about six million deaths.
Illustration drawn for QuestionBuddy.
Understand The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust
Ideology. Nazis claimed that "Aryan" Germans were a superior race and that Jews were an enemy race responsible for Germany's troubles. This page describes historical events factually.
Stages.
1. 1933: boycott of Jewish shops and businesses (1 April); a law dismissed Jews from the civil service; Jewish lawyers, doctors and teachers were pushed out.
2. 1935: the Nuremberg Laws removed German citizenship from Jews and banned marriage and sexual relations between Jews and Germans.
3. 1938: more exclusion from professions and seizure of businesses (Aryanisation). On 9-10 November, Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass): synagogues burnt, Jewish shops and homes smashed, many Jews killed and tens of thousands sent to concentration camps; the Jewish community was fined for the damage.
4. 1939-41: after the conquest of Poland Jews were forced into overcrowded ghettos (Warsaw, Lodz) where many died of hunger and disease; after the invasion of the USSR in 1941, SS killing squads (Einsatzgruppen) shot hundreds of thousands of Jews.
5. The Final Solution: at the Wannsee Conference (January 1942) Nazi officials co-ordinated the plan to murder all the Jews of Europe; Jews were deported to extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka and killed in gas chambers.
About six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, along with Roma, disabled people, Soviet prisoners and others.
Acceptance. Historians discuss why many Germans accepted these policies: propaganda, fear of the Gestapo, benefit from seized property, indifference or belief. Reactions varied and some individuals and groups helped or resisted at great risk.
The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust: key facts
- Stages
1933 boycott and dismissals 1935 Nuremberg Laws 1938 Kristallnacht 1939-41 ghettos and killing squads January 1942 Wannsee - Kristallnacht
- 9-10 November 1938
- Synagogues burnt
- Tens of thousands sent to camps
- Camps named
- Auschwitz-Birkenau
- Treblinka
- Dachau (first concentration camp, March 1933)
- Victims
- About six million Jews | Also Roma, disabled people, Soviet prisoners and others
How to answer The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust questions
Expect a 4 to 8 mark question describing the escalation of persecution in stages.
- 1State the ideology in one neutral sentence.
- 2Order the stages with years.
- 3Give two details for each stage.
- 4Close with the scale and with how historians explain acceptance.
The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust in real life
The idea, met in an everyday situation. Answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.
Years between laws
Suppose a student counts the years from the Nuremberg Laws (1935) to the Wannsee Conference (1942), and from Kristallnacht (1938) to Wannsee.
Find both intervals.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- 1942 - 1935 = 7 years.
- 1942 - 1938 = 4 years.
Answer: 7 years and 4 years.
Memory hook: Subtract the years.
A classroom discussion
Suppose a class studies the persecution as an example of how prejudice can grow step by step.
Name two features the stages show.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Each stage went further than the last: first exclusion, then removal of citizenship, then violence, then murder.
- Laws and propaganda prepared the way.
Answer: Escalation by stages and the use of law and propaganda.
Memory hook: Small steps lead far.
Tricks to remember The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust
Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.
Boycott, Laws, Night, Ghettos, Solution
Five stages in order.
Use it when: Escalation.
35, 38, 42
1935 laws, 1938 Kristallnacht, 1942 Wannsee.
Use it when: Dates.
The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust: solved examples
Ordered from board level to HOTS. Try each one before you open the solution.
Example 1: Kristallnacht · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
Kristallnacht took place on:
(a) 1 April 1933
(b) 9-10 November 1938
(c) 20 January 1942
(d) 30 June 1934
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Night of Broken Glass.
Answer: (b) 9-10 November 1938.
Example 2: Nuremberg Laws · 2 marks · Short answerBoard level
State two provisions of the Nuremberg Laws of 1935.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- Jews lost German citizenship.
- Marriage and sexual relations between Jews and Germans were forbidden.
Answer: Loss of citizenship; ban on marriage and relations with Germans.
Example 3: Stages · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Describe the escalation of the Nazi campaign against the Jews from 1933 to 1938.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- 1933: boycott of shops and dismissals from the civil service.
- 1935: Nuremberg Laws removed citizenship and banned marriage.
- 1938: Aryanisation of businesses.
- November 1938: Kristallnacht, with synagogues burnt, many killed and tens of thousands sent to camps.
Answer: From boycott and dismissal to legal exclusion to violence at Kristallnacht.
Example 4: Final Solution · 4 marks · Long answerHarder board level
Explain what is meant by the "Final Solution" and describe how it was organised.
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- It was the plan to murder all the Jews of Europe.
- It was co-ordinated by Nazi officials at the Wannsee Conference in January 1942.
- Jews were deported to extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka.
- Earlier, ghettos and SS killing squads (Einsatzgruppen) in the USSR had killed many.
Answer: A plan to murder Europe's Jews, organised at Wannsee and carried out in extermination camps.
Example 5: Source work · 5 marks · Source-basedHOTS / competency
Read the extract and answer.
About six million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, along with Roma, disabled people, Soviet prisoners and others.
(i) What term is used for this event? [1]
(ii) Name two other groups of victims named in the extract. [2]
(iii) Why is it important for historians to study how persecution escalated in stages? [2]
Try it first, then show the solutionSolution
- (i) The Holocaust.
- (ii) Roma, disabled people (or Soviet prisoners).
- (iii) It shows how exclusion, propaganda and law prepared the way and how ordinary acceptance and indifference allowed it, helping to warn against such developments.
Answer: (i) Holocaust (ii) Roma and disabled people (iii) it shows how stages and acceptance made it possible.
Where students lose marks in The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust
The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.
Mistake: Confusing Nuremberg Laws with Nuremberg rallies
Names are mixed.
Do this: The Nuremberg Laws (1935) took away citizenship and banned marriage; rallies were propaganda events.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Mistake: Omitting dates
Stages are undated.
Do this: Give 1933, 1935, 1938, 1939-41 and 1942.
Usually costs: 1 to 2 marks.
Mistake: Imprecise language about victims
Groups not named.
Do this: Mention Roma, disabled people, Soviet prisoners and others.
Usually costs: 1 mark.
Exam tips
- Write factually and respectfully.
- Use five stages with dates.
- Name the camps accurately.
- Mention that acceptance varied.
Practice questions on The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust
Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.
Q1 · 1 mark · MCQBoard level
The conference that co-ordinated the Final Solution met at:
(a) Munich
(b) Wannsee
(c) Nuremberg
(d) YaltaHint
January 1942.
Answer
(b) Wannsee.
Q2 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Describe the conditions in the ghettos of Poland.
Hint
Overcrowding, hunger.
Answer
After the conquest of Poland, Jews were forced into overcrowded ghettos such as Warsaw and Lodz, where many died of hunger and disease.
Q3 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Explain what Aryanisation meant and why it mattered.
Hint
Seizure of businesses.
Answer
Jewish businesses were seized or forced out of Jewish hands, taking away livelihoods and giving some non-Jews an economic stake in the persecution.
Q4 · 3 marks · Short answerHarder board level
Find the time between the boycott of Jewish shops (1 April 1933) and the Wannsee Conference (January 1942) and name the legal measure of 1935 in between.
Hint
Subtract the dates.
Answer
1 April 1933 to January 1942 is about 8 years and 9 months. The measure in between was the Nuremberg Laws of 1935.
Q5 · 3 marks · Assertion-reasonHOTS / competency
Assertion (A): Persecution of the Jews escalated in stages.
Reason (R): Exclusion and propaganda in the 1930s were followed by ghettos, killing squads and extermination camps.
(a) Both true and R explains A
(b) Both true but R does not explain A
(c) A true, R false
(d) A false, R trueHint
Stages.
Answer
(a) Both A and R are true and R explains A.
Test your recall
Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.
1.Date of Kristallnacht?Show answer
9-10 November 1938.
2.Year of Nuremberg Laws?Show answer
1935.
3.Wannsee date?Show answer
January 1942.
4.Camps named?Show answer
Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka.
5.Number of Jews killed?Show answer
About six million.
The Persecution of the Jews and the Holocaust: frequently asked questions
What were Einsatzgruppen?
SS killing squads active after the invasion of the USSR.
What was the Final Solution?
The plan to murder all the Jews of Europe.
Who else was targeted?
Roma, disabled people, Soviet prisoners and others.