The Wannsee Conference, held on January 20, 1942, is a chilling reminder of the systematic and organized nature of the Holocaust during World War II. This conference, convened by high-ranking officials of Nazi Germany, was instrumental in planning the implementation of the “Final Solution,” a genocidal program aimed at the extermination of Europe’s Jewish population. This article delves into the goals of the Wannsee Conference, the lists of Jewish populations discussed, and the broader context of Nazi racial laws.
“The final solution to the Jewish question” was the goal of the Wannsee Conference that took place on January 20, 1942. Adolf Eichmann, one of the fifteen conference attendees, drew up two lists; List A and List B.
The above two graphs can be downloaded as images.
Table of Contents
Goals of the Conference
The Wannsee Conference had a sinister agenda, reflecting the Nazi regime’s commitment to the “Final Solution.” The key objectives of the conference included:
The Final Solution
The conference aimed to coordinate the logistics of the mass murder of European Jews, a plan that had already begun in earnest with mass shootings and deportations to concentration camps.
List A and List B from the Wannsee Conference outlined the estimated Jewish populations in various countries and territories. Please note that these lists were not exhaustive, and there were other countries and regions mentioned during the conference. Additionally, the intent behind List B was to highlight the Nazis’ desire to extend their genocidal campaign to other regions beyond the occupied territories.
List A
List A, presented at the conference, cataloged the estimated Jewish populations residing in the occupied territories of Europe. It served as a critical document for organizing deportations and mass killings in these regions.
Occupied Countries or Territories included Eastern Poland, General Government (Nazi-occupied Poland), Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus, Ukraine, Bessarabia (parts of present-day Moldova and Ukraine), Croatia (including parts of Yugoslavia), Serbia (including parts of Yugoslavia), and Slovakia.
Note: Occupied Poland was not on the list because by 1939 the country was split three ways among Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany in the west, the territories of Poland annexed by the Soviet Union in the east, and the General Government where many Polish and Jewish expellees had already been resettled.
List B
List B focused on Jews living in allied, client, neutral, or warring states. While the immediate focus of the conference was on the occupied territories, List B demonstrated the Nazis’ intent to extend their genocidal campaign to other regions and populations.
Allied, Client, Neutral, or Warring States comprising List B: France (including Vichy France), Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Norway, Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Ireland, Turkey, and United Kingdom.
Nuremberg Race Laws
The conference operated within the framework of the Nuremberg race laws, which defined who was considered Jewish and, by extension, eligible for persecution and extermination.
Conclusion:
The Wannsee Conference stands as a harrowing testament to the depths of human cruelty and the horrors that can be perpetrated under the banner of ideology. It was a pivotal moment in the Holocaust, as it marked a formalized effort to coordinate and accelerate the mass murder of European Jews. The “Final Solution” discussed at Wannsee represented an unprecedented level of systematic genocide.
Estimated Jewish Populations, Wannsee Conference, 1942 Data
To download the data shown below from which the graph was developed click on the icon below corresponding to you desired format. Note: to ensure all data is downloaded choose the ‘All’ selection in the Show Entries dropdown list. Otherwise only the data visible on the screen will download.
Source: McNab, Chris. “Hitler’s Masterplan.” Editor: Spilling, Michael, Amber Books, 2011, Page 131
The two lists here were composed by Adolf Eichmann for the Wannsee Conference. They are Nazi estimates of Jews living in occupied territories (List A) and those living in allied, client, neutral or warring states (List B).
Other World War 2 Civilian and Military Death Data
World War 2 Total Civilian and Military Deaths
USSR World War 2 Deaths by Republic
United States Holocaust Museum
Estimated Percentage of Jewish Population Killed, by Country
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