Holocaust Background
The Holocaust was the traumatic torture and slaughter of six million Jews by the Nazis. The Nazis came to power Germany and spread the belief that Germans were superior to the threatening Jews. It was a systematic attempt fueled by racism to end the Jewish population called “The Final Solution.” The Holocaust is from the point when Adolf Hitler was declared chancellor of Germany, in January 1933, to the end of the war in May 1945.
Hitler saw to it that the Nazis take control of the government, which did end up happening. They turned the power into a dictatorship and were able to silence critics, building a strong military and police force. The Secret State Police gained the power to arrest anyone they wished to arrest. Anyone who spoke out against the Nazis could be punished, beaten, or sent to a concentration camp. Eventually, by 1934, Hitler gained complete control over Germany. The Nazis claimed Jews to be the reason for the war, causing corruption. They created an image of bravery and strength for the Germans, and an image of weakness for the Jews. Everyone began believing the Jews destroyed culture and were turning against them. This propaganda led by the government was titled “Anti-Semitism.” This is the prejudice against Jews which shaped the Holocaust. Following the heat of judgement from society, Jews were segregated from everyone else. They had to wear a yellow star of David to show who they were. They began being isolated into ghettos. This eventually led to the massacre of the Jewish population. Separated from their families, they were boarded onto trains were they were brought to concentration camps. Here they were put to work, either suffered from starvation or illness, or were put into gas chambers to die. This is what defines the Holocaust, over 5 million killed. Gold crowns from fillings and even wedding rings were taken from the Jews to dehumanize them in the camps.
|