Auschwitz as an Extermination Spot for Prisoners - Research Paper Example

? Auschwitz Teacher: Auschwitz Auschwitz is a famous place and has got its in history because of the happenings attached to it. During Second World War, the place was used for constructing extermination camps for prisoners. Auschwitz is regarded as the largest network of concentration camps constructed by Germans to make people incarcerated and maltreat them. According to Cole and Smith (1992), these camps were mainly divided into three parts that were Auschwitz I, which was the main camp, Auschwitz II or Auschwitz-Birkenau and Auschwitz III or Auschwitz-Monowitz. Auschwitz is enough reputable for its concentration camps and gas chambers used to kill people, however, the number of people murdered at this location is still unknown. Auschwitz contained gas chambers and prison cells that were used for discharging gas and confining prisoners and were made the prison house of Jews as well as non-Jews (Gutman and Berenbaum 119). This paper analyzes the place as an extermination place and evaluates the information given for Auschwitz. Auschwitz as an extermination place was constructed especially for prisoners and gas chambers were there for exterminating the prisoners. The gas discharged inside the gas chambers due to which, the people held as prisoners inside the gas chambers got suffocated and poisoned because of the discharged gas (Cesarani and Kavanaugh 67). As discussed in the introduction that Auschwitz was divided into three sections, out of which, Auschwitz I was the main camp and the remaining two were its extensions. Auschwitz I was used as administration camp and all the actions related to prisoners were controlled from this place. The prisoners were made to work without giving any heed to their physical condition. Not only Jews but also non-Jews were exterminated in these camps (Cole and Smith 1992). In my opinion, the camps that were constructed were made for punishing prisoners and this punishment was very severe as prisoners were not only enforced to do hard jobs but also murdered during their confinement. There were no rules or regulations regarding the prisoners and they were deprived of their due rights. The people who say that all these extermination stories are wrong are not right as there were many proofs for massive extermination of people. The main camp, Auschwitz I was already present in the area before World War II and was used as barracks for Polish army (Gutman and Berenbaum 136). The people who were kept in prison were required to do rigid jobs with no hygienic care due to which, death rate of prisoners started to augment. According to Wittmann (2003), the most awful attitude was kept with prisoners who were Jews or Soviets and special marks were also printed on their clothes to categorize them separate from others (82). Some special blocks were assigned for prisoners with more severe crimes and the prisoners were not allowed to sit, as they were to stand all nights and work all days. Prisoners were also deprived of any food or water until they got dead because of unavailability of food and water. Along with these kinds of ill-treatment with the prisoners, the prisoners were also gathered and gassed by discharging Zyklon B from the ceiling (Cesarani and Kavanaugh 141). Therefore, not only gas chambers but also other ways of killing people were utilized. Like the first main camp, the extended camp, Auschwitz II or Auschwitz-Birkenau was also used for holding prisoners captive and for murdering them. Auschwitz-Birkenau was constructed larger than the main camp and was mainly used for gassings as gas chambers were created there for prisoners and the gas that was used was Zyklon B (Rees 49). According to Rees (2005), the gas chambers were constructed with bricks and were named on the basis of the color of bricks used for constructing the chambers such as there were ‘Little Red House’ containing red bricks and ‘Little White House’ containing white bricks (54). The chambers were locked with air tight doors and any opening was ensured to be blocked. The Auschwitz State Museum that is located now at the place of original Auschwitz is a lot transformed than its original state as we cannot find air tight doors or fully air tight chambers there, even the ceilings have holes that are reconstructed and are not the original ones (Cole and Smith 1992). The third part, Auschwitz III or Auschwitz-Monowitz was constructed the largest of all the Auschwitz parts. Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II were smaller than Auschwitz III. Auschwitz III was used as an industrial part that was used as plants for various products such as synthetic rubber, chemicals and armaments (Wittmann 61). All the prisoners held in the first two Auschwitz parts were made to work in the industrial part. It was from this part that scrawny and feeble prisoners were selected to be sent in the gas chambers for extermination purposes (Gutman and Berenbaum 162). The prisoners were maltreated in many ways. They were kept undernourished, were forced to work without any rest, were deprived of their due rights and were killed as a last remedy with gassings or starvation. The prisoners of the camps were also made guinea pigs for newly invented drugs by German doctors (Cesarani and Kavanaugh 79). Therefore, all the three parts of Auschwitz were used to maltreat prisoners and as a last solution, kill them to get rid of them. After all this discussion, it is quite clear that Auschwitz was used as an extermination spot for prisoners and they were treated with as much cruelty as was possible. There are doubts with accuracy of death toll or precise maltreatment actions by Germans in Auschwitz, however, this fact cannot be denied that Auschwitz was a place used for misusing the prisoners for personal motives and when it was seen that they are weak and lethargic because of malnourishment or mistreatment, they were placed in gas chambers and Zyklon B was discharged from ceilings. The Auschwitz State Museum does not give the original picture of the Auschwitz at that time as it is somehow transformed. Auschwitz was used as an extermination place and this fact cannot be denied. Works Cited Cesarani, David and Kavanaugh, Sarah. Holocaust: Critical Concepts in Historical Studies. London: Routledge, 2004.  Cole, David and Smith, Bradley. David Cole Interviews Dr. Franciszek Piper, Director, Auschwitz State Museum. 1992. Accessed on 24th February 2011 from http://www.codoh.com/gcgv/gcgvcole.html Gutman, Yisrael and Berenbaum, Michael (eds.). Anatomy of the Auschwitz Death Camp. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998. Rees, Laurence. Auschwitz: The Nazis & the Final Solution. New York: Random House, 2005. Wittmann, Rebecca Elizabeth. "Indicting Auschwitz? The Paradox of the Frankfurt Auschwitz Trial". German History 21 (4) (2003). Read More