Returning to our series "A Year in the Third Reich," Dr. Nils Roemer and Angie Simmons (Belofsky Fellow) discuss the establishment of the ghettos in Poland and the introduction of armbands for the Jewish population. They consider a newspaper article from Paris that was published in the New York Times. In asking the question, "What is the defining event of 1939?" we look back with historical hindsight. Many who lived through the events of the Holocaust and the rise of the Third Reich, however, might not have understood the importance of what they were experiencing or reading in the newspapers.  

This episode is part of the series, "A Year in the Third Reich," where we explored significant events that took place throughout the early years of Hitler's Third Reich. In each episode, we refer to specific primary sources such as newspaper articles, photographs, maps, etc. To access and download the Primary Sources Handout for this episode, please visit: https://ackerman.utdallas.edu/virtual-outreach/.