Final answer:
During their time in the annex, Anne Frank's family and others lived in cramped conditions, relying on the help of Dutch friends connected to the resistance. The Frank family went into hiding due to the German occupation of the Netherlands and the subsequent deportation of Jews to extermination camps. Anne Frank documented this life in hiding in her diary, which became a vital historical record.
Step-by-step explanation:
The families living in the annex, including Anne Frank and her family, experienced a life of hiding and constant fear of discovery. They were confined in a small space, with minimal liberty to move and had to remain silent during the day to avoid detection. The families chose to go into hiding to escape the horrific fate of being sent to concentration camps, as the Germans began transporting Jews from the Netherlands to extermination camps. Despite these grim conditions, Anne Frank documented their everyday experiences in her now-famous diary.
The annex provided a hidden shelter above a business, supplied by courageous Dutch friends connected to the resistance, allowing the families some semblance of safety for two years. Their life was a precarious balance between hope and fear, with news from the outside world trickling in through their helpers. Unfortunately, they were ultimately discovered and deported to concentration camps in August 1944.
The decision to hide was driven by the dire situation Jewish families found themselves in during World War II. The Frank family had originally moved to the Netherlands seeking a safe haven from the Nazi regime, but the German occupation of the country shattered those hopes. Going into hiding became a matter of survival as Nazi policies increasingly threatened Jewish lives in occupied Europe.