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Holocaust
The genocide of approximately 6 million European Jews during World War II planned by Adolf Hitler.
11,094 Questions
What was Hitlers final stage of the final solution?
The final stage of the Final Solution consisted of gassing, shootings, killing two-thirds of European Jewry.
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There's some confusion in the question. The Final Solution was the final stage of Nazi persecution of the Jews. See related question below.
When and why did Hitler start the Holocaust?
Hi, my name is Monikah Ivanova, I'm Jewish, and I know a lot about the holocaust. My grandparents survived the holocaust, BTW...
Holocaust- from 1938-1945 (many people have different thoughts on when it started/ended, but the Night of Broken Glass (Kristallnacht) was basically the start.
Adolf Hitler was the leader of the Nazi party, and he blamed Jews for Germany's defeat in the war, and a lot of other, stupid things. He had this picture in his mind, and it was of the 'perfect race'- blond hair, blue eyes. He didn't want Jews mixing in with them, so he gained power and took over Europe.
He murdered millions of innocent Jews. They were forced from their homes and were taken to concentration camps, or were sent to gas chambers, or were shot immediately upon arrival. Children below 16 were killed immediately, and 16 and up had to work in harsh conditions. Many starved, or had diseases. Although some survived the holocaust, they were emotionally scarred for life from the horror they had seen. Europe itself was a huge mess, but the German soldiers (most of them anyway) were not punished for the mass murder they had committed.
Total number of the Jews that died- about 6 million. The holocaust was a depressing, horrible event. The victims will never be forgotten. Forever and always shall they be remembered. You know, my grandparents' friends died there. My grandmother's sister and mother were murdered in front of her eyes, and her brother was working someplace else, was never seen again by my grandmother. As for my grandfather, his whole family as well as friends and cousins were all killed. He was the only survivor out of 45 people. Sad, isn't it?
Why wasn't the Holocaust solved sooner?
The Holocaust was the Nazi genocide of the Jews. The Nazi regime chose to do this. It was not some 'problem' that needed 'solving'.
What were the most infamous Holocaust concentration camps?
The most infamous of all, at least internationally, was the Auschwitz group, which was both a very harsh concentration camp, with several sub-camps and an extermination camp (Auschwitz-Birkenau).
Why was there so little opposition to the Holocaust?
Hitler wrote a book detailing exactly what he would do if he ever gained power. It included targeting certain populations for forced removal and extermination. The book was, "Mein Kampf". He was in prison at the time it was written. The reason for targeting a race of people, psychologically, was to unite the German people against a common enemy within.
Once he gained power, the rest of the world never thought he would do the things he stated in the book, and pretty much considered them the ravings of an imprisoned lunatic. Hitler was voted into power. Even the people of Austria found his promises alluring. They voted to be annexed by Germany.
While Hitler was socializing and taking over every aspect of the economy, industry, and education, he did cause some improvements for the people. They raved about him, as he sold them the Volkswagen for less than it cost to make--"a car in every home". All the changes were "creeping". People lost their freedom gradually, through small changes. Then, they had no power to stop things once the full effect took hold.
Once war was declared, and while his full plan was being put into effect with "the Final Solution", many of the occupied countries collaborated with the removal of the Jews. When, rumors did escape from inside these countries, many people did not believe it was really happening. It was too unbelievable. When the Red Cross, and other people (inclusive of dignitaries, ambassadors, and press) actually went abroad to investigate the claims, they were shown camps such as DACHAU, which was not for extermination, but to hold political prisoners. It was propaganda at its best. Photos and tours "showed how well the prisoners were being treated", which prolonged the time before it was actually realized that the Germans were exterminating the Jews. The full horror of the Holocaust was not realized until after Germany fell. I hope this answers the question you asked. How did it happen...? People just didn't realize what was going on, until it was too late.
History books bear this out. I actually was told by my great grandfather, who was a German Jew. He said that no one believed that someone would annihilate an entire race or population of people--and that is how it was gotten away with for so long.
Why is the Holocaust recalled with such horror?
The Holocaust was so shocking because Hitler and his Nazis shouldn't have done that to Jews. Jew's are the same as other religions and beliefs. It was also so shocking because of how many Jews they killed on a daily basis, it's like they lived for killing them. The final reason it was so shocking is because of how many people now-a-days think that the Holocaust was made up, which brought the topic of it up and it was more and more shocking everytime, there is living, breathing, and historic places to show you that the Holocaust actually happened. That's why the Holocaust was so shocking.
Why is the holocaust considered genocide?
The Holocaust was a number of distinct genocides operating in parallel. The definition of a genocide is the intentional extermination of a certain racial, ethnic, religious, physically different, or sexually identified group based on their status in that group. The Holocaust has that in spades. Jews, Romani, homosexuals, handicapped, etc. individuals were targeted precisely because of their being in one group or another. Further to the point, the word genocide was coined precisely to discuss the particular crimes committed in the Holocaust.
United nations reaction toward the Holocaust?
In World War 2 the US State Department was antisemitic.
Until 1944 the US government didn't want to know about the Holocaust.
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There are a few books on this, including The Abandonment Of The Jews: America and the Holocaust, by David S. Wyman and
Saving the Jews: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Holocaust
by Robert N. Rosen
It was very complex issue and a lot of denial about whether the Jews were actually being exterminated.
What element is found in rat posion?
Warfrain The same thing given people to thin their blood. Rat eats it, blood gets so thin it bleeds to death internally.
Why didn't the Germans stop Hitler?
Isolationism was popular, much as the problem with Iraq. Everybody wanted to wait and eventually Germany became too powerful to ignore. France had to fall before some people actually believed that Hitler was dangerous. I'm glad we didn't wait that long with Sadam.
What group did the people who had blonde hair and blue eyes join?
German nationalists called them 'Nordic' or 'Aryan'. ___ Nordic is the race generally having blonde hair and blue eyes. Aryan is a concept originating from Indo-Iranians and referred to those with such ancestry. Later the term Aryan was expanded to include Indo Europeans who it is now it is generally used to describe. After Darwin's Origin of Species' 1859 certain peoples thought his findings to prove themselves to be the "superior race" thus Aryan.
How did the Jews get their revenge when the Holocaust ended?
Judaism, and Jews by and large, are not vengeful. Plain and simple.
Even in prayers that call for revenge, there is never a plea that God, let's say, should protect us and strengthen us when we go out to take revenge, for ourselves, or for Him, or in His name etc. This may be too subtle for some, but there is never any such call in Judaism.
What you DO find on the subject in Jewish prayer is: "Why should the nations say [of Israel] 'Where is their God?' ", and the plea that God Himself work the revenge where it is just and proper.
On the subject of the Holocaust, it's frankly somewhat juvenile to be talking about revenge. Probably no better moment could exist in which to quote Mario Cuomo, the ex-governor of New York state, who said ... on the subject of capital punishment ... "Yes, there's no question that they are animals. But by the grace of God, we are not."
-- The Nazis, who had all of the power, were disgraced, defeated, and no longer exist.
-- Those who had no power, and who the Nazis created a nationwide industry devoted to their utter extermination, still exist, have almost restored their numbers to pre-extermination levels, and have powers of self-determination that have not been seen in 2,000 years.
Who did Hitler blame for burning the German parliamentary building?
It was blamed on the communist's but popular belief holds that it was the Nazi party itself. (Hitler used it as an excuse to run Germany under 'Emergency decree)
people believed that ban der lubbe was to blame for the reichstag fire but he was too disabled and handicapped to have been able to have done it alone the evidence points straight to van der lubbe but it was infact Hitler and his army of Nazis who planned the fire and made it happen .
What effects did the holocaust have on survivors?
Obviously, it left very deep psychological scars, however brave individuals may have tried to be. Remember that the survivors had lived through an attack on the 'whole person'.
What were the laws that restricted freedman's rights in the south?
Black were discrimnated against and phyically beaten and bullyed. They also didn't get to vote
All of the above is true plus they couldn't testify in court against whites, or marry whites. Their children were born enslaved.
(Question 3 in section 3 easy yay!)
In what way did they kill the Jews in the Holocaust?
Hitler toutred people in many horiffic ways that i would rather not talk about. But his Police (SS) would use ther dogs, hang them, drown, starve, burn, freeze, perform surgery on them while they were awake, poision them, etc.
He also would keep certain people for work mostly the men. They would stay in bug,disease filled bunks with different people. They had to carry dead bodys from one place to another.
How did the SS and the gestapo help Hitler to gain complete control of Germany?
The Secret Police of Nazi Germany were led by Hitler's friend Heinrich Himmler. Originally they were going to be used as body guards for Hitler, but then he relized they had an even bigger use. He used them to spy and report on people who oppsed him. He'd have them live as normal people, even spend years getting to know someone. When they finnally gained their trust they'd ask them, "What do you think about the government? Do you like Hitler?" Then they'd reply, "No I think he's leading us to a downfall, and he's cruel!" After they heard what they wanted to hear, they'd kill you on the spot. They'd even ask children, "Hey, what do mommy and daddy think about hitler?" The secret police were cruel heartless people who everyone feared. That is how Hitler used the Secret Police.
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What was Jewish life like in Czechoslovakia before the Nazi invasion?
It depends on what group of people you are talking about. People who lived in Ghettos had lives like what you see with homeless people: struggling to survive, to find food, money, and a way to get back on top. Many people who were living in France spent many of their days fighting the Axis Forces and helping the Allied Forces. There were people who were not Jews stuck in the concentration camps during the Holocaust and they were treated like the Jewish people: starved to death, gassed, castrated, etc.
What does the Butterfly symbolism mean in the Holocaust?
Children in the concentration camps would use their fingernails and pebbled to etch butterflies into the walls. They said that it was their way of living on and leaving a message of hope for incoming children. They said that they knew that they were going to die but they could live on in their butterflies.
Could something like the Holocaust happen in the US?
No, the USA did not have the power to prevent the Holocaust.
During WWII, Germany was a powerful nation with its own laws and customs. The USA, which did not get involved in the European theatre of WWII until almost three years of fighting had occurred, probably had no more than 15% of the military power projected against Germany.....the remaining 85% being Russian, British, and lesser powers.
Additionally there was only scant evidence that a Holocaust was even occurring in Europe. Being at war, there was not a lot of communication between Europe and the USA. Nonetheless some American Jews did suspect it was occurring and tried to influence America's entry into the war. To some extent President Roosevelt's political decisions were influenced in this manner.
Before the actual Holocaust, Germany had already been treating Jews terribly - putting them in ghettos, adding taxes, general harassment, restrictions on travel and occupations. Although the USA also had some societal discrimination against Jews, it was no where near the level of Germany's (although many of these type restrictions WERE placed on America's Negro population). Thus America's Jews were already anxious to destroy Germany even before the Holocaust was uncovered.
The actual Holocaust did not start until well into the war, after most the continent of Europe was in German control. No outside power could have stopped the Holocaust at that point.
An alternative is that Yes the US absolutely could have prevented the Holocaust.
The US had only just put limits on the number of immigrants that that were allowed in each year. They had decided that Jews and Eastern Europeans (and for that matter Southern Europeans) were undesirable and they severely restricted the numbers that could emigrate. Had the US allowed the fleeing Jews entry then the Holocaust would not have happened.
It has to be acknowledged that the US had its own economic problems in the thirties, but it went from a country that was the refuge of people fleeing European persecution for over four hundred years to a country that could have saved millions of lives but instead turned their backs.
One needs to answer this question carefully, as there are multiple issues it raises.
Firstly, on the subject as to whether the US could have prevented Nazi Germany from initiating the systematic extermination of Jews (and certain other ethnic groups) during WW2, the answer there is an unequivocal NO. As the Holocaust did not actually start until well after the 1939 beginning of WW2, and it was carried out in areas that the Nazis had under military control, there was no military, political, or other method that the United States (or any other nation for that matter) could have prevented the Nazis from initiating their extermination attempts.
A related note is whether or not the US could have reduced the actual number of victims that the Nazis managed to kill in the Holocaust, once the US became aware that the Holocaust was happening. Here, the answer is that YES, the United States and other nations could certainly have taken some actions which would have reduced the numbers which the Nazis could kill. The Western Allies first became aware that something sinister was happening around late 1942, and, by late 1943, there was ample evidence that the Nazis were enacting some sort of targeted killing program. Unfortunately, by mid-1943, at least 40% of all Holocaust victims had been already killed. There were several options available to the Western Allies, which would have had various effects on the Nazis ability to round up and then transport Jews to the death camps:
- Most simply, the Allies could have made it a major propaganda event, and spent a considerable amount of radio and pamphletting effort into informing the Jews (and other targeted ethnic groups) as to what the Nazis were planning. This likely would have induced many Jews to flee or fight when the Nazis came to round them up - instead, most believed the lies that Nazis told them (and local governments) about the deportations simply being relocation, rather than train trips to a gas chamber. There's no way to accurately estimate how effective this would have been, but a reasonable guess would have to be at least 10%, and possibly as much as 25% of those slaughtered could either have evaded or resisted.
- Specific airstrikes targeting the rail infrastructure used to move Jews from their countries of origin to the death camps. This would be difficult, as aerial bombing accuracy was poor, and it would have required a non-trivial re-allocation of bombers from military targets to the transportation system. Best guess here is that if a serious effort was made to disrupt the train transport of victims, maybe another 10-15% could have been saved (remember, most of the victims were from areas far beyond Allied bomber's range, as were the primary death camps).
- Bomb any identified death camp - Auschwitz being the major target here. Unfortunately, solid identification of a camp as a death camp was incredibly difficult, and, with the death camps being in Poland and far Western Russia, Allied bombers could only have reached them starting in early to mid-1944. It's unlikely that this strategy would have had much effect at all.
- Direct the SOE and the various Resistance groups to attack the rail transport lines more effectively, and to spread the word about the true purpose of the Nazi "deportations". Probably the most likely possibility, this could have seriously disrupted deportations from any Western European country, but almost certainly would have had no effect on deportations from Eastern European ones. The vast majority of Jews killed were from Eastern European countries, so the overall impact here would have been small - maybe 10% or so saved.
- Finally, applying diplomatic pressure to various governments (other than Nazi Germany) to get them to avoid cooperating with Nazi officials when rounding up the local Jewish population. There's no way to even guess at how effective this might have been.
Note that there were many reasons NOT to do any of the aforementioned - some reasons very valid, others not so much (they ranged from concerns over redirection of critically-needed military resources to non-military ends, to doubt that the Holocaust was actually happening in any large factor, to problems with coordinating SOE actions, to not wanting to reveal classified intelligence sources, to basic apathy). The sad fact is that, assuming a concentrated effort by the Allies to stop the Holocaust, I'd estimate no more than half (at the very, very, very best) of those killed in from late 1943 to 1945 could have been saved. This amounts to no more than 30% of the total (or about 2 million out of 6) being saved, in a truly best-case (and highly unlikely) scenario.
Finally, the issue of whether or not a more "open-door" policy of immigration for Jews to the United States would have reduced the Holocaust's body count before the Holocaust began. Overall, given that the vast majority (over 85%) of Jews killed during the Holocaust were Eastern European or Russian, poorer, and less educated than their Western European (including German) Jewish compatriots, the likelihood of more than a more few of these people being willing and able to immigrate is slight. Given that the large majority of any people are unlikely to uproot themselves and move to another country unless there is a truly obvious immediate danger, means that virtually no Eastern European Jews would have moved to the US, and likely only a slightly larger percentage from Western European countries. At the very best, assuming a completely open US immigration policy, and a concerted effort by the US Jewish organizations to encourage and help immigration (none of which was forthcoming in any shape), a good estimate would have been a 50% increase in US Jewish immigration during the 1930s. Which means, that maybe a few 10s of thousands could have been moved out of Hitler's grasp. Which translates into an even fewer 10s of thousands being spared the Holocaust. Figure 30-40,000 would have been saved (or, less than 0.7 % ). That's insignificant enough to discount that any change in US immigration policy would have been meaningful.
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Between 1933 and 1941 the US admitted about 250,000 refugees from Nazi Germany (and from 1938 onwards also from Austria). Obviously, some of these refugees were not Jews, but a 50% higherl number of refugees would not have been insignifcant. As for willingess to migrate and so on, there were plenty of German and Austrian Jews clamouring for admission to the US. (See the Voyage of the St Louis, for example).
The Allies (not just the U.S.) were reasonably well informed about what was going on (though not about all the details) and could have done much more. In particular, they could have:- Examined and tried to check early reports from the Polish resistance about the systematic extermination of the Jews, instead of assuming that the reports were 'Bolshevist propaganda', 'exaggerated' and so on.
- Announced that they knew what the Nazis were doing and made it very clear that anyone convicted of committing or helping to commit genocide faced the death sentence.
- Told resistance groups to give a very high priority to trying to stop the transport of prisoners to death camps. (There is only one (!) instance on record - in Belgium by the Belgian Resistance - of a train to Auschwitz being stopped by resistance fighters and the prisoners freed, albeit during a gunfight with the SS).
- Once the exact location and function of Auschwitz I and II was known (June 1944), they could tried to bomb the railways in the area. After all, the USAAF bombed Auschwitz III, not because it was a death camp, but because it was making various chemicals. So arguments like 'it was too deep inside German-held territory to be bombed' are untrue.
Obviously, none of this would have prevented or stopped the Holocaust, but it might have have reduced the death toll.
See the links.
