Cause And Effects Of The Holocaust

The Holocaust, a gruesome slaughter of what is estimated to be eleven million people, mainly Jews, is arguably the most influential event to occur in human history. This tragic event occurred in the modern day countries of Germany, Austria and Poland, which were all Nazi occupied countries at the time. Before Jews and other victims were murdered, they were often forced into physical labor. Victims were also killed in horrendous ways, such as being left without food and water for days, before being gassed. The Holocaust, though mainly associated with the Jewish faith, affected many groups of people throughout Europe. This heinous event was a mass genocide of eleven million people. Six million of the victims with Jewish. The other five million victims included those who were handicapped, mentally or physically, communists, socialists, Romas, and homosexuals. Eastern Europeans, mainly of Russian or Polish descent, were also targeted. Many of the
In Germany, prejudice towards Jews was common among the public. Similar to segregation in the United States during the 1960s, Jewish people were only allowed in certain stores, restaurants, and other usually public places. They also lost basic rights such as citizenship and getting education in certain fields. When Hitler originally came to power, many more people began to believe in the idea of an Aryan master race. Even more frightening, was the amount of the public who began to believe Jews were a race of 'subhumans'. Many, after hearing and beginning to believe in this master race, believed the Jews would threaten and eventually overrun these Ayran descendants. While chaos was happening in Germany, the rest of the world watched haphazardly. No one would truly believe such an advanced and civilised country would actually plan, much less carry out, a mass