why did the holocaust happen?

Question

as detailed as possible please. history project help!

Answer 1

The holocaust was an attempt to purify the Germanic aryan race of social and ethnic corruption. The aim was to strengthen a perceived teutonic master-race and foster it back to purity in an attempt to return Gernamy to power.

The reality turned out to be a political/ethnic hate crime. anyone deemed subversive politically, religiously or socially were sent to what eventually turned into death-camps.

Internees were not just Jewish, but blacks, gypsies, and Homosexuals, Jehovah's Wittnesses, as well as political dissenters.

The greatest Irony is that Hitler Himself was part Jewish, but never felt the lash of the Teutonic/Aryan Purge.

Answer 2

Britain did not declare war on Germany because of the holocaust. Infact most of the major attrocities happened after the war was declared because the Germans knew they were running out of time.

Hitler needed a 'scapegoat' (Use this word) with which to blame alot of Germany's problems during his rise to power, at the time there was alot of hatred of the Jews as they had good jobs etc. and therefore they were the perfect scapegoat for his problems. Also, when the German government surrendered in WW1 and accepted the terms of the Treaty of Versailles alot of its members were Jewish. Causing more hatred.

We must also remember that it wasn't only the Jews affected by the holocaust. Other groups such as gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally and physically disabled. These were all persecuted.
If Germany haden't invaded Poland Britain and France would not have declared war. But then again, if Germany hadn't invaded Poland the holocaust proberably would not have happened.

If you live anywhere near the Imperial War Museum in London I suggest you go there because the Holocaust exhibition is fantastic, but be warned it is not for the faint of heart.

Oh, and I think holocaust means 'burned sacrifice' or something like that in Greek.

Answer 3

See if your library has Paul Johnson's Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties (HarperPerennial, 1992). Chapter 3, Waiting for Hitler, has a discussion which continues from previous that describes the frame of mind, both the general cultural context, as well as the development, or evolution if you would, of Hilter. Hitler, as with Lenin, had no intrinsic value for people. Earlier (and later, like around p. 380 in chapter 11), there is a picture of the cultural and ethnic tensions in early-20th century europe. See Johnson's "social engineering" commentary on page 413-422.

Johnson is a tad bit tough to read, somewhat better than Aldous Huxley's History of the World, but insightfully descriptive. He is also a highly rated historian, so your instructors won't balk at the reference (and of course, his book is nicely documented, so use it as a source of other sources). It is worth the effort.

By the way, check the link below for some ideas that might be useful. Think of it as context.

Answer 4

The Nazis believed that they had been stabbed in the back by the Jews and the Communists, and that they had been the people that had stabbed the German people in the back.
You could also look up 'Blood and Soil', this was the ideology that the German people were linked to the land on which they lived through birth, it also promoted racial ideology.
The Jews, Gypsies, Homosexuals and disabled were initially shot, it was only when that the Nazi hierarchy realised that the shooting of them was effecting the soldiers on a psychological level and that is why they introduced gassing and burning.

Answer 5

although the holocaust affected other ethnic groups such as gypsies and homosexuals, its mostly remembered as the persecution of the jews... hitler had racist views from his time as a student in vienna (although it is debated why - it is thought that he either 1; caught syphillis from a jewish prostitute or 2; was conned by a jewish businessman who had dealings in his art : the latter being the more likely). Anti semitism had always been present in europe and so his racial views did not hinder his electoral progress and.on coming to power hitler introduced many anti jew laws strating with the one day boycott of jewish businesses. this had been planned for 3 weeks but international intervenmtion - mainly from america - cut this to one day. members of the SA taunted jews and people who used their businesses, although most German people ignored this and went about their day as usual. then we come to the act for the protection of the people and the state which forbade inter marriage between aryans (germanic peoples) and jews and also jews who hadnt fought in world war one were sacked from civil service jobs and jewish doctors and lawyers were banned from practising their trade in germany. Then there was kristalnaght where the SA (brownshirts) vandalized jewish properties and synagogues and many if not most jews were at this point moved to wa;ed ghettos where they lived guarded from the outside by german nazi soldiers. during the war the nazis introduced the idea of moving all jews to madagascarbut this did not materialise and the nazis came upon the final solution. it is important to remember that the german public in general had little or no idea of what was happening at these camps and many german people continued to support their jewish friends throughout the intriduction of these laws and some evn helped their neighbours to hide. it is also worth remembering that hitler never had a majority vote in germany. The holocaust was not always intended. Sorry my dates are not present but i didnt want to give you wrong ones :-) hope that helps you out ***some of the above information is wrong! The holocaust did actively happen in an organized fashion until the start of the war. Britain did not know of what was happening in the german death camps and so Britain did not declare war on germany because of the hoocaust - they declared war beacause of hitlers invasion of Poland.***

Answer 6

In Hitler's youth he showed talent as an artist but when he applied to art school he was turned down and it happened that those who turned him down here Jewish. Then he was poor and saw the Jews doing well with their businesses and got jealous and hated them.

Also, Hitler belived in a "Master Race" and he considered Jews to be inferior, alongside Muslims, Hindus, the rest of the world etc.

So, when he got into power, guess what happened?

Answer 7

Jews are God's chosen people, that's why the holocaust happened.

Answer 8

because after ww1 germany was tired of being blamed for everything and they were easily pusuaded by hitler that the jewish were the cause of their troubles because most jewish people did better off then most germans after the war
then hitler brain washed the german childeren and young boys they were better because they had blond hair blue eyes...
get it?
ur still in school : - (
sorry

Answer 9

Hitler disliked the Jews, and decided to kill them all.

Britain, as usual, ignored the problem until it affected them, then acted by trying to kill all Germans.

Answer 10

Because the rest of the world let it.