The Holocaust refers to the systematic, state-supported persecution and massacres carried out by the regime of Nazi Germany as well as its allies and collaborators against six million Jews in Europe. The Holocaust is a process that gradually developed across Europe between 1933 and 1945.
Members of the Storm Troopers (SA) are blocking customers from entering a Jewish-owned store with boycott banners.
Members of the Storm Troopers (SA) are blocking customers from entering a Jewish-owned store with boycott banners. One of the banners suggests: "Germans! Defend yourselves! Don't buy from Jews!" Berlin, Germany, 1 April 1933.
National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD
The date range of the Holocaust is defined by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum as 1933–1945. The Holocaust era began in 1933 when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. In May 1945, Allied Forces entered World War II. It ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Holocaust is sometimes called “Shoah,” which means “catastrophe” in Hebrew.
The Nazis did not start committing mass murders as soon as they came to power in Germany. However, using the power of the government, they immediately began to target Jews and isolate them from German society. Other anti-Semitic practices include discriminatory laws enacted by the regime of Nazi Germany and acts of violence against Jews in Germany. Nazi persecution of Jews became increasingly radicalized between 1933 and 1945. As a result of this radicalization, a plan that Nazi leaders called the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" emerged. The “Final Solution” is the organized and systematic mass murder of the Jews in Europe. The Nazi Germany regime carried out this genocide between 1941 and 1945.
The Nazis specifically targeted Jews due to extreme anti-Semitism. They were prejudiced against Jews and hated them. In fact, anti-Semitism was one of the fundamental views of their ideology and formed the basis of their worldview.
The Nazis unjustly accused Jews of causing social, economic, political and cultural problems in Germany. In particular, they held the Jews responsible for Germany's defeat in World War I (1914–1918). Some Germans accepted these claims of the Nazis. Anger over the loss of the war and the subsequent economic and political crises led to a further increase in anti-Semitism in German society. Instability in Germany during the Weimar Republic (1918–1933), fear of communism, and economic crises caused by the Great Depression caused Germans to become more open to Nazi ideas such as anti-Semitism.
The chart is titled: “Die Nurnberger Gesetze” [Nuremberg Racial Laws].
The chart is titled: “Die Nurnberger Gesetze” [Nuremberg Racial Laws]. The columns of the chart describe: “Deutschbluetiger” [German bloods], “Mischling 2. Grades” [Mulattos 2nd Grade], “Mischling 1. Grades” [Mulattos 1st Grade], and “Jude” [Jewish].
US Holocaust Memorial Museum
However, anti-Semitism was not created by the Nazis. Anti-Semitism is an old and widespread prejudice that has appeared in different forms throughout history. Its history in Europe dates back to ancient times. In the Middle Ages (500–1400), prejudices against Jews were based on Christian beliefs and ideas, especially the myth that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus. Misconceptions and prejudices arising from religious prejudices continued in Early Modern Europe (1400–1800). Most leaders in Christian Europe at the time largely isolated Jews from economic, social and political life. This exclusion has led to the emergence of the stereotype that Jews are foreigners. As Europe became more secular, most legal restrictions on Jews were removed in most places. However, this did not mean that anti-Semitism was over. In addition to religion-based anti-Semitism, other forms of anti-Semitism took root in the 18th and 19th centuries. These new forms of anti-Semitism included economic, nationalist, and racist anti-Semitism. In the 19th century, anti-Semites claimed that Jews were responsible for many of the social and political problems in modern industrial society. Theories of race, eugenics (a set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population.) and Social Darwinism have wrongly made these hatreds seem reasonable. The Nazis' prejudice against Jews drew on all of these arguments, especially race-based anti-Semitism. Racial anti-Semitism is a discriminatory idea based on the idea that Jews belong to a different and inferior race.
The Nazi Party adopted a more dangerous form of race-based anti-Semitism. This idea underlies the party's race-based worldview. The Nazis believed that the world was divided into certain races and that some races were superior to others. They thought that Germans belonged to the supposedly superior "Aryan" race. They claimed that members of the "Aryan" race were in a struggle for existence against other less valuable races. Moreover, the Nazis believed that the so-called “Jewish race” was more worthless and dangerous than all other races. According to the Nazis, Jews were a threat that should be removed from German society. Otherwise, the Nazis insisted, the “Jewish race” would permanently corrupt and ruin the Germans. The Nazi definition of Jews based on race included many people who identified themselves as Christians and did not embrace the Jewish faith.
The Holocaust was an initiative by Nazi Germany that took place in parts of Europe under the control of Germany and the Axis powers. Almost the entire Jewish population in Europe, which numbered 9 million in 1933, was affected by the Holocaust.
The Holocaust began in Germany after Adolf Hitler was appointed chancellor in January 1933. Immediately after this development, the Nazi Germany regime (they also called themselves the Third Reich) isolated the Jews from the economic, political, social and cultural life in Germany. Throughout the 1930s, Jews were increasingly pressured by the regime to emigrate.
However, Nazi persecution of Jews extended beyond Germany's borders. An aggressive foreign policy was adopted by Nazi Germany throughout the 1930s. These policies were followed by World War II, which started in Europe in 1939.. As Germany expanded its territory before and during the war, millions more Jews came under German control.
Nazi Germany began to expand its territory in 1938-1939. In this process, Germany annexed neighboring Austria and the Sudetenland and also occupied Czech lands. Nazi Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, starting the World War II (1939–1945). In the following two years, most of Europe, including the west of the Soviet Union, was captured and occupied by Germany. Nazi Germany further increased its control power by establishing alliances with the states of Italy, Hungary and Bulgaria. It also established the puppet states in Slovakia and Croatia. All of these countries were European members of the Axis Alliance, which included Japan.
By 1942, as a result of conquests, occupations and alliances, most of Europe and part of North Africa were controlled by Nazi Germany. Nazi control brought with it harsh policies and ultimately mass murder for Jews throughout Europe.
The Nazis, their allies and collaborators murdered six million Jews.
Germany conquers Europe, 1939– 1942
II. In World War II, Germany struggled to defeat its rivals in Europe with short-term operations. Germany quickly overran much of Europe and held power for over two years. Germany occupied Poland (attacked in September 1939), Denmark (April 1940), Norway (April 1940), Belgium (May 1940), Netherlands (May 1940), Luxembourg (May 1940), France (May 1940), Yugoslavia (April 1941) and Greece (April 1941). However, Germany could not defeat England as the latter was protected against land attacks by the English Channel and the Royal Navy. On July 22, 1941, Nazi Germany suddenly invaded the Soviet Union. However, Germany was unable to defeat the Soviet Union, which, together with Britain and the United States, turned the tide of the war and eventually defeated Germany in May 1945.
US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany, its allies and collaborators implemented numerous anti-Semitic policies and measures. These policies varied by location. Therefore, not all Jews encountered the Holocaust in the same way. However, under all circumstances, millions of people with Jewish identity have been persecuted.
The persecution of Jews in areas controlled by and/or affiliated with Germany occured in various ways:
As a result of these policies, many Jews lost their lives. On the other hand, the systematic mass murder of all Jews until 1941 was not a Nazi policy. However, starting from 1941, Nazi leaders decided to carry out the mass murder of European Jews. This plan was called the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question".
The Nazis' "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" ("Endlösung der Judenfrage") plan refers to the deliberate and systematic murder of Jews in Europe. This is the final phase of the Holocaust and took place between 1941 and 1945. Although many Jews died before the “Final Solution” was implemented, the vast majority of Jewish victims were murdered during this period.
Unidentified soldiers of Einsatzgruppe C (Mobilized Killing Unit C) look through the belongings of Jews murdered in the ravine of Babi Yar.
US Holocaust Memorial Museum
Nazi Germany committed mass murder on an unprecedented scale as part of the “Final Solution.” Two methods were used to carry out the massacre. One of these methods was shooting (mass murder with a gun). German troops committed mass murders with guns on the outskirts of villages, towns and cities in Eastern Europe. The other method was oxygen deprivation through poisonous gas. Massacres using gas were carried out in killing centers and through mobilized gas trucks.
Mass Massacres with Guns
The Nazi Germany regime committed mass murder of civilians with weapons on an unprecedented scale. After the Soviet Union was invaded by Germany in June 1941, German troops began mass murdering local Jews with weapons. These units primarily targeted Jewish men of military age. However, starting from August 1941, they began to completely massacre Jewish communities. These massacres were usually carried out in broad daylight and within sight and hearing of the local population.
Mass murders by gun were committed in more than 1,500 cities, towns and villages in Eastern Europe. German troops assigned to murder local Jews wandered around the region and committed atrocious massacres. Troops usually entered a town and gathered Jewish civilians together. They then took the Jewish residents of the settlement towards the outskirts of the town. They then forced the Jews to dig a mass grave or took them to a spot where the mass grave had already been prepared. Finally, German troops or local auxiliary troops shot all the men, women and children so that they fell into these pits. Specially designed mobilized gas trucks were sometimes used in these massacres. The perpetrators used these trucks to suffocate the victims with carbon monoxide gas in the exhaust.
The Germans also committed mass murders with weapons in the killing fields in the countries they occupied in the east of Germany. These areas were generally located near major cities. These areas include Fort IX in Kovno (Kaunas), Rumbula and Bikernieki Forests in Riga, and Maly Trostenets near Minsk. The Germans and their local collaborators murdered hundreds of thousands of Jews from the Kovno, Riga and Minsk ghettos in these killing fields. Tens of thousands of German, Austrian and Czech Jews were also shot in these killing fields. Thousands of victims were also killed in gas trucks in Maly Trostenets.
Among the German units that committed mass murder with weapons in the countries in the east of Germany were the Einsatzgruppen (SS special task forces and police), Public Order Police battalions and Waffen-SS units. Logistical support and manpower were provided by the German army (Wehrmacht). Some Wehrmacht units also committed massacres. In many places, local auxiliary units working with the SS participated in mass murders with weapons. These auxiliary units consisted of local civilians, military members and police officers.
Almost 2 million Jews were murdered in mass shootings or gas trucks in the lands captured from Soviet Union.
Members of the Storm Troopers (SA) are blocking customers from entering a Jewish-owned store with boycott banners.
Members of the Storm Troopers (SA) are blocking customers from entering a Jewish-owned store with boycott banners. One of the banners suggests: "Germans! Defend yourselves! Don't buy from Jews!" Berlin, Germany, 1 April 1933.
National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD
Towards the end of 1941, the Nazi regime began to build specially designed fixed killing centers in German-occupied Poland. Killing centers are sometimes called “extermination camps” or “death camps.” Five killing centers were operated by Nazi Germany: Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka and Auschwitz-Birkenau. These killing centers were built for the sole purpose of mass murdering Jews more efficiently. The main methods used to kill Jews in killing centers were poisonous gases given in closed gas chambers or trucks.
German authorities, with the help of their allies and collaborators, transported Jews from all over Europe to these killing centers. The process of transporting Jews to killing centers was called "resettlement activities" or "evacuation transports", thus hiding the real intention behind these activities. Most of these deportations were made by trains. German authorities used Europe's extensive railway system, among other transportation methods, to efficiently transport Jews to killing centers. Most of the cars on the trains were freight cars; sometimes passenger wagons were used.
Conditions during these forced exile were terrible. German and collaborator local authorities forced Jews of all ages to board overcrowded wagons. Jews sometimes had to stand for days until the train reached its destination. The perpetrators did not provide food, water, toilets or medical aid to the Jews. Jews died during the journey, often due to inhumane conditions.
“My mother ran towards me and grabbed my shoulders and said, 'Leibele, I won't be able to see you anymore. "Take care of your brother," he said. —This is how Leo Schneiderman described his arrival at Auschwitz, and his separation from his family.
The majority of Jews sent to killing centers were gassed almost immediately after arriving at the killing center. Some Jews, who were considered healthy and strong by the German authorities, were selected for forced labor.
German authorities forced some Jewish inmates to assist in the killing at these five killing centers. These inmates were tasked with sorting victims' personal belongings and removing victims' bodies from the gas chambers, among other jobs. Special Nazi forces have disposed of millions of bodies by burying them in mass graves, burning them in fire pits, or burning them in large, specially designed crematoriums.
Approximately 2.7 million Jewish men, women and children were murdered in these five killing centers.
Ghettos are urban areas or towns where German occupiers forced Jews to live in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. German authorities generally demarcated these areas with walls or other barriers. The guards prevented the Jews from going out without permission. Some ghettos remained in place for years, while others were occupied for only a few months, a few weeks, or even a few days until the ghetto's inhabitants were deported or massacred.
German authorities created the first ghettos in German-occupied Poland in 1939–1940. The last two ghettos were located in Warsaw and Lodz (Łódź) in occupied Poland. Starting in June 1941, German authorities continued to create ghettos in the newly captured lands in Eastern Europe, following Germany's attacks on the Soviet Union. German authorities, their allies and collaborators also created ghettos in other parts of Europe. Particularly in 1944, German and Hungarian authorities created temporary ghettos to round up and control Jews before deporting them from Hungary.
Purpose of Ghettos
German authorities actually created ghettos to isolate and control the large Jewish population in the occupied Eastern Europe. Initially, they gathered the Jews living in a city and the area or region around the city into these ghettos. However, starting from 1941, German authorities also deported Jews from other parts of Europe (including Germany) to some of these ghettos.
Forced labor of Jews has been a key feature of most ghettos. The purpose of forced labor was, in theory, to help pay the administrative costs of the ghetto and to support Germany's war effort. In order to benefit more from the Jews imprisoned in the ghettos, factories and workshops were sometimes established close to the ghettos. The jobs that Jews were made to do were generally manual and tiring.
Life in Ghettos
Daily life in the Warsaw ghetto: There was a bridge connecting various parts of the Warsaw ghetto in order to prevent Jews from crossing into the streets outside. Before the ghetto was sealed, there were checkpoints at several entrance and exit gates. Although life seemed to continue normally in the first months of the ghetto's establishment, in a very short time the inadequacy of food and shelter created problems. -National Center for Jewish Film
Life in the ghettos was full of misery and danger. There was little food, hygiene conditions were very poor, and health services were very limited. Hundreds of thousands of people lost their lives from hunger, uncontrollable diseases, extreme temperatures and exhaustion due to forced labor. The Germans also murdered the Jews imprisoned in the ghettos by brutally beating them, shooting them at will, torturing them, and using spontaneous violence.
Jews in the ghettos sought various ways to maintain their dignity and communal lives. Schools, libraries, social welfare services, and religious facilities provided some level of connection between ghetto residents. Efforts to document life in the ghettos, such as the Oneg Shabbat archive and secretly taken photographs, are impressive examples of the moral resilience exhibited. There were also underground movements that carried out armed resistance in most ghettos. The most famous of these was the Warsaw ghetto uprising in 1943.
Liquidation of GhettosThe Germans, their allies and collaborators massacred the ghetto residents and dismantled the administrative structures in the ghettos starting from 1941-1942. This process was called "liquidation". This was carried out as part of the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question”. Most of the Jews in the ghettos were murdered through mass shootings at nearby killing grounds or after being deported to killing centers. Most of the killing centers were deliberately built near ghettos or were easily accessible by railway in the German-occupied Poland.
The idea of committing genocide against the Jews in Europe at the highest level was instilled, approved and supported by Adolf Hitler. However, Hitler did not act alone. Hitler did not put forward a definitive plan for the implementation of the Final Solution. It was the other Nazi leaders who directly coordinated, planned and carried out the mass murders. These leaders include Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heydrich and Adolf Eichmann.
However, millions of German and other European citizens participated in the Holocaust. Without their participation, the genocide of the Jews in Europe would not have been possible. Nazi leaders relied on German institutions and organizations, other Axis powers, and the public.
German Institutions, Organizations and People
Hitler rehearsing his speech
Hitler rehearses his speech. Hitler carefully crafted his own image as the leader of the Nazi Party.
Bayerische Staatsbibliothek München
Nazi leaders relied on German institutions and organizations to carry out the Holocaust. Members of Nazi organizations, World War II. He initiated and carried out many anti-Semitic actions before or during World War II. These organizations included the Nazi Party, the SA (Storm Troops or Brown Shirts), and the SS (Schutzstaffel, Protection Battalion). When the war began, the SS and its affiliated police forces became particularly dangerous. Members of the Sicherheitsdienst (SD), the Gestapo, the Anti-Crime Police (Kripo) and the Public Order Police played a particularly active and lethal role in the mass murder of Jews in Europe. Other German institutions involved in the implementation of the Final Solution include the German army, the German national railway and health systems, the German civil service and criminal justice systems, and German businesses, insurance companies and banks.
Countless German soldiers, police officers, civil servants, lawyers, judges, businessmen, engineers, doctors and nurses who were members of these institutions chose to implement the policies of the regime. Ordinary German citizens also participated in the Holocaust in different ways. Some Germans also applauded the violence or humiliation inflicted on Jews. Others reacted against the Jews for not complying with racist laws and regulations. Many Germans bought, appropriated, or plundered the belongings and property of their Jewish neighbors. German participation in the Holocaust was motivated by excitement, desire for promotion, fear, greed, personal interests, anti-Semitism, and political ideas, among other factors.
Non-German Governments and Institutions: Nazi Germany did not organize the Holocaust on its own. He relied on allies and collaborators who supported Nazi Germany. “Allies” in this context refers to the Axis powers that were officially allies of Nazi Germany. “Collaborators” refer to regimes and organizations that cooperate officially or semi-officially with German authorities. Allies and collaborators of Nazi Germany include:
The terms “allies” and “collaborators” may also refer to individuals associated with these governments and organizations
Other Peoples in Europe
People throughout Europe who were not affiliated with any government or institution and who did not directly participate in the murder of Jews also contributed to the Holocaust.
One of the worst things neighbors, acquaintances, co-workers, and even friends could do was to report Jews to the authorities of Nazi Germany. The number of people who choose to do this is unknown. These people gave away the hiding places of the Jews, exposed people with false Christian identities, and told the Nazi authorities who were Jews. By doing this, they caused the Jews to be killed. The reasons underlying these people's behavior were very different: fear, individual interests, ambition, revenge, anti-Semitism, political and ideological interests.
There were also people who benefited from the Holocaust. Non-Jews moved into Jewish homes, took over Jewish-owned businesses, and stole Jewish property and valuables. This is part of the widespread acts of theft and looting that accompany genocide.
People often contributed to the Holocaust by not taking action and remaining unresponsive to the plight of their Jewish neighbors. These people are sometimes called bystanders.
The Holocaust refers to the systematic persecution and massacres carried out with state support against six million Jews. But there were also millions of other victims of Nazi persecution and massacres. In the 1930s, the regime also targeted different groups within German society that were claimed to be internal enemies. Millions of other Europeans were also subjected to Nazi brutality as the Nazi regime expanded its reach during World War II.
The Nazis primarily defined Jews as "enemies". However, they also targeted other groups that they saw as a threat to the health, unity and security of the German people. The first group targeted by the Nazi regime consisted of political opponents. Opponents included officials and members of other political parties and labor union activists. Political opponents also included people who were feared to be opposing the Nazi regime or criticizing the regime. Political enemies were the first group to be imprisoned in Nazi concentration camps. Jehovah's Witnesses were also held in prisons and concentration camps. Jehovah's Witnesses were arrested because they refused to swear allegiance to the government and serve in the German army.
The Nazi regime also targeted Germans whose actions were considered harmful to German society. These included gays, individuals accused of being professional criminals or habitual criminals, and the so-called outcasts (such as homeless people, beggars, prostitutes, pimps, and alcoholics). In this way, tens of thousands of victims were imprisoned in prisons and concentration camps. Germans of African descent were also forcibly castrated and tortured by the regime.
Disabled people were also persecuted by the Nazi regime. Before World War II, Germans who were considered to have genetically ill health were forcibly castrated. After the war began, Nazi policies became even more radical. Disabled people, especially those living in healthcare facilities, have been seen as a genetic and financial burden on Germany's shoulders. It was aimed to kill these people with the program called "Euthanasia Program".
The Nazi regime implemented extreme measures against groups viewed as racially, civilizationally or ideologically hostile. These include Roma (Gypsies), Poles (especially Polish intellectuals and elites), Soviet officials and Soviet prisoners of war. The Nazis also carried out mass murders against these groups.
Defeat of Nazi Germany, 1942– 1945
US Holocaust Memorial Museum
The Holocaust ended in May 1945 when the Allied forces (the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union) defeated the Nazi Germany in World War II. Allied forces carried out attacks and captured concentration camps in Europe. Most Jewish prisoners who survived in these camps were released. The Allies also encountered survivors of the so-called death marches and released them. These forced marches included Jewish and non-Jewish concentration camp prisoners who were evacuated on foot from camps under SS supervision.
However, the freedom of the Jews was not enough to end the events. Many Holocaust survivors were subjected to violent anti-Semitism and threats of displacement as they built a new life. While most Jews lost their family members, some of them struggled for years to find their lost parents, children and siblings.
Despite Nazi Germany's efforts to murder all Jews in Europe, some Jews managed to survive the Holocaust. Those who survived did so in different ways. But in each case, the survival of some Jews was made possible by a chance combination of extraordinary circumstances, choices, the help of others (both Jews and non-Jews), and sheer luck.
Survivors in Parts of Europe Not Under German Control
Some Jews survived the Holocaust by escaping German-controlled parts of Europe. Although there were serious obstacles to immigration, hundreds of thousands of Jews emigrated from Nazi Germany before the start of World War II. Those who emigrated to the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries not under German control escaped Nazi violence. Some Jews managed to escape parts of Europe under German control even after the Second World War began. For example, approximately 200,000 Polish Jews fled German-occupied Poland. These Jews were deported further east to the interior of the Soviet Union by the Soviet authorities and survived the war under very difficult conditions.
Survivors in German-Controlled Parts of Europe
The number of Jews who were saved in the German-controlled lands of Europe is lower. These Jews were usually saved with the help of others. Rescue efforts ranged from isolated individual actions to organized networks large and small. Across Europe, some non-Jews took serious risks to save their Jewish neighbors, friends, or strangers. For example, they found hiding places for Jews, forged documents for a protective Christian identity, or provided Jews with food and other supplies. Other Jews were saved by partisan resistance movements. Finally, some Jews managed to survive concentration camps, ghettos, and even killing centers against incredible odds.
Although the Holocaust ended with the war, the horrific legacy of genocide it left behind has not ended. II. When World War II ended, six million Jews and millions of other people lost their lives. Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators destroyed or completely destroyed thousands of Jewish settlements across Europe.
Defeat of Nazi Germany, 1942– 1945
US Holocaust Memorial Museum
In the aftermath of the Holocaust, Jewish survivors were left with the shocking reality of completely losing their families or communities. Some have decided to return home and rebuild their lives in Europe. Many avoided it out of great fear of post-war violence and anti-Semitism. Jews who were unable or unwilling to return to their homes in the immediate aftermath of the war often found themselves in displaced persons camps. Many of those living in these camps had to wait for years before being able to migrate to other places.
After the Holocaust, the world had great difficulty understanding and accepting the horror of the genocide, commemorating the victims, and holding the perpetrators accountable. Efforts towards these are still continuing.
Last Edited: Mar 15, 2022
Source: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/tr/article/introduction-to-the-holocaust
