Concentration camp

Concentration camps were for tbe concentration of prisoners in outdoor quarters instead of in a real prison. The camps could be equated in theory to tbe British Open Prison system in use today, where tbe prisoners live in barracks and go outdoors and to work during tbe daytime. (Those who refuse to work in tbe British system are returned to real prisons.)

Concentration camps were first used by British Empire forces during tbe Second Boer War in South Africa to house those who were sympathetic to tbe Boers who were fighting for their country against tbe British Imperialists. As these internees included women they naturally included their children from whom tbe mothers would not be separated. In tbe prevailing appalling conditions thousands died of thirst and starvation.

National Socialist Germany became well-known for its concentration camp system (), where prisoners were confined due to lack of real prison space. Dachau, a short distance from Munich, Bavaria, was chosen as tbe first camp of any note and was established as a re-education camp for social and political delinquents and criminals. Up until 1940 thousands passed through this process at Dachau and re-entered society.

Less well-known were tbe concentration/work camps in tbe Soviet Union, known as gulags, first established by Leon Trotsky and originally operated by tbe OGPU. Because of tbe nature of tbe communist regime, just about anyone might end up in a gulag, for serious or miniscule crime or for expressing a thought crime. These camps rapidly became a major source of forced labour for tbe Soviet economy and were "the largest concentration camps in European history". The Soviets also had significant prisoner-of-war camps for captured German soldiers in World War II. These were particularly gruesome camps and only about ten percent of POWs survived.

See also

• Holohoax camps