The Holocaust
The Holocaust is a government orchestrated mass genocide that affected approximately six million Jews or more during the final years of World War II. The Holocaust was orchestrated by the Nazi Germany dictator, Adolf Hitler, and it advocated the idea of doing away with several fragments of society. This included other groups such as: homosexuals, Gypsies, communists, dissidents and the mentally and psychically disabled. Everyone of these people was seen as "sub-humans", people that was not fit for the Nazi ideology of "pure aryans", that was seen as the "master race" of Germany. Also that the Jews was seen as "responsible" by the Nazis that Germany lost WWI and causing the country to fall into inflation.
| “ | The Holocaust was the most evil crime ever committed. | „ |
| ~ Stephan Ambrose |
 |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page The Holocaust contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
The Holocaust was established through stages. At first, the German government passed laws that excluded Jews from social affairs, such as with the Nuremberg Laws of 1935. Later on in 1941, a paramilitary death squad, dubbed the Einsatzgruppen, was established, and their job was to execute people of Jewish descent and political rivals.
By the end of 1942, many European Jews were forcibly taken to concentration camps on freight trains. If any Jewish person was fortunate enough to survive the trip to the death camps, they would almost always find themselves being executed in gas chambers disguised as shower rooms. This was part of the so called "Final solution of the Jewish question", to exterminate all the Jews in Europe.
One of the Nazis was personal responsible for one of the most brutal murders by one man in Nazi Germany. SS-Hauptsturmführer Amon Göth shoot over 500 people.
These systematic mass murders continued until the end of WWII in 1945.
Aftermath
| “ | The Holocaust is very much alive. The wounds are still there. The scars are still there. The influence is still there | „ |
| ~ Avner Shalev |
After all the concentration camps was liberated by the Americans and the Soviets, most of highest members of the Nazi party and the SS were standing on trial in the Nuremberg trials. Many that were involved in the Holocaust were sentenced to death for war crimes and crimes against humanity, only a few were sentenced to prison, for example Albert Speer. Other Nazis that were involved in the genocide committed suicide, were captured and put into Soviet labor camps or were executed, some were executed in the concentration camps after the liberation.
Legacy
| “ | For the dead and the living, we must bear witness | „ |
| ~ Elie Wiesel |
The Holocaust is believed to be the most horrific example of humanity at its worst. The Holocaust was also the most significant genocide to have ever occurred in the 20th century, leading to the deaths of approximately 11 million people, including children. Many people were killed in absolutely deplorable ways. Many victims of the German government would either be burned to death in the various ovens scattered throughout the camp, or some would even be forced to dig their own graves, and then be shot into said graves after they were finished digging. Many Jewish people were starved beyond recognition, and some of the Jewish people would be so weakened from malnutrition, that they would often fall into ditches whenever they escaped their captivity from the hands of Hitler and the Nazis. Many Jewish people were also used as human guinea pigs in various experiments. For example, many Nazi doctors attempted to change their eye and hair colors to match what they considered to be the superior race, and these experiments would often lead to failure. Many people of Jewish descent were killed from these failed experiments. Because of this fact, many Nazi doctors were found guilty for crimes against humanity, and were executed.
Many people try to claim that these mass murders never happened, and that the government most likely made them up in order to acquire sympathy from their listeners. They most likely are in denial about these mass murders, because they were so morally horrible, that the idea that any human being can do something this horrible to another human being should seem like it should only happen in fiction. Unfortunately for the rest of us, this is painfully not true, and things like this can happen if we let them happen. We should all come together in peace and love, and try to listen to both sides of an argument. If we can do this, then maybe, something as horrible as the Holocaust, may never happen again, ever.