Helen and Sol Krawitz Holocaust Memorial Education Center

the nazi camp system

The Nazi camp system began with the establishment of Dachau, the first official, organized and permanent concentration camp under the jurisdiction of the SS. This differed from the earlier, temporary camps, which were run by the SA (Storm Troopers). Dachau was established in March 1933 and served as a model for future camps in its management and ideology. The concentration camp system was then further developed from 1936, when new and larger concentration camps were established, which accommodated prisoners other than political opponents of the regime. One such camp was Sachsenhausen concentration camp, which also served as a training camp for SS personnel to manage concentration camps. With the expansion of Nazi Germany, the Nazi use of concentration camps as a tool for racial oppression reached its climax. In the spring of 1942, the SS Wirtschafts – Verwaltungshauptamt (Economic – Administrative Main Office), which included the Concentration Camp Administration, was established. The main function of this administration was to assign prisoners to the various camps based on the aims of the German war economy and in keeping with Nazi ideology. Thus, the economic exploitation of prisoners was brought to a new level.