Defining the Holocaust
The Holocaust
- Used to describe the execution of six million Jews
- To Hitler, it was the “Final Solution” to the Jew Question
- Many who died did so as a result of starvation and disease
- Jews were not the only people targeted for death
- Despite evidence, Holocaust still vehemently denied by some
The Holocaust, a Greek word meaning a sacrifice brought forth to burn on an altar ("The Holocaust", 2009) is the term used to describe one of the greatest atrocities and tragedies to ever befall mankind. In its wake, some six million Jews were executed at the hands of the Nazi regime and its collaborators. People were killed not only for being Jewish, but also if they were considered Gypsies, Poles, Socialists, Communists and Jehovah’s Witnesses, the sick, elderly, the very young and homosexuals. However, the Jews were the main targets.
While anti-Semitism did not begin with Adolf Hitler, he considered Jews the true enemy of the Germans. He blamed them for Germany losing the First World War. While he was in prison on treason charges, Hitler began his book, Mein Kampf. In it, he essentially outlined his vision of a pure, German race, called the Aryans and the elimination of the Jewish race in Germany. After the ascension of the Nazi Party, and the death of Paul von Hindenburg, Hitler appointed himself the supreme ruler of Germany, thus allowing him to carry out his vision of Jewish extermination.
While anti-Semitism did not begin with Adolf Hitler, he considered Jews the true enemy of the Germans. He blamed them for Germany losing the First World War. While he was in prison on treason charges, Hitler began his book, Mein Kampf. In it, he essentially outlined his vision of a pure, German race, called the Aryans and the elimination of the Jewish race in Germany. After the ascension of the Nazi Party, and the death of Paul von Hindenburg, Hitler appointed himself the supreme ruler of Germany, thus allowing him to carry out his vision of Jewish extermination.
For those who were not immediately executed, many were sent to live in terrible living conditions in concentration camps. Many imprisoned there died from starvation or diseases such as typhus. Often, those who became sick or weakened, were then sent to be executed, whether by gas chambers, or simply shot, often times execution style. Josef Mengele, sometimes referred to as the Angel of Death, became notorious for the inhumane experiments he performed on prisoners in Auschwitz ("Josef Mengele", n.d.), most notably for his fascination with twins and those born with different colored irises.
Josef Mengele, German physician
In light of all the evidence supporting the Holocaust, to this day, there are many, and not just fringe conspiracy theorists who believe the Holocaust either never happened, or did not happen or occur as severe as the facts stated. A simple Google search of the words, The Holocaust, and one of the suggestions Google presents is The Holocaust is a lie. There are those who feel the Holocaust was used to make Jews rich off of a lie, and some have even used the term, “Holohoax ("Combating Holocaust Denial: Evidence of The Holocaust Presented At Nuremberg", n.d.).”
References
- The Holocaust. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/the-holocaust
- Josef Mengele. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007060
- Combating Holocaust Denial: Evidence of the Holocaust presented at Nuremberg. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007271
Credit: Krystal