Problem
One could argue that the German phrase "die Endlösung derJudenfrage"-"the Final Solution to the Jewish Question"-meant different things at different times.
A coherent essay tracing the changing meaning of "the Final Solution of the Jewish Question" from 1933 to the establishment of the extermination camps in 1941-42. In doing so, address the following:
A. What did the "Final Solution" mean to German anti-Jewish policy makers from 1933 to early 1938? What was the fundamental goal of anti-Jewish policy during the period in question?
B. What did the phrase mean from 1938 to September 1939? What new German governmental departments were created during this period to achieve the "Final Solution"?
C. How did the meaning of the phrase change after the invasion of Poland? How did the Nazis visualize the "Final Solution" from September 1939 until late 1940? Consider the various "territorial solutions" to the "Jewish Question" in this section.
D. What did the "Final Solution" mean after the invasion of the USSR on June 22, 1941? How did even that meaning change over the following six months?
As you write your essay, be sure to explain why the meaning of "the Final Solution to the Jewish Question" changed as time passed. In other words, what factors prompted the evolution of Nazi anti-Jewish policy? What factors prompted the transitions between-and within-the four phases of Nazi Jewish policy?
Weave the four sections into one essay, one coherent web of facts and analysis, with good transitions between the four parts. Prove that you understand basic historical chronology. Make good use of the unit commentaries, your notes, War and Genocide, and the essays in The Holocaust Reader. Demonstrate a firm grasp of the material and do it with style. Keep in mind that a good essay must have a thoughtful introduction and conclusion, as well as smooth transitions between sections.