1. Elimination of Jews: The primary goal of the concentration and death camps was the extermination of Jews. The Nazis pursued a policy of genocide against the Jewish population, aiming to completely eradicate them from Europe and other regions under their control.
2. Forced Labor: Concentration camps also functioned as labor camps, where prisoners were subjected to harsh and often life-threatening conditions. They were forced to perform exhausting physical labor without adequate food, rest, or medical care, leading to widespread sickness, malnutrition, and death.
3. Repression and Control: The camps were used as a means of repressing and controlling populations deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime. This included Jews, Roma, homosexuals, political prisoners, and other groups considered to be threats to the Nazi ideology.
4. Dehumanization and Propaganda: The conditions in the camps, including the brutal treatment of prisoners, served to dehumanize the victims and promote the Nazi propaganda of racial superiority. This contributed to the desensitization of the perpetrators and encouraged compliance among the broader German society.
5. Medical Experiments: Some of the concentration camps, such as Auschwitz, were also sites of horrific medical experiments conducted by Nazi doctors on prisoners. These experiments were aimed at advancing Nazi racial theories and were often conducted without regard for the pain, suffering, or death of the subjects.
The camps were operated under strict secrecy, and the Nazis went to great lengths to hide their true nature from the international community. The world only became fully aware of the extent of the atrocities committed in the concentration camps after the Allied forces liberated them towards the end of World War II.