What Was the Holocaust?

Some people use the term “holocaust” to refer generally to mass loss of life, but most people use it specifically to refer to the extermination of millions of people in minority ethnic, religious, and social groups under the Nazi regime during the 1930s and 1940s. Most notably, an estimated six million European Jews died during the Holocaust, which also claimed the lives of Serbs, Slavs, Russians, gypsies, homosexuals, people with disabilities, political activists, prisoners of war, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Freemasons, among others. Many people view this time as an especially dark and shameful period in European history.

The groundwork for the Holocaust was laid in 1933, when Germans elected Adolf Hitler as their Chancellor. Many Germans welcomed Hitler's plans to revitalize the German economy, which was suffering after the First World War. Hitler had a more sinister plan for Germany, however; he wanted to develop a “master race” of Aryan people, getting rid of those he viewed as undesirable and eventually conquering all of Europe.

Hitler began enacting his scheme slowly, first using the law to force “undesirables,” such as Jews, out of German society. The gradual acceleration of his plans for Germany may have masked the reality of what he was doing to many people, including ranking members of the German military. In 1939, Germany invaded Poland, triggering World War II, and the Nazi regime also embarked on a “final solution” for the Jews, embarking on one of the most horrific examples of mass genocide in human history.

While many accounts focus specifically on the atrocities perpetrated against the European Jewish community, Hitler's “final solution” included the extermination of a number of other undesirable groups as well. He attempted to eliminate the Slavs and Serbs, whom he viewed as racially impure, and he was intolerant of other religions as well, including some branches of Christianity. Hitler also viewed his final solution as an opportunity to get rid of social undesirables, like homosexuals, political activists, and people who were disabled or mentally ill.

Many people were killed outright during the Holocaust, while others were sent to forced labor camps where they were used as slaves to produce a variety of goods, ranging from shoes to food. In 1942, Hitler became impatient with the progress of his scheme, and several extermination camps were established. These camps were specifically designed for the purpose of mass murder, and their inmates were first shot and buried and later gassed and burned en masse when burial proved inefficient. Residents of the camps ranged from prisoners of war to enemies of the state, and some of them endured medical experimentation and other abuses before they were murdered.

Evidence suggests that the Allied powers were well aware of what was happening in Germany before decisive action was taken, but they may not have been aware of the extent of the Holocaust. The first Allied troops to enter the camps were horrified by the things they found there, ranging from inmates who were so thin that they looked like walking skeletons to the evidence of mass graves. Many images of the camps can be seen in museums around the world, including in several museums established specifically to commemorate the events.

Looking back on the events of this period, some people have accused the German people of complacency, arguing that they must have known about the events occurring in forced labor and concentration camps in Germany. This does not give the German people enough credit, however, and many individuals spoke up for their Jewish neighbors and friends. Some risked their lives to help people escape from the Nazis. While some sectors of German society may have been complacent or even tolerant of the events that took place, others were disturbed by Hitler's regime, and modern Germans still deal with the legacy of this terrible event in European history. If anything, it is a grim illustration of what can happen when people become afraid of their government.

Many people hope that by publicizing the events of the Holocaust and keeping it in the minds of all citizens, a repeat of this event will never occur.