Ghetto is what? In our time of mass migrations and multicultural states, we very often come across this concept. However, many people, intuitively understanding the close relationship of this term with national isolation, do not always clearly understand the practical significance and principles of the functioning of such systems.
Historical excursionHistorically, the ghetto is a compact settlement of representatives of one culture (religious direction, race, nationality) in another, more global environment. The phenomenon originated in medieval Europe, when Jewish quarters isolated from others began to arise. Actually, globalization in the medieval world was less influential, and the interpenetration of cultures was not so active. However, the proportion of the Jewish population has always been present in European states. Moreover, their non-Christian beliefs, as well as the closed nation within themselves and their immunity to assimilation processes, turned Jews into outcasts. For example, at the suggestion of the church, they were forbidden to engage in agriculture (the most profitable business then) and a number of professions. Many rulers ordered them to settle in separate quarters. Thus, in historical terms, the ghetto is specifically a Jewish compact settlement. By the way, the term itself originated in Italy, where they called the area of Venice on the island of Cannaregio, where the Jews were evicted at the beginning of the XVI century.
Through the prism of the 20th century
With the development of transport links, mutual integration (political, cultural and economic) of the whole world, the concept of mass migration of populations arose . The concept of the ghetto became popular again in the USA at the beginning of the 20th century. For the United States, ghettos are neighborhoods of black residents, descendants of that considerable number of slaves brought into the era of colonialism. With further globalization and an increase in the living standards of different regions of the planet (when some countries developed more and more rich, while others remained raw materials appendages with a low level of elite and a large number of social problems), migration processes also increased. Now the ghetto is not only Jewish settlements or “black” quarters. This is the designation of any urban areas where ethnic minorities are forcibly or voluntarily resident. In essence, modern ghettos are evidence of inadequate government policies that promote socialization and assimilation.
NSDAP and the policy of occupation during the Second World War
However, the term acquired the most terrifying connotation in the middle of the 20th century and was associated with the activities of the Nazi leadership in the occupied territories. For the Nazis, such forced settlements have become a convenient tool for optimizing the distribution of the population into a more or less full-fledged one. The Warsaw ghetto is perhaps the most famous example. After the fall of Poland, all Jews in the capital were ordered to relocate to a specific area of the city. Later Jews from all over the country were brought here. The borders of the ghetto were reinforced with a wall, barbed wire and soldiers' guards, which actually turned the area into a detention zone. The population of the district was used for hard physical work and was in significantly worse conditions than even the rest of the Warsaw inhabitants in the occupied city. Ghetto prisoners were the first candidates to leave for concentration camps (close to Auschwitz, in the first place). Actually, this happened throughout the presence of the Nazis.
Ghetto residents were taken away in an unknown direction, promising them the best working conditions in a new place. However, no one ever returned, and nightmare rumors about their future fate seeped into the ghetto. In these conditions, for people who were destined for certain death in a gas chamber, the best choice was to declare war on the regime. Although the exhausted and almost unarmed residents had no chance against the well-equipped SS units, the uprising took place in mid-April 1944. As a result, the ghetto prisoners resisted for almost a month, but were destroyed, with dignity accepting their last battle.