Mass Extermination Of Jews And Ethnic Groups Alike

German citizens were angry and lost confidence in the Weimar government. During the depression, they turned towards the extremist political parties such as the Communists and Nazis. The Weimar government did not know how to react, and in desperation, Chancellor Brüning cut government expenditure, wages and unemployment pay, to stop money from being spent on less necessary things. Unfortunately, this was a very poor decision and led to several riots in Germany. The Reichstag were completely against his actions, so he used Article 48, which allowed him to change these laws under an emergency. The citizens of German complained that the Weimar government did not have to ability to cope with the Great Depression and the low unemployment. Hitler’s Nazi Party had only won 12 seats at the 1928 Reichstag, but after the Great Depression, Hitler’s Party won 107 seats in the 1930 Reichstag, after a rise of 691% of votes over the two years. This was because many lower-class workers turned to communism. This was such a large majority that several wealthy businessmen also decided to finance Hitler’s campaigns. Many middle-class people, who were alarmed by the obvious failure of the Weimar Republic to bring in democracy, decided that the country needed a newer, stronger government. They decided that the Nazi party was the right choice for them. And so, after the elections of 1932, the Nazis emerged as the largest political party in Germany, obtaining nearly 14

From January 8th, 1933 to May 8th, 1945 one of the world’s largest genocides in history occurred. More than seventy years ago the lives of millions were taken by Dictator Adolf Hitler and his officers. More than six million European Jews as well as members from other groups such as the gypsies and homosexuals lives were taken. In 1933 the Jewish European population stood at over nine million people. And by 1945 the Nazi regimen had killed two out of every three Jews as a part of what they called “The solution” in order to get rid of the “inferior race.”

The Holocaust was a genocide lasting from 1933 to 1945 in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany killed about six to five and a half million Jews. The victims included over 1.5 million children and included about two-thirds of the nine million Jews who lived in Europe at that time. Other definitions of the Holocaust include another four million non-Jewish victims of Nazi killings, bringing the total death toll to about 11 million. Killings took place throughout Nazi Germany and other German-occupied countries or territories. From 1941 to 1945, Jews were systematically murdered in one of the deadliest genocides in history, which was a piece of a broader aggregate of acts of oppression and killings of various ethnic groups in Europe by the Nazi regime.

The mass extermination of European Jews was, without a doubt due to the actions of the Third Reich. The question up for debate was whether this extermination was a product of Adolf Hitler’s methodical planning and execution under his direct order, or the accumulation of unplanned events driven by the Germans anti-Semitic views? These two polar opposite views of “intentionalism” and “structuralism” both have convincing evidence that support each of their own theories.

The people had blamed their weak government, the Weimar system, for their great loss and Hitler coming in with his new option of government sounded really good to the German people (Bachrach 8). Hitler offered something to everyone; work to the unemployed, prosperity to failed business people, profits to industry, expansion to the Army, social harmony and an end of class distinctions to idealistic young students, and restoration of German glory to those in despair (Trueman). He promised to bring order amid chaos, a feeling of unity to all and the chance to belong (Trueman). He would make Germany strong again, end payment of war reparations to the Allies, tear up the treaty of Versailles, stamp out corruption, keep down Marxism, and deal harshly with the Jews (Vail). Hitler also rose to power with the use of force (Johnson).

<br>Hitler was freed about nine months after his trial. He left prison to find out that the Nazi party had been outlawed. Unemployment was widespread, food was scarce and inflation was bad.

To begin, we must first understand that Anti-semitism, or the act of prejudice against people in the Jewish religion, to this day is the oldest hatred that exists. As such it is a concept that has evolved

The social and economic upheaval caused by the war and the treaty, started a destabilization of Germany’s democracy and gave rise to many radical right wing parties. The Left Wing parties that were leading Germany at the end of World War I, had seemingly betrayed the countries honour to a disgraceful peace treaty, when no enemy had ever stepped foot on German soil. The devastation and loss during the war caused additional national despair. To try and control the people, the government imprisoned many radical parties for civil unrest. Radical parties served heavy prison sentences. Hitler was sentenced to 5 years in jail, however, after only 9 months, due to vast amounts of political pressure on the government supporting the Nazi party, he was released. Hitler managed to use his short time in prison to write his “Mein Kump” and enhance his oratorical skills. Upon his release Hitler was a politician to be reckoned with. The year of

Hitler soon embarked on a journey of becoming a member of the German Workers Party where he worked his way up to becoming not only the primary speaker but sole power holder as well. Hitler quickly began his focus on propaganda blaming government officials, Germany’s then poor military and even different communities for Germanys’ lack of power as a nation. As Hitler worked to further himself up the political ladder he concocted erroneous plans to over throw anyone who stood in his way. Failed not properly executed plans that would land Hitler in prison for months and left him and his party members banned from public appearances. During his short time in prison Hitler wrote what is widely known as the book “Mein Kampf” (My Struggle). The book was a collection of Hitler’s life, thoughts, and ideas of how to help Germany by getting rid of the weak.

In 1920, Hitler took control of the German Workers Party, the same year he changes its name to the National Socialist German Workers Party, also called the Nazi Party. In 1923 on November 9, Hitler and General Ludendorff tried to launch a little revolution known as the Beer Hall Putsch. During which Hitler announced that the government in charge, the Weimar government, should be overthrow. After that, Hitler, Ludendorff and their supporters were immediately captured. Hitler was put in jail for two years, where he wrote Mein Kampf (My Struggle), in which he explain his ideology, and his hypothesis of an Aryan

“You cannot take any people, of any color, and exempt them from the requirements of civilization without ruinous consequences to them and to society at large” (Thomas Sowell). In October of 1939, the first ghetto was established in Piotrków Trybunalski, Poland. This government enforced system developed strategies to segregate minorities from the rest of civilization, with the ambition of achieving a utopian society. The Nazi ghettos began to focus on the extermination of the Jews rather than the isolation. During the year 1941, Hitler’s “Final Solution” was a plan created to quickly annihilate the entire Jewish population. As World War II gradually came to an end, the evolution of ghettos had evolved into a slang term describing the minority-filled districts pressured by society. An NPR article concludes, “Ghetto, in slang usage, has entirely lost the sense of forced segregation — the meaning it held for centuries. In a rapid about-face, it 's become an indictment of individual choices” (“Segregated From Its History, How ‘Ghetto’ Lost Its Meaning). The operation of ghettos was once initiated through the force of Nazi and SS officers for the support and development of the “Aryan race.” As economic, social, and personal aspirations changed, ghettos have developed into communities with an influx of poverty and disadvantage. The impact of society’s standards allows the growth and continuation of indirect segregation throughout current ghettos.

Hitler began making large steps forward in trying to progress the evolution of the Nazi Party and the revolution of Germany. On November 8, 1923, Hitler and his followers stormed a public meeting that included Bavarian prime minister Gustav Kahr at a beer hall in Munich, Germany. Hitler proclaimed that the national revolution was beginning and announced the creation of a new government. After a curt battle leading to several deaths, the attack recalled as the "Beer Hall Putsch" failed. After this failed attempt, Hitler was arrested and put in prison for high treason. During his nine months in prison Hitler wrote Mein Kampf, which translates to “My Struggle.” This novel basically outlines Hitlers plans of making Germany the greatest country in the world, and making a super race while doing so. Once out of prison Hitler ran for the presidency of Germany and was defeated after two voting rounds by the 84-year old Hindenburg. Later, Hindenburg agreed to appoint Hitler as Chancellor of Germany. However, Hitler began abusing his powers, using them to create a dictatorship. Hitler basically overthrew the German Government using his popularity and legal power

<br>In 1924 Hitler was sentenced to five years in prison for his part in the Munich Putsch. During this time in prison Hitler began work on his book entitled Mein Kamph (My Struggle). The book outlines some of Hitler's political ideas and his views on race and Germany's future role in world affairs.

When World War 1 ended Germany was left with an economic depression that made many jobless which led to a powerful dictator to takeover named Adolf Hitler. Hitler was the leader of his political group called National-Socialist German Workers' Party that expressed German Nazism. On 1923, the group planned takeover the German government in Munich but the plan failed and Hitler arrested for treason. Hitler had to serve 9 months in prison and wrote his book, Mein Kampf. Mein Kampf outlined Hitler's plan to make Germany better by reversing the effects of the Treaty of Versailles and the idea that Germans are the “superior” master race. After serving his sentence Hitler came back to the Nazi party to gain political power but the party was unsuccessful

Hitler and his parties rise to power were not as swift and decisive as many people think it to have been. Hitler’s political career started as a spy in a Munich Beer hall. According to “The Rise of Adolf Hitler” , Hitler went to a meeting in a beer hall in Munich thinking he was going to stamp out a communist uprising he actually ended up being persuaded to join the group after and outburst impressed several members( Hitler Joins German Workers Party). Although unimpressed by its disorganized and small workings, Hitler saw the party as something that could become a movement and agreed with there doctrine(Hitler Joins German Workers Party). After making many changes the party and its meetings grew in size. In 1921 Hitler was named the leader of the Nazi party. However this and the 55,000 members of the party were not enough. In 1923 on the cusp of a terrible inflation and mass hatred for the government Hitler planned a putsch to overthrow the new government and mimic Mussolini’s march on Rome(The Beer Hall Putch). It failed miserably and Hitler was imprisoned. In prison is when he wrote Mein Kampf. After serving 9 months of a 5 year sentence Hitler was released from prison with the goal of not making the same mistakes. He publicly stated that the only way the Nazis would seek power would be through the system(A New Begging). This would earn him much support and as future elections would ensue the Nazis soon gained a large seat in