The germans occupation of Poland was an ideal situation for a man like Oskar Schindler, a businessman and opportunist. Krakow was made seat of government for Nazi-occupied Poland. As more Officers and SS troop entered the city, new ways to profit from the conflict arose.

One of the first scenes in the movie shows Schindler for the opportunist he was. He is shown drinking, laughing with and befriending high ranking Nazi Officers. The Nazis brought new opportunities for profit and Schindler makes sure to cultivate the right contacts to assure that he will secure his share.

In 1939 Hitler invaded Poland. In real life, within a week of the invasion, Schindler moved to Krakow to find a way to benefit from the Nazis occupation. During this time he met Itzhak Stern. With money he borrowed from aquaintences of Stern’s, Schindler purchased a kitchenware factory and opened it in 1940 He hired Stern as his accountant and used Jews from Kracow ghetto as his work force.

During this time Shindler had cultivated friendships with Officers in both the German Army and the SS. Through these friendships and with a few bribes, Schindler was able to secure numerous army contracts for pots and pans manufactured in his newly opened kitchenware factory.

The persecution of Jews began immediately after the German Occupation. The Germans took over Jewish properties and seized companies, houses and valuables. The Jewish living quarter, know as the Krakow Ghetto was created on March 3, 1941 and 20,000 Jews were forced to live there in an area meant to house 3000.

The movie Shindler’s List mentions the harshness and over crowding conditions of Krakow Ghetto. In one scene a once rich couple enter a room in which they are assigned to live. It is only one room but they comment that it could be much worse. Within minutes twenty additional people have enter the same room. They too have been assigned to live in the same room. The movie makes you aware that living conditions in the ghetto were bad but the problems of every day living are not depicted graphicly.

In real life Krakow Ghetto was a horrible place to live. Over crowding, disease and starvation were the norm in Krakow Ghetto. Many died from disease and many were shot by the Gernmans for trying to get food and medicine from outside the ghetto walls. The Jews were forced to work in factories “to help in the German war effort.” In the factories they worked for no pay and were given very little food. The only reprieve was to be hired to work in Shindlers factory that was located outside the ghetto. Shindler’s factory was the place to work. Shindler’s Jews recognized that he was somehow protecting them. Then one day the order to complete the extermination of all Jews was given.

The Final liquidation of Krakow Ghetto was ordered by the Nazis in early 1943.
If someone was healthy enough they were allowed to stay and work in the forced labor camps. If not, they were sent to death camps.

At This time Industrialists were strongly urged by the Nazis to relocate their factories to the Paslow forced labor camp. Schindler regularly paided out bribes to SS Officers to gaurentee that his camp, which was located outside of Paslow, would stay open. While the Jews at Paslow were being beaten, executed on the spot or being loaded onto trains like cattle to be shipped off to Nazi Death Camps, Shindler’s camp served as a haven for those jews fortunate enough to work there.