The Nazis first action was to isolate the Jews from the Aryans, believing that isolation would be the best course of stopping the Jews from plaguing the Non – Jewish Germans. The ghettos were set up because it was a temporary solution to the Jewish problem. These ghettos were to be located in cities on railway junctions or along the railway, so that future measures may be accomplished easily. However the ghettos eventually became overcrowded, as many families were forced to live in one room shacks. The Jews were not allowed to receive medical attention and the food ration was 100g of bread every second day. This led to the influence of disease, starvation and exposure. The Ghettos eventually became too overcrowded from deportation on other sections of Europe, thus the Nazis began devising a new method.
The Madagascar plan was first published in 1931 from a journalist, however it wasn’t unit 1938 that the Nazis began to suggest the Madagascar plan. The reason why the Nazis suggest this idea is because it’s “un-German” to exterminate the Jews. The Nazis plan to deport 4 million Jews to Madagascar, yet it was unfeasible as the Polish had estimated that even 40000 to 60000 were a bit too much. The battle of Britain lasted much longer than planned and Hitler’s invasion towards the Soviet Union was unfeasible. Boats and Transport to Madagascar was too expensive and it was rather spent on war effort. The Madagascar plan was scrapped aside.
The first phase or solution to the “Jewish Problem” was the SS, Einsatzgruppen mass shooting in 1941 to 1942. These special task forces were used to eliminate political Commissars and then all Jews found and captured in the invaded areas of the Soviet Union. It is estimated that by mid 1942 the SS Einsatzgruppen had murdered 1,400,000 Russians, Jews, and Subversives. But this method too aroused a lot of problems. Hitler ceased this method because mass shooting were regarded as destructive of SS morale. Plus this method consumes a lot of bullets, and also psychological problems aroused towards the SS men. Hitler than made the decision that the mass extermination would take place using the “Final Solution” to finish off the “Jewish Problem”.
During the first phase, experiments had been taken place to locate a better solution to exterminating Jews. The mobile gas vans were part of the experiment. This was initially used as part of the “euthanasia” program, in which the Nazis killed physically and mentally handicapped Germans. However when the Chelmo extermination camp was established in December 1941, gas vans were also used. Lately it was estimated that the Gas vans murdered approximately 70000 people throughout Nazi dominated Europe. However this method was very ineffective as this wastes a lot of petrol, many Jews did not die from traveling, it took a very long time to kill them and the screams from the gas vans lead to psychological problems.
On January 1945, the Nazis staged a conference in Wansee just outside Berlin. The purpose was to plan and outline the final solution and to establish authority of the SS to carry it out. Reasons why the Final Solution was implemented and favoured was because the camps and ghettos were overflowing, despite the appalling death rate from starvation, disease and the living and work conditions. Also there were too many Jews to kill. “There are about 3.5 millions Jews in my territory. Said Hans Front “We cannot shoot them all, nor can we poison them all”.
The Final solution involves methods using trickery to trick Jews that the gassing chambers were actually shower rooms. After the deaths of the Jews. Hair, gold teeth filling, spectacles were also removed, and thus was sold to industries or used for war effort, to maximize profits. This however is quite profitable compared with other methods used previously .So far in contrast with methods; the final solution is so far the most effective solution in tackling the Jewish Problem. This is why the Nazis decided to use the “Final Solution” to take place.
