Nazi Concentration Camps Vs Japanese Internment Camps

Lera Ramsay
Hour 5
District Performance Event The year 1939 wasn’t a good year for anyone. In 1939, France and England declared war on the Axis Powers, Germany, Italy, and Japan, starting World War II. During this time Nazi Concentration Camps formed under Hitler’s command and Japanese Internment Camps formed in America. While both camps were horrible things, they were not the same thing. Japanese Internment Camps and Nazi Concentration Camps, essentially, were not the same thing because of the reasons why they were formed, the outcome of the camps, and the effects they had on people. The Nazi Concentration Camps and Japanese Internment Camps were not the same thing because of the purpose they had behind them. First, the American government

For example, millions of people died due to the Nazi Concentration Camps while the casualties due to the Japanese Internment Camps were few. Hitler was ruthless, and when it came to the fate of millions of innocent people, he sent those useless to him to die. While people did die due to the Japanese Internment Camps, the American government didn’t intend to kill anyone and it wasn’t their first priority to kill the Japanese-Americans. In addition to this, the country of Israel was created for Jewish people who survived the Holocaust yet those who survived the Japanese Internment Camps were left to start their life all over again. Though it still causes fighting today, the country of Israel was created to serve as a home for those who survived the Holocaust since no one else was willing to take them in. When put into the Japanese Internment Camps, Japanese-Americans were held at gunpoint and forced to leave their homes. After they were released from the camps, Japanese-Americans didn’t have a home to go back to. Not to mention the fact that the Nazi Concentration Camps left survivors mentally damaged and some mentally and physically disabled while the Japanese Internment Camps left survivors in a stable condition. In the Nazi Concentration Camps, prisoners were used as test subjects and those who did survive were left mentally or physically disabled. Even then,

To start off, Americans weren’t affected by the Japanese Internment Camps as much as Germans, and those in surrounding countries, were by the Nazi Concentration Camps. As said in the American Propaganda Video, Japanese-Americans were, “...potentially dangerous…” and that the relocation of them was, “...with real consideration for the people involved.” Most Americans didn’t know the truth about the Japanese Internment Camps so they were, if anything, comfortable with the decision. However, this wasn’t the case with the Nazi Concentration Camps. Germans who didn’t remain loyal to Hitler were sent to a Concentration Camp, leaving thousands of Germans living in fear. Other countries, like Poland, were also affected by this, Concentration Camps were built in Poland and all Jewish people living in Poland were put into a camp. Additionally, the effects the camps have on people today are completely different. Even today the Holocaust is affecting Jewish people. Many survivors need therapy because of what happened inside of the camps and a lot refrain from telling their experiences because it brings back painful memories. On the other hand, the majority of Japanese-Americans that survived were left in a stable position with less long term effects when compared to the Nazi Concentration Camps. Above