p6-kathleen

__ Heinrich Himmler  __ (Perpetrator) Heinrich Himmler was born in Munich Germany on October 7th, 1900. He was raised by his parents as a devout Roman Catholic, and was fully German. As I have continued to research him I have found that almost all of his actions in the Holocaust categorize him as a perpetrator. He is the cause of death for many people in the Holocaust. He started the concentration camps and the idea to kill not only based on religion but also race and sexuality.

In January of 1929 Himmler was appointed head of Hitler’s personal bodyguards, black shirted Schutzstaffel (SS). The SS is a small body of 200 men supporting an all embracing empire within the Nazi state. By 1933 the group reached 52,000 people. Himmler was appointed Munich Police President, then Commander of Political Police throughout Bavaria. Himmler believed that Jews had tried to lead a Communist take over of Bavaria. Following his hostile belief, he set up the first concentration camp in Dachau. When World War 2 broke out in 1939, Himmler and the SS led the efforts to kill all Jews across Europe. He introduced the principle of racial selection and special marriage laws which would ensure the “high value” population. During 1943 and 1944 as Germany was losing the war, he greatly increased his efforts to eliminating the Jewish population. In 1945 he tried to negotiate a German surrender to Allies, but Hitler discovered his betrayal and stripped him of his power. On May 23 1945, while under the British custody, Heinrich Himmler committed suicide.

The contributions that Heinrich made during the Holocaust increased the number of deaths and casualties by a great amount. By definition a perpetrator is someone who is responsible for a crime. In all facts proven from the Holocaust, a perpetrator was exactly what Himmler was. He was responsible and caused the death of over thousands of people. Sources: "Perpetrators." __A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust__. 2005. Florida Center for Instructional Technology. 5 May 2009 .

Worth, Richard. __Heinrich Himmler Murderour Architect of the Holocaust__. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2005.