Introduction

Note: the profile manager is not an expert in this field. He simply has a need. He welcomes all constructive criticism, help, and feedback.

This page is an attempt to collect together the rationale behind a categorization structure that can be used for the many forms of mass Imprisonment (mostly indefinitely and without trial):

• Concentration camps
• Extermination camps / Killing centers
• Forced-labor camps
• Immigration detention
• Internment camps
• Prisoner-of-war camps
• Transit camps

These topics may, understandably, elicit strong emotions and opinions. These will, in the main, all be completely valid. It is important to understand, however, that no hierarchy will be perfect for such a complex subject.

Our aim is not to create a perfect hierarchy - it is to create a structure that allows us to indicate that an individual had their life changed, perhaps tragically, by being incarcerated in such a place.

The Holocaust Project are proposing a change to the hierarchy of the categories that they maintain - this page will summarize their findings and attempt a parallel or similar structure for all other camps.

Question: Should we include Refugee Camps? These are not imprisonment, in the main.

The Problems

As with any other location or institution, these places change with time. A Women's Prison, for instance, may be repurposed during the foreign occupation of the country in which it existed to house political prisoners. See Grini detention camp.

Is it fair, under this scenario, to categorize it under the country in which it was built? Do we ignore the structure used to house inmates, and have two categories (one for the prison, one for the detention camp)?

In addition, the difference in the standards of care between camps is vast - should we attempt to capture this in the hierarchy? This can be problematic in itself, because a humane camp may degenerate through overcrowding or through being repurposed.

History

The term "Concentration Camp" is not new:

The Wikipedia article on The Spanish-Cuban Ten Year's War suggests the the term was used even earlier, though doesn't have a source for that claim.

Apart from Extermination Camps, the term Concentration Camp can be used interchangeably with the others listed at the top of the page. They are places where some authority concentrates people considered "undesirable" based on some criteria.

Discussions

Holocaust Category Proposals

The recent category restructure by the Holocaust Project seems to be focused on WW2 camps run by the Nazis:

• Holocaust Project: Proposal for adjustment to Holocaust categories (G2G)
• Proposal for Holocaust categories 2023 (free space)

An earlier proposal is also narrowly focused on these camps:

• Holocaust/Jewish Category Suggestions

The proposal includes the fate of victims as subcategories of each camp. This could be seen to be a parallel structure - much like the "Killed In Action" category for combatants.

There is much debate on the naming of the categories, with the realization that one name will not properly describe all types of these institutions.

The consensus seems to be:

• Concentration Camp is the generally recognized term - Holocaust Camp is not used much outside of WikiTree (and has caused confusion on many occasions)
• Extermination Camp / Killing Center (see Nazi Camps at USHMM) are seen as separate to Concentration Camp - but the wording is seen as potentially traumatizing.

The suggestion that we use the terms that were used at the time (as we do for place names) has met some resistance. This is thought, by some, to be honoring the persecutors, rather than the persecuted.

The categories will only be useful if profile managers can find them, though, and if Concentration Camp is the generally used term, then this may be the best fit - despite not being accurate in all cases.

General Proposals

A more general call, to create categories for other types of mass detention, is in the G2G post at: Fixing the categorization of Concentration Camps.

I will assume here that we will not try to cover Categories maintained by the Holocaust Project.

Summary to come....

Sources

• US Holocaust Museum
• Yad Vashem World Holocaust Museum
• Auschwitz-Birkenau
• Holocaust Encyclopedia
• Treblinka

Appendix 1, Camp Categories in Wikitree

The following table summarises the categories of mass internment camps in Wikitree. As of 28th December 2023 all the Wikitree categories are connected to a war. The following table shows the military prisoners of war and civilians. The table also displays the number of categories and number of Wikitree profiles.

Appendix 2, Current Wikitree Category Structure

The following describes how categories are linked to Mass Imprisonment Camps.

As of 1/1/2024, all the camps are related to Wars and fall under the top level categories of Military and/or Military History (which in turn is linked to World_History). All of the camps are linked to the present day Regions that they existed in.

Level 1 Regions shows location of different camps

Level1 World_History
=>Level 2, 58 subcategories including

.........Category:Genocides
.........=>Level 3, 5 subcategories including Category: Holocaust
.........==> Level 4, 10 subcategories including Category:Holocaust_Camps

.........Category:African_History
.........=>Level 3, 10 subcategories including Category: South African History
.........==>Level 4, 17 subcategories including Category: Second Boer War and
.............................. Category: South African Concentration Camps, British

.........Military History
.........=>Level 3, 94 subcategories including Wars
.........==>Level 4, 20 subcategories including Category:Wars_1900-1944
.........===>Level 5, 66 subcategories including Category:United_States_of_America,_World_War_II
.........====> Level 6, 24 subcategories including Category:Japanese_Americans_in_World_War_II
.........=====>Level 7, 3 subcategories including Category: War Relocation Authority Camps

Level 1 Military
=> Level 2, 58 subcategories including Category:Prisoner_of_War_Camps
==> Level 3, 7 subcategories
........... Category:British_American_Revolution_Camps_for_American_POWs,
........... Category:Prisoners_of_War,_United_States_of_America,_United_States_Civil_War with One subcategory
........... =>Level 4 Category:Confederate_American_Civil_War_Camps_for_Union_POWs
...........Category:Prisoners_of_War,_Confederate_States_of_America,_United_States_Civil_War with One subcategory
........... =>Level 4 Category:Union_American_Civil_War_Camps_for_Confederate_POWs
...........Category:Prisoner_of_War_Camps,_Second_Boer_War
...........Category:Prisoner_of_War_Camps,_World_War_I
...........Category:Prisoner_of_War_Camps,_World_War_II, 4 subcategories including
...........=>Level 4 Category:World_War_II_POW_German_Camps and
...........=>Level 4 Category:World_War_II,_POW_Camps,_Allied which only has One sub-category
...........==>Level 5 Category:World_War_II,_United_States,_POW_Camps
...........Category:Prisoner_of_War_Camps,_Korean_War
...........Category:Prisoner_of_War_Camps,_Vietnam_War

Level1 Society
=> Level 2, 34 subcategories including Social_Institutions
==> Level 3, 5 subcategories including Prisons
===> Level 4, 8 subcategories including Prisoner_of_War_Camps which has been described under Level 1 Category:Military