The Holocaust:
A 20th Century Turning Point
Kaitlyn Tenn, Lindsay Behnke, Andrea Agudelo, Courtney Zaher, Annette Rotunno
Overview of the Holocaust
The word Holocaust comes from the Greek words burned whole, however since the 1960’s it has become more commonly known as the execution of more than 6 million Europeans, a majority of which were Jewish. The man behind the mass murder was Adolf Hitler.
In 1933 Germany entered the period known as the Holocaust. Before this time, Germany had just faced a humiliating defeat in World War I, with the Treaty of Versailles partially to blame. With their defeat came large economic problems, and a new political party came to power – the Nazi party. “The Nazis incited clashes with the communists and conducted a vicious propaganda campaign against its political opponents - the weak Weimar government and the Jews whom the Nazis blamed for Germany's ills” (jewishvirtuallibrary.org).
With someone to blame for the German’s economic failure, it was “logical” that the solution would be to eliminate the source of their problems. “By 1945, the Germans and their collaborators killed nearly two out of every three European Jews as part of the "Final Solution," the Nazi policy to murder the Jews of Europe” (ushmm.org). To execute the Jews, the Nazis developed a system of concentration camps in which the Jews were forced to live and work under harsh conditions. These camps were a key component in the Nazi regime, and helped the Nazis annihilate the Jews.
“In the final months of the war, SS guards moved camp inmates by train or on forced marches, often called “death marches,” in an attempt to prevent the Allied liberation of large numbers of prisoners” (ushmm.org). On May 7, 1945 the Nazis surrendered to the Allied forces, marking the end of World War II. The Holocaust would come to be known as the most famous genocide in history. The infamous genocide opened the world’s eyes and created one of the greatest turning points in the history of the world.
In 1933 Germany entered the period known as the Holocaust. Before this time, Germany had just faced a humiliating defeat in World War I, with the Treaty of Versailles partially to blame. With their defeat came large economic problems, and a new political party came to power – the Nazi party. “The Nazis incited clashes with the communists and conducted a vicious propaganda campaign against its political opponents - the weak Weimar government and the Jews whom the Nazis blamed for Germany's ills” (jewishvirtuallibrary.org).
With someone to blame for the German’s economic failure, it was “logical” that the solution would be to eliminate the source of their problems. “By 1945, the Germans and their collaborators killed nearly two out of every three European Jews as part of the "Final Solution," the Nazi policy to murder the Jews of Europe” (ushmm.org). To execute the Jews, the Nazis developed a system of concentration camps in which the Jews were forced to live and work under harsh conditions. These camps were a key component in the Nazi regime, and helped the Nazis annihilate the Jews.
“In the final months of the war, SS guards moved camp inmates by train or on forced marches, often called “death marches,” in an attempt to prevent the Allied liberation of large numbers of prisoners” (ushmm.org). On May 7, 1945 the Nazis surrendered to the Allied forces, marking the end of World War II. The Holocaust would come to be known as the most famous genocide in history. The infamous genocide opened the world’s eyes and created one of the greatest turning points in the history of the world.