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The Beginning
The Holocaust era began in January 1933 when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. The Holocaust is also sometimes referred to as “the Shoah,” the Hebrew word for “catastrophe.” When they came to power in Germany, the Nazis did not immediately start to carry out mass murder. -
Boycott of Jewish-Owned business
When they came to power in Germany, the Nazis did not immediately start to carry out mass murder, the Nazi German regime enacted discriminatory laws and organized violence targeting Germany’s Jews. -
What was the Holocaust?
The Holocaust (1933–1945) was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million European Jews by the Nazi German regime -
What was the final solution
The “Final Solution” was the organized and systematic mass murder of European Jews. The Nazi German regime implemented this genocide between 1941 and 1945. -
Why were the Jews targeted?
The Nazis targeted Jews because the Nazis were radically antisemitic. This means that they were prejudiced against and hated Jews. There was no justified reason except for the fact that they were hated by hitler. The Nazis falsely accused Jews of causing Germany’s social, economic, political, and cultural problems. In particular, they blamed them for Germany’s defeat in World War I (1914–1918). -
Where did the holocaust take place?
The Holocaust was a Nazi German initiative that took place throughout German- and Axis-controlled Europe. -
How did Nazi Germany and its allies persecute Jewish people?
Between 1933 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its allies and collaborators implemented a wide range of anti-Jewish policies and measures. These policies varied from place to place. Thus, not all Jews experienced the Holocaust in the same way. -
Individuals across Europe
One of the deadliest things that neighbors, acquaintances, colleagues, and even friends could do was denounce Jews to Nazi German authorities. An unknown number chose to do so. They revealed Jews’ hiding places, unmasked false Christian identities, and otherwise identified Jews to Nazi officials. In doing so, they brought about their deaths. -
Territorial expansion
Nazi Germany’s territorial expansion began in 1938–1939. Germany annexed neighboring Austria and the Sudetenland and occupied the Czech lands. -
World War 2
September 1, 1939, Nazi Germany began World War II 1939–1945 by attacking Poland, Over the next two years, Germany invaded and occupied much of Europe, including western parts of the Soviet Union. Nazi Germany further extended its control by forming alliances with the governments of Italy, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. -
Who was responsible for carrying out the Holocaust and the Final Solution?
At the highest level, Adolf Hitler inspired, ordered, approved, and supported the genocide of Europe’s Jews. However, Hitler did not act alone. Nor did he lay out an exact plan for the implementation of the Final Solution. Other Nazi leaders were the ones who directly coordinated, planned, and implemented the mass murder. Among them were Hermann Göring, Heinrich Himmler, Reinhard Heydrich, and Adolf Eichmann. -
The final solution
Many Jews died as a result of these policies. But before 1941, the systematic mass murder of all Jews was not Nazi policy. Beginning in 1941, however, Nazi leaders decided to implement the mass murder of Europe’s Jews. They referred to this plan as the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question.” -
World War 2
By 1942, Nazi Germany controlled most of Europe and parts of North Africa. Nazi control brought harsh policies and ultimately mass murder to Jewish civilians across Europe. The Nazis and their allies and collaborators murdered six million Jews. -
ending of holocaust
In a period marked by intense fighting on both the eastern and western fronts of World War II, Nazi Germany also intensified its pursuit of the “Final Solution.” These years saw systematic deportations of millions of Jews to increasingly efficient killing centers using poison gas. -
After 1945
By May 1945, the Germans and their collaborators had murdered six million European Jews as part of a systematic plan of genocide the Holocaust. When Allied troops entered the concentration camps, they discovered piles of corpses, bones, and human ashes testimony to Nazi mass murder.
