Polish Ghettos

Prior to the expulsion of the Jews they were settled in small concentrated sections of Poland. There is much debate as to whether this was a first step towards the annihilation of a genuine attempt to solve the Jewish question. In Poland there were already large concentrations of Jews in cities so when the Germans began to implement 'ghettoisation' in 1940. The doctors are considered to be majorly responsible for the ghettos. It was suggested as part of Nazi doctrine that the Jews were carriers of diseases. By isolating them in the Ghettos pure Germans would be protected. However, in the Ghettos overcrowding meant disease was rife.


Lodz- The first Ghetto

Formed in April 1940- Poland's second largest city. It was considered by the chief Ubelhor that the Ghettos were only a provisional measure. However, due to the failure of the Lodz deportation plan the ghettos lasted much longer than expected. However, Jews were encouraged to set-up there own councils (Judenrat) to run the ghettos and some Jews even thrived in the ghettos. Ultimately, the councils simply helped the Nazis. They kept an accurate record of all the Jews and recruited workers for the local labour camps. In Lodz the chairman of the council even had his own currency created.


Warsaw Ghettos


Work began on Ghetto in March 1940 though it was not closed until November 1940 surrounded by a 2.2 m high wall. The conditions were awful, only one percent had clean water and housed 500,000 Jews with 6 Jews a room. Most had to survive on 300 calories a day and even heating materials were in short supply. TB and spotted fever all spread like wild fire throughout the ghetto just as the doctors had feared.


Problems


The deportation programme had a number of setbacks that the German government failed to recognise. This meant that the temporary ghettos lasted for much longer than was practically possible. There was a division between those who wanted the Jews to form their own economy to help the German war effort (productionists) or those who wanted to leave the Jews to die (attritionists). Productionists prevailed but it was still recognised that the ghettos would be eventually destroyed. The Jews were willing to work hard to try make themselves increasingly important to the German economy so it would not be impossible to kill them.

By the summer of 1941 despite food and fuel shortages productivity had soared and the death rates in these camps had fallen dramatically. The ghetto managers saw the ghettos prosper economically just when the Germans decided to liquidate them based on a new directive from Berlin.


Rest of The Jews

The Jews that were not placed in the ghettos were forced to work in the labour camps dotted around Poland. They were not given adequate food resources but were forced to carry out hard physical labour such as the construction of railways which would ultimately be used to transport them to their death camps. It is estimated that 500-600 thousands Jews died in labour camps and the ghettos between 1939 and 1941. The demise of the Jews was seen as clear evidence of German superiority to much of the German population. Posters were made and propaganda campaigns launched showing how it was the Jews that were carrying the diseases.