Sachsenhausen was built in 1936 around the time that the Nazis were using the Olympic Games as a showcase for their dictatorship. The early camps were built to crush any potential opposition from the left but within a short time had become filled with groups and individuals targeted by the regime because of their race, religion, sexuality and supposed unfitness for society.
The closest permanent camp to Berlin, and the second purpose-built camp, Sachsenhausen was intended as a model camp for all the camps to follow. Visiting the Memorial today will help you understand the evolution not only of the camp system itself but the overarching narrative of the dictatorship itself - from persecution to annihilation.
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