World history/WHME103/WWII impact/Liberation of camps

Reading

One of several mass graves on the former site of Bergen-Belsen. The sign simply reads: Here lie 5000 dead. April 1945.

Read the below article. As you do so, consider the following questions:

• What were extermination camps, and how many people were killed in them?

• How did concentration camps differ from extermination camps?

• What impact did the liberation of Bergen-Belsen have on western public opinion?

Stephen Hart, 'Liberation of the Concentration Camps', BBC History, 17 February 2011.

Share your thoughts about this reading by posting a comment for your fellow students in WEnotes below. For example:

• The camps ...

• The horrific suffering ...

(Visit the course feed to read comments from participants)