50 pages • 1 hour read
The Truce
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Index of Terms
Auschwitz
Content Warning: This section of the guide describes and discusses the source text’s depiction of the Holocaust and trauma, and it also contains brief references to abuse and domestic violence.
Auschwitz was a complex of concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany during World War II. Located in occupied Poland near the town of Oswiecim, it consisted of three main camps: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. Auschwitz I served as the administrative center; Birkenau functioned primarily as an extermination camp where mass killings were carried out in gas chambers; and Monowitz was a labor camp. Established in 1940, Auschwitz became a symbol of the Holocaust, where over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were murdered.
At the beginning of The Truce, Primo Levi is one of many prisoners who have been abandoned by the retreating Germans and left to die in Monowitz. The camp was liberated by the Soviet Red Army on January 27th, 1945, but The Truce describes the ways in which the traumatizing effects of Auschwitz remain in the minds of the survivors long after liberation.
Haftling
The word "Haftling" is a German term that translates to "prisoner" or "inmate." Throughout The Truce, it is used to refer to individuals detained in Nazi concentration camps. These prisoners included Jews, political dissidents, Roma, Jehovah's Witnesses, LGBTQ+, and other groups targeted by the Nazi regime. Haftlings were subjected to brutal conditions, forced labor, and in many cases, extermination. The term underscores the dehumanizing treatment and suffering endured by those imprisoned in these camps.
Kapo
The term "Kapo" refers to a prisoner assigned by the SS guards to supervise forced labor or carry out administrative tasks within the camp. Kapos were typically chosen from the ranks of inmates and were given certain privileges in exchange for maintaining order and overseeing other prisoners. While some Kapos tried to assist their fellow inmates, many were known for their brutality and harsh treatment of other prisoners, as they often sought to secure their own survival and privileges by aligning with the SS authorities. The role of Kapos added a complex and often contentious dynamic to the already brutal environment of the camps. In The Truce, Levi encounters former Kapos who are now among the other survivors.
Lager
The word "Lager" is a German term that translates to "camp." In The Truce, it is commonly used to refer to the Nazi concentration and extermination camps where millions of people were imprisoned, subjected to forced labor, and often killed. The term "Lager" encompasses the various types of camps established by the Nazi regime, including transit camps, labor camps, and death camps. These camps were integral to the Holocaust and the systematic persecution and annihilation of Jews, political dissidents, Roma, and other targeted groups.
Soviet
The term "Soviet" refers to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), a federation of socialist republics under the control of the Communist Party, led by Joseph Stalin during World War II. The Soviet Union played a crucial role in the Allied victory against Nazi Germany. After being invaded by Germany in 1941, the USSR mounted a massive defense and eventually went on the offensive, culminating in significant victories, such as the Battle of Stalingrad and the capture of Berlin in 1945.
Soviet troops liberate the Auschwitz extermination camp at the beginning of The Truce and then administer the slow and chaotic repatriation of the survivors. The term "Soviet" also broadly refers to the governmental and administrative structures within the USSR, as well as its military forces, known as the Red Army, which were instrumental in the defeat of the Axis powers.
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