Auschwitz was a Nazi concentration camp in Poland during World War II where over 1 million people were killed, making it a symbol of fear. It was originally built in 1940 to hold Polish political prisoners but was expanded to help carry out the "Final Solution" of exterminating Jews. Prisoners faced torture, medical experiments, and death in the gas chambers, with some camps designed specifically for mass killings using Zyklon-B gas. While the exact numbers killed are unknown due to destroyed records, it is estimated between 800,000 to over 1.1 million died at Auschwitz between 1940 to 1945 before Soviet troops liberated the surviving prisoners.

1. Auschwitz By: Eric Reynolds and Frank Reed

2. Auschwitz, the Horror During WWII Auschwitz was a symbol of fear It was an extermination camp in Poland More than 510,000 people were killed

3. Why Auschwitz? 1940, Germans built Auschwitz for expansion The facility was needed due to overcrowding in jails Needed for the continuation of “The Final Solution” plan

4. “ The Final Solution to the Jewish Question” Hitler’s plan to exterminate 11 million Jews From Germany, occupied territories, states opposing the Third Reich, and Allied and Neutral countries Was carried out at the concentration camps, one being Auschwitz

5. What went on? June 1941, 575 prisoners were the first killed Gas chambers were used to kill the majority of people German doctors used prisoners for medical experiments

6. Auschwitz I The original camp Administrative center for the multiple facilities Block 11, many people were tortured Standing cells and starvation cells were main ways of torture

7. Auschwitz II-Birkenau Built due to overcrowding at the main camp Had a greater gassing capacity than the original camp Zyklon-B gas was used to kill many prisoners

8. Auschwitz III-Monowitz Largest of the work camps 11,000 workers lived at the camps Doctors from Auschwitz II often came to take weak workers to gas chambers

9. Life in the Camps Days started at 4:30 am Normal days lasted 12 hours, sometimes less in the winter Prisoners had no breaks Bread and water were the daily rations

10. Death Toll The exact number of deaths is impossible to figure Nazis destroyed many records Official toll is 1.1 million, but estimates from 800,000 to 5 million

11. " Arbeit macht frei" Means “works makes free” Used to motivate prisoners to work hard Wasn’t true, many times working didn’t keep people from being killed

12. Sources &quot;Auschwitz (concentration Camp, Poland) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia.&quot; Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia . Web. 24 Mar. 2010. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/43486/Auschwitz>. &quot;Auschwitz, Nazi Death Camp.&quot; The Holocaust, Crimes, Heroes and Villains . Web. 24 Mar. 2010. <http://www.auschwitz.dk/Auschwitz.htm>. &quot;Auschwitz-Birkenau - Home Page - History.&quot; Auschwitz-Birkenau - Main Page . Web. 24 Mar. 2010. <http://en.auschwitz.org.pl/h/>. Boyer, Paul S. American Nation in the Modern Era . Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2003. Print.