Parallel Journeys ~ Journal Vocabulary

Parallel Journeys ~ Journal Vocabulary
Chapter 1-2
1. Aryan: a term used by Nazis for people of pure German “blood.” The term “Non-Aryan” was used
to describe Jews and other groups thought to be inferior to Aryans.
2. Adolf Hitler: totalitarian leader of Germany and head of the Nazi party from 1933-1945.
3. Hitler Youth: a Nazi youth organization established to involve German children in the Nazi party.
4. Treaty of Versailles: peace treaty drawn up after World War I, which placed the blame for the
war on Germany.
5. Nazi Party: political party founded in Germany in 1919. It was based on military strength and
racial and anti-Semitic policies.
6. Der Fuhrer: “the leader,” Adolf Hitler’s title in Germany.
7. Third Reich: “Third Empire,” the Nazi name for Germany and her lands from 1933-1945.
8. Swastika: an ancient symbol used by the Nazis as their emblem
9. Anti-Semitism: racial discrimination and hatred toward Jews.
10. Nuremberg Racial Laws: laws announced by Hitler that defined “Jews.” These laws deprived all
Jews of their civil rights and citizenship. They also made marriage between Jews and Germans illegal
and punishable by imprisonment.
11. Pogroms: an organized and official attack or massacre of Jews.
Chapter 3-4
1. Propaganda: False, or partially false information used by a government or political party intended
to sway the opinions of the population
2. Jungvolk: the junior branch of the Hitler Youth. Children needed to be ten years old to join.
3. Schar: a unit or group of children in the Jungvolk
4. Wehrmacht: the regular army portion of the Jungvolk
5. Schutzstaffel: also called the “SS,” a police force that started as Hitler’s personal guard. They later
took control of the police and security systems and oversaw the concentration camps.
6. Concentration Camp: prisons used by Nazis to contain and eliminate non-desired members of
society. Death, disease, starvation, crowding, and brutality filled the camps.
Chapter 5-6
1. Blitzkrieg: means “lightning war.” Hitler’s offensive tactic using a combination of armored attack
and air assault.
2. Luftwaffe: the German Air Force
3. Reichstag: the building that was the home of the German parliament
4. Reich Youth Service Law: laws which required each German child to take part in land and
agriculture service during the summer and fall to help harvest crops.
5. Sitzkrieg: means “The Sitting War.” The time when the world waited for Hitler to begin his attack on
other countries in Europe.
6. RAF: Great Britain’s Royal Air Force
Chapter 7-10
1. Final Solution: a Nazi term meaning the plan for extermination, or killing, of all of the Jews in Europe.
Jewish people were to be rounded up and evacuated; deported to concentration camps. This plan
was only discussed secretly among top Nazi officials, who were careful not to leave evidence of their
plan.
2. Night and Fog Decree: an order that gave the SS the power to eliminate people who were
supposedly “endangering German security.” These people would disappear into the night and fog,
not leaving a trace behind. Even their friends and family did not know what had happened to them.
3. Judenrat: a council of Jewish “elders” established by Nazi orders in an occupied area. Nazis
claimed that the purpose of these councils was to advise Jews on how to obey the new laws. Really,
they were created to put Jews in charge of carrying out Nazi orders.
4. Gestapo: the Nazi Secret State Police. Before WWII began, the Gestapo used brutal methods to
investigate and stop resistance to Nazi rule within Germany. After 1939, the Gestapo expanded from
within Germany to throughout Nazi-occupied Europe.
5. Righteous Gentiles: Non-Jewish people who, during the Holocaust, risked their lives to save Jewish
people from Nazi persecution.