How long did holocaust

There was also a great deal of pressure to conform. Even if people were not antisemitic to begin with, Nazi leaders and propaganda provided ample reasons to help them, with time, to come around to this point of view. Few people were brave enough to publicly speak out or to help Jews, especially when they could be arrested or executed for doing so. The Nazi Party was founded in It sought to lure German workers away from socialism and communism and commit them to its antisemitic and anti-Marxist ideology.

It attracted support from influential people in the military, big business, and society. The Party also absorbed other radical right-wing groups. Hitler emphasized propaganda to attract attention and interest. He used press and posters to create stirring slogans.

He displayed eye-catching emblems and uniforms. The Party staged many meetings, parades, and rallies. In addition, it created auxiliary organizations to appeal to specific groups. For example, there were groups for youth, women, teachers, and doctors. The Party became particularly popular with German youth and university students. Other politicians thought they could control Hitler and his followers, but the Nazis used emergency decrees, violence, and intimidation to quickly seize control.

The Nazis abolished all other political parties and ruled the country as a one-party, totalitarian dictatorship from to The Party used its power to persecute Jews. It controlled all aspects of German life and waged a war of territorial conquest in Europe from World War II , during which it also carried out a genocide now known as the Holocaust.

Antisemitism , the specific hatred of Jews, had existed in Europe for centuries. The early Christian church had portrayed Jews as unwilling to accept the word of God, or as agents of the devil and murderers of Jesus. This accusation was renounced by the Vatican in the s. During the Middle Ages, State and Church laws restricted Jews, preventing them from owning land and holding public office. Jews were excluded from most occupations, forcing them into pursuits like money-lending, trade, commerce.

They were accused of causing plagues, of murdering children for religious rituals, and of secretly conspiring to dominate the world. None of these accusations were true. The second half of the 19th century saw the emergence of yet another kind of antisemitism.

Antisemites believed racial characteristics could not be overcome by assimilation or even conversion. These ideas gained wide acceptance. When the Nazi Party took power in Germany in , their antisemitic racism became official government policy. Hitler and other Nazi Party leaders played a central role in the Holocaust. In countries across Europe, tens of thousands of ordinary people actively collaborated with German perpetrators of the Holocaust, each for their own reasons, and many more supported or tolerated the crimes.

Millions of ordinary people witnessed the crimes of the Holocaust—in the countryside and city squares, in stores and schools, in homes and workplaces. The Holocaust happened because of millions of individual choices. In much of Europe, government policies, customs, and laws segregated Jews from the rest of the population, relegated them to particular jobs,and prohibited them from owning land. Although life for Jews had improved in many parts of Europe—including Germany—in the century prior to the Holocaust, these prejudices remained.

When the Nazi Party came to power in Germany in , many Germans tolerated Nazi antisemitic policies because they supported Nazi attempts to improve the country economically. There is no credible evidence that Hitler had any Jewish ancestors. Read Adolf Hitler: Early Years — to learn more. The Germans and their collaborators used paper records and local knowledge to identify Jews to be rounded up or killed.

Records included those created by Jewish communities of their members, parish records of Protestant and Catholic churches for converted Jews , government tax records, and police records, including registries of Jews compiled by local, collaborating police. In both Germany and occupied countries, Nazi officials required Jews to identify themselves as Jewish, and many complied, fearing the consequences if they did not.

In many countries occupied by or allied with Germany during World War II, local citizens often showed authorities where their Jewish neighbors lived, if they did not themselves help in rounding them up. Jews in hiding everywhere lived in constant fear of being identified and denounced to officials by individuals in exchange for money or other rewards. Of course, Hitler and many Nazis leaders did not have blonde hair or blue eyes, but as with all racists, their prejudices were not consistent or logical.

This was especially true for Jewish men: circumcision is a Jewish ritual, but was uncommon for non-Jews at the time. Jewish men knew they could be physically identified as Jewish. Read Locating the Victims to learn more.

Similar to their fellow Germans, German Jews were patriotic citizens. More than 10, died fighting for Germany in World War I, and countless others were wounded and received medals for their valor and service. The families of many Jews who held German citizenship, regardless of class or profession, had lived in Germany for centuries and were well assimilated by the early 20th century.

At first, Nazi Germany targeted the , Jews in Germany at a relatively gradual pace, attempting attempted to make life so difficult that they would be forced to leave their country. Up until the nationwide anti-Jewish violence of , known as Kristallnacht , many Jews in Germany expected to be able to hold out against Nazi-sponsored persecution, as they hoped for positive change in German politics.

Before World War II, few could imagine or predict killing squads and killing centers. Those who tried to leave had difficulty finding countries willing to take them in, especially since the Nazi regime did not allow them to take their assets out of the country. A substantial percentage tried to go to the United States but American immigration law limited the number of immigrants who could enter the country.

The ongoing Great Depression meant that Jews attempting to go to the United States or elsewhere had to prove they could financially support themselves—something that was very difficult since they were being robbed by the Germans before they could leave. Even when a new country could be found, a great deal of time, paperwork, support, and sometimes money was needed to get there.

In many cases, these obstacles could not be overcome. By , however, about , German Jews had already left. While the fall of the Nazi regime and its surrender on May 8, is usually the date given as the end of the Holocaust — it did not mark the end of organized killings of Jews in Europe. Hundreds of Jews were killed across Poland by Polish locals after the war had ended. In the most of infamous of these events, on July 4, , over 40 Jews were killed in the Polish city of Kielce, in a massacre incited by Polish communist authorities with elements among the local population participating.

This article was originally published in February Haaretz Jan. Updated: Jan. Get email notification for articles from Haaretz Follow.

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