The origins of the Frank family can be found in the Judengasse (Jewish Alley) of Frankfurt. This was considered the city's ghetto. Most of the Jews living in the city center eventually had to move there. Living conditions in the Judengasse were cramped and poor, and government (guild) laws prohibited most Jews from practicing skilled trades and trades; making it harder to stay afloat. Through my research I discovered that the Stern and Cahn families, direct descendants of Anne Frank, lived in Judengasse many years before her. Anne's great-great-grandfather was a wealthy merchant, and most of her other descendants were historically academics and booksellers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In 1889, Anne's father (Otto) was born, and in 1925 Otto married Anne's mother, Edith. The Franks placed great importance on a good education. The children attended music lessons (Otto played the cello) and naturally learned English, French and Italian. After his father's sudden death, Otto worked in the family bank together with his younger brother Herbert. When the First World War broke out in 1914, the Franks were assimilated and considered themselves Germans, and their sons voluntarily enlisted: Otto became an officer in France. After the First World War the banking sector was in constant decline and the Frank family lost a lot of money as a result. In 1926 the Franks had their first daughter Margot and in 1929 Anna was born. Before World War II, the financial situation worsened after Germany was forced to pay reparations after losing the first one. Furthermore, the social situation of the Jews worsened due to the increased feeling of anti-Semitism among the population. In January 1933, Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor and one of his first actions was to boycott the Jewish population in Germany. Government commandos occupied the entrances of Jewish department stores and shops and prevented access to law firms and medical practices owned by Jewish citizens. The Franks then decided to leave Germany for Amsterdam to seek asylum and start a new one. When the German army attacked the Netherlands in 1940 and then occupied the country, anti-Jewish laws were enacted. Jews were increasingly limited in their professional and social lives. In 1942, after Margot received a letter to be transported to a German labor camp, Otto decided it was time to go into hiding. This hideout had been prepared by Otto a year earlier in a company annex in Amsterdam. The Frank family went into hiding on July 6, 1942. They lived for two years in what became known as the secret annex, along with the van Pels family. It is here that Anne Frank wrote her diary, which later became famous throughout the world. Remember: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay The Franks and their friends were betrayed by the Gestapo in 1944 and then transported to Westerbork. With the last transport from the Netherlands, which left Westerbork on 3 September 1944, Anne Frank, then fifteen years old, her parents and her sister Margot were transferred to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Anne and Margot died there in March 1945, due to the typhus epidemic. Their mother, Edith Frank, who remained in Auschwitz, also died, probably from exhaustion; his father, Otto Frank, was one of the few Jewish prisoners freed by Soviet troops 1945.