Gypsies were one of the smaller groups, population-wise, persecuted under the National Socialists in Hitler’s Germany. Numbering around 200,000 persons, the gypsies, believed to have their cultural origins in India, were targeted due to their cultural differences from the ideal Aryan race promoted in Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. A people defined by a nomadic way of life, the gypsy peoples are foreign to the established norms desired by the Nazis. Gypsies have many dialects and are, as a group, divided in their religious affiliations. With the gypsy entity divided in its allegiance to a particular country and God, the gypsies were treated inconsistently. Some were murdered, while others were enslaved; others were sent to be sterilized, while some groups were left alone by the Nazis.

To explore the persecution of gypsies further, please refer to the dropdown menu for the gypsies. Look through the resources and answer the questions to understand how gypsies were treated by Nazi groups.