Dehumanization of Jews in Concentration Camps During the Holocaust of World War II, millions of Jews in concentration camps became the targets of dehumanizing techniques accomplished by Nazis. However, this wasn’t the first occurance of dehumanization done by the Nazis prior to concentration camps; dehumanization of Jews had been building up for quite a while, but continued into concentration camps . Taking away a Jew’s entire identity, treating them similarly to animals, creating an environment where it became a fight for the fittest, all were methods of dehumanization initiated by Nazis. The amount of Jewish people killed in concentration camps can be attributed to these techniques, as denying that Jews were less than human made it easier …show more content…
Discipline was a constant with the Nazis, and they never failed to demonstrate their charge over the Jews and prisoners, whether or not they actually did something worth punishing. Consequences came in various forms, from corporal punishment, to public humiliation in front of fellow captives in the camp. The most common form of punishment was lashing, performed publicly during the evening roll-calls (Punishments). Sometimes, the Nazis in charge instructed them to stand still for hours at a time between two electrified barbed fence wires, just for the pure torture of it. Everyday consisted of a strict daily schedule, and if not followed, punishments were handed out freely. Both the SS-men and the functionary prisoners striked and whipped inmates at every coming opportunity, or submerged and drowned them in fire basins or sewage pits, as well as sent hounds to attack the victims (Punishments). Most concentration camps held broken-down barracks with leaking roofs that prisoners slept in. They were crammed into tiny bunks, often without blankets, or directly onto muddy floors (Nazi Concentration Camps-Daily Life). The living conditions mirrored the same treatment Nazis gave Jews, as in their living spaces were below the human standards of a home. The Nazis believed that Jewish prisoners deserved no better than those harsh living conditions, and regarded the Jews as enemies deserving brutal punishment. They managed to accomplish everything they could to deprive the Jews of human treatment not unlike animals, and deprived them of a home that was worthy of living