Oklahoma Academic Standard 4. The student will evaluate the global transformation created by the World Wars (1900-1945 CE).

Objective 4.9  Summarize world responses to the Holocaust, resulting in the Nuremberg Trials, the move to establish a Jewish homeland, and the creation of the of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and its impact on human rights today.

In a Nutshell

As the horrors of the Holocaust became globally known, there was call for response and accountability. Students should develop an understanding of the role of the United States and cooperating nations to bring perpetrators to justice, as well as steps to avoid future similar events from occurring, including actions by the new United Nations.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Provide opportunities for students to analyze the role of informed and responsible citizens in their political systems using  examples of world responses to events of the Holocaust.

• Assist students to use interdisciplinary lenses to gather and evaluate information regarding complex regional and global problems; assess individual and collective actions taken to address such problems.

• Develop, investigate and evaluate plausible answers to essential questions that reflect enduring understandings across time and all disciplines, such as "How is justice achieved and guaranteed?"

• Engage students deliberative and democratic processes to address the issues of human rights in the Post-WWII world.

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• general failure of world governments or international bodies, including the Red Cross, to respond to atrocities

• voyage of the St. Louis, evacuation of Danish Jews to Sweden, exiled Polish government's information regarding Nazi plans of extermination

• Nuremberg International Tribunal, role of United States, Britain, and Soviet Union; defined morality at the global level, crimes against humanity, individual accountability

• Universal Declaration of Human Rights, articles affirming specific individual rights, tool in applying diplomatic and moral pressure to contemporary governments that violate its articles

• Some students may tend to see the Holocaust as a sole historic example of crimes against humanity. Guiding students in recognizing how genocide still continues against contemporary populations will enable students to understand the broader causes of genocide, the concept of human rights, and global responsibilities to prevent such atrocities. 

Instructional Resources