The wannsee conference facing history and ourselves. On january 20, 1942, in a grand villa on the shore of berlins lake wannsee, a conference of nazi officers produced a paper known as the wannsee protocol, which laid the groundwork for a final solution to the jewish question. In the quarter there are two lakes, the larger gro. Wannseekonferenz was a meeting of senior government officials of nazi germany and schutzstaffel ss leaders, held in. Leibbrandtreich ministry for the occupied eastern territoriessecretary of state dr. Reich secret document30 copiesprotocol of conferencei.
The wannsee conference was a pivotal moment in the evolution of the final solution. After world war ii ended on may 8, 1945, the allied powers began a search for the nazi documents that they would need as evidence at the nuremberg international military tribunal which was set to begin in november 1945. There is some good history in there about the holocaust. This horrendous and genocidal speech was delivered by reinhard heydrich to 14 other top ranking nazis at a villa at wannsee, just outside of berlin. On january 20, 1942, the villa was the site of the wannsee conference, at which the decision to proceed with the final solution to the jewish question was announced. Wannsee conference attendees jewish virtual library. Its really only about the wannsee conference for the last 1015 mins. Ss general reinhard heydrich convened the conference to coordinate the details and secure the support of those who would be involved in the final solution, which called for all jews to be.
On january 20, 1942, in a grand villa on the shore of berlins lake wannsee, a conference of nazi officers produced a paper known as the wannsee protocol. While the decision to liquidate the entire jewish population of europe cannot be pinpointed to a particular location or time, it appears to have been in place by the middle of 1941. Nazi officials discuss final solution at the wannsee conference. The subject was the organisation of the final solution, the destruction of all 11 million european jews. Jan 17, 2020 nazi officials meet to discuss the details of the final solution of the jewish question. After wwii ended, many high ranking nazi officials were tried and convicted during the nuremberg trials as a result of the holocaust.
The wannsee conference determined the way in which hitlers decision to solve the jewish question through systematic mass murder was to be transmitted to the appropriate ministries and bureaucracies. Nazi officials meet to discuss the details of the final solution of the jewish question. At the wannsee conference on january 20, 1942, senior nazi officials meet to determine the manner in which the socalled final solution to the jewish question can be best implemented. Hundreds of thousands of jews had already been victimized by the final solution of the jewish question, particularly in areas of the soviet union taken by german forces in summer 1941. In july 1941, hermann goering, writing under instructions from hitler, had ordered reinhard heydrich, ss general and heinrich himmlers numbertwo man, to.
In july 1941, hermann goering, writing under instructions from hitler, had ordered reinhard. Wannsee conference and the final solution the holocaust. Allegedly, the purpose of the conference, which was chaired by reinhard heydrich, was to plan important parts of the holocaust. At the time of the wannsee conference, 500,000 jews, including women and children had been murdered, primarily by firing squad. The wannsee conference was a highlevel meeting of nazi officials that took place in berlin on january 20, 1942, to discuss the final solution of the jewish question called by reinhard heydrich, the head of the reich security main office which controlled both the gestapo and the sd, the conference was originally called for december 9, 1941, but fallout from the japanese invasion of pearl. Learn more about the wannsee conference in this article.
It strategises the final solution and is extremely distressing to hear and read. The following took part in the conference on the final solution endloesung of the jewish question held on january 20, 1942, in berlin, am grossen wannsee no. The wannsee conference, the fate of german jews, and hitlers decision in principle to exterminate all european jews christian gerlach the journal of modern history, vol. On january 20, 1942, 15 highranking nazi party and german government officials gathered at a villa in the berlin suburb of wannsee to discuss and coordinate. It was held on the 20th of january in 1942, and set into motion the full range of horrors that the nazis would unleash on their prisoners. The wannsee conference was a highlevel meeting of german officials to discuss and implement the socalled final solution of the jewish question mass killing. This is really a film about the holocaust in general, specifically the years leading up to the wannsee conference. The final solution was the nazis code name for the deliberate, carefully planned destruction of european jewry.
Nazi officials discuss final solution at the wannsee. Protocol of the wannsee conference, january 20, 1942. The wannsee conference and the final solution mark roseman. Full text of the wannsee conference in the development of. A reconsideration hardcover ever since its discovery in 1947 by robert kempner, the american prosecutor at nuremberg, this record of a meeting held in berlin on 20 january 1942 has been considered to be virtual proof of the determination of the nazis to murder each and every jew that came within their reach.
The following persons took part in the discussion about the final solution of the jewish question which took place in berlin, am grossen wannsee no. Peter longerich the wannsee conference in the development of the final. Wannsee villa where the final solution was planned by the. Meeting held at a lakeside villa in wannsee, berlin, on january 20, 1942, whose purpose was to discuss and coordinate the final solution to the. The wannsee conference was a conference in the berlin suburb of wannsee on 20 january 1942. The rescheduled interministerial conference takes place in a conference room at the former interpol headquarters on the wannsee lake in berlin on january 20, 1942. Goring s letter to heydrich authorizing the final solution. The wannsee conference in the development of the final. In todays memorial and educational site, fifteen highranking representatives of the ss, the nsdap and various reich ministries discuss their cooperation in the. The purpose of the conference, called by the director of the reich main security office ssobergruppenfuhrer reinhard heydrich, was to ensure the cooperation of administrative leaders of various. The exhibition in the house of the wannsee conference gives an insight into this criminal meeting, and how.
Essentially, the wannsee conference was the meeting in which the policies of the final solution were discussed with highranking nazi officials. The holocaust and the extreme mistreatment of jews occurred in great part because of the wannsee conference and the final solution. The following persons took part in the discussion about the final solution of the jewish question which took place in berlin, am grossen. On january 20, 1942, fifteen highranking nazi party and german government leaders gathered for an important meeting.
The nazis did not record the exact date of their decision to annihilate all of the jews in europe, but historians believe this decision had been made by hitler and the highestranking nazi leaders by the end of 1941. Apr 20, 2017 this video outlines the important wannsee conference, the 20 january 1942 meeting in which highranking nazi officials discussed methods of cooperation in the continued murder of european jewry. Wannseekonferenz was a meeting of senior government officials of nazi germany and schutzstaffel ss leaders, held in the berlin suburb of wannsee on 20 january 1942. The extermination of 6 million jews in the nazi holocaust was the end product of such a complex labyrinth of social, political, economic and military courses of action which coalesced in hitlers germany that it is very difficult to sort out all of its parts. Illustrated right is the title page of the memorandum circulated months later, around march 5, 1942, now sinisterly known as the wannsee protocol. A previous version of this newly revised reading was titled blueprint for the final solution. In 1942, leading figures in the nazi government and ss meet here to discuss their socalled final solution to the jewish question. The wannsee conference january 20, 1942 list of participants ssobergruppenfuhrer reinhard heydrich chief of the rsha and reichsprotektor of.
Rather, the wannsee conference was the place where the final solution was formally revealed to nonnazi leaders who would help arrange for jews to be transported from all over germanoccupied europe to ssoperated extermination camps in poland. The final solution the wannsee conference at villa marlier. Alfred mey er 1891 1945 state secretary staatssekretar reich ministry for the occupied eastern territories. The wannsee conference, the fate of german jews, and hitlers. Using the authentic script taken from the only surviving transcript recorded during the meeting, the film delves into the psychology of nazi officials involved in the final solution of the jewish question during world war ii the movie was written by loring mandel, directed by frank pierson, and starred an. Blockchain conference in taipei livens general bitcoin usage. It was attended by 15 nazi bureaucrats including reinhard heydrich and adolf eichmann. Nov 02, 2016 on the 20th of january 1942, reinhard heydrich addressed a group of 15 men of whom prominent members of the nsdap and important government officials in the infamous wannsee conference room, with the aim to secure their support and conclude a final solution of the jewish question. Under proper guidance, in the course of the final solution the jews are to be allocated for appropriate labour in the east. With dietrich mattausch, gerd bockmann, friedrich g. On january 20, 1942 one of the most macabre conferences in history took place at an idyllic lakeside house am gro. The wannsee conference final solution schutzstaffel.
The wannsee conference and the final solution the holocaust. Office of the plenipotentiary for the four year plan. Conspiracy is a 2001 bbchbo war film which dramatizes the 1942 wannsee conference. The music is also unnecessarily creepy, like some alfred hitchcock movie. Mar, 2010 meeting of nazi officials on january 20, 1942, in the berlin suburb of wannsee to plan the final solution endlosung to the socalled jewish question judenfrage.
Wannsee 5658 d14109 berlin tel 00493080 50 01 0 fax. The wannsee conference leads to the holocaust and the genocide of 6 million jews. Wannsee conference, meeting of nazi officials on january 20, 1942, in the berlin suburb of wannsee to plan the final solution to the socalled jewish question. The wannsee conference in the development of the final solution pdf.