People with special needs – victims of Nazism and their memory in the Dnipropetrovsk region

Abstract

The aim of the study is to reveal the extent of Nazi persecution of people with special needs in the Dnipropetrovsk region during World War II and to analyse the transformation of public memory of these events in the post-war and contemporary periods. The focus is on a little-known aspect of the Holocaust and the policy of ‘racial hygiene’ aimed at the physical destruction of persons with disabilities, whom Nazi ideology considered ‘lives unworthy of existence.’ The study uses an interdisciplinary approach that combines historical-documentary, sociocultural, and anthropological analysis. It employs methods of source criticism, oral history, comparative analysis of archival documents and eyewitness accounts, as well as elements of a microhistorical approach to reconstruct specific human destinies. The source base is based on materials from regional archives, in particular the former KGB fonds, publications by local historians, data from research projects of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine, and the memories of witnesses to the events. The results of the study show that in the Dnipropetrovsk region, there was a systematic Nazi policy of physical extermination of people with disabilities, which was implemented through a network of specialised medical institutions and during mass punitive actions. During the Soviet period, this issue was kept quiet because of the ideological focus on unifying the victims of Nazism without singling out specific social or ethnic groups. Only since the 1990s has there been a gradual restoration of memory about these people: memorials have been erected, commemorative events held, thematic museum exhibitions created, and an inclusive approach to history has been formed in local history and educational practices. The findings of the study emphasise that understanding the tragedy of people with special needs as victims of Nazism is an important part of shaping the collective historical memory of the region and the contemporary humanistic culture of Ukraine. Honouring these victims has not only historical but also ethical significance, as it contributes to the development of an inclusive society based on respect for human dignity, human rights and social solidarity. Preserving the memory of these events is an act of historical justice and moral purification that helps society avoid repeating such tragedies in the future.