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History

The Holocaust: History and Memory

Overview

Students explore the Holocaust with care and precision, examining its causes, scale, human dimensions, and the ongoing importance of memory and education.

Learning Objective
Students understand what the Holocaust was, how it was possible, and why remembering it remains an active responsibility.

Resources needed

  • None

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Introduce carefully: the Holocaust was the systematic murder of six million Jewish people and millions of others by the Nazi regime during World War Two.
  2. 2 Discuss how it happened: years of escalating discrimination before mass murder — dehumanisation, propaganda, legal exclusion.
  3. 3 Ask: how did ordinary people become involved? (bystanders, perpetrators, rescuers — all made choices).
  4. 4 Introduce survivor testimony as a historical source — what it offers that statistics cannot.
  5. 5 Discuss: why is the Holocaust considered a unique event, even within the history of genocide?
  6. 6 Introduce post-war responses: Nuremberg trials, the UN Genocide Convention, the state of Israel.
  7. 7 Ask: what is our responsibility toward this history now that the last survivors are dying?

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Focus on the story of one specific individual — a victim, a rescuer, or a bystander.
  • Discuss the role of art and literature in preserving Holocaust memory.
  • Examine Holocaust denial as an example of historical distortion and why combating it matters.
More information

Teach: Holocaust, systematic, dehumanise, perpetrator, bystander, rescuer, testimony, commemorate. Use language with great care throughout — precision matters in this topic.

Focus on the human scale rather than statistics. One person's story is more comprehensible and more emotionally honest than numbers alone.

Can students describe the process of escalating discrimination that preceded mass murder? Can they explain what bystanders, perpetrators, and rescuers had in common — and what distinguished them?

No resources needed. Teacher knowledge and careful facilitation are the primary tools. This lesson works entirely through discussion.

Students sometimes think the Holocaust was perpetrated only by fanatics. Research shows that many perpetrators were ordinary people — understanding this is one of the most important and most disturbing lessons.

The Holocaust is both a unique historical event and a case study in the conditions that enable genocide. Teaching it requires sensitivity, precision, and a clear commitment to the dignity of victims.

Activity details
Secondary Challenging 30 minutes no prep Whole Class, Small Group Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Holocaust Genocide World War Two