Concentration camps were initially created to imprison “those who opposed Hitler’s government or were thought to threaten it.” (Evans, 81) “Those arrested and put into “protective custody” included Jews, trade union leaders, Socialists, Communists, Roman Catholics and Protestants.” (Evans, 81) During the earlier years of the Holocaust, it is thought that approximately 45,000 people were sent to these camps. (Evans, 81) However, after Kristallnacht and the outbreak of World War Two, these figures increased drastically. At first, Nazis were centralizing all Jews by shifting them to ghettos however, as the Final Solution was taking shape, the Jews were transported to various concentration camps. Upon arrival, labour work or death were the only two alternatives the Jews were given. Those deemed unfit to work were executed immediately.

http://travelbluebook.com/holocaust-concentration-camps-preserved-sites/

Concentration camps helped Nazis expedite their mission to get rid of all Jews. The camps were pivotal during the Holocaust because without them, it would have been difficult for the Nazis to centralize the Jews and carry out the mass exterminations. Camps also helped provide the Germans with an inexpensive labour force in the form of Jewish prisoners. The work performed by the Jewish prisoners consisted of producing goods for the German war effort. In other cases, the prisoners were simply worked to their death. During the “Final Solution,” labour work was the only way to survive extermination, thus majority of the prisoners attempted to secure a position in a factory.

The video provides footage of the Auschwitz concentration camp. The viewer gets a glimpse of the personal belongings confiscated by the Nazis. It was recorded after the Red Army had liberated the camp in Poland on January 27, 1945.