Question

Why do you think the germans take away the inmates’ personal belongings and clothing? why do they cut off their hair? why do they tattoo a number on each person’s arm?

Answer 1

The Germans removed personal belongings and clothings so that they could dehumanize them, and make them feel like they are nothing but property. They didn't want inmates to feel like individuals, which is why they shaved their heads - to remove every last part of their individualism.
They tattooed numbers onto peoples arms to accentuate that they were only property, just another number per say.

Answer 2

There are two main reasons why Nazi Germans might have done this. The first one is that the Germans wanted to control all prisoners effectively. Therefore, the numbers were a good way of maintaining absolute control over them, even in the future, as the number could not be removed.

However, the most important effect of these actions was to dehumanize the inmates. By taking these actions, the inmates had nothing left that united them to their past and their individuality. This feelings of nothingness was more likely to cause them despair and lead them to abandon all hope, which was the ultimate goal of the Nazis.