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The Holocaust Essay

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The Holocaust

The Holocaust, a word introduced in the 1950's to describe the mass murder of the Jews of Europe by the Nazi's during World War II. Before that it was traditionally defined as, by the Encarta English dictionary as "1. complete destruction by fire: complete consumption by fire, especially of a large number of human beings or animals 2. total destruction: wholesale or mass destruction of any kind 3. burnt offering: a sacrifice that is totally consumed by fire". The Holocaust is a chapter in human history that will live in shame along with slavery, treatment towards Native Americans, the Japanese internment camps, the Armenians and the execution of hundreds of thousands Russians by Stalin. To fully understand how such a …show more content…

The outcome of the war was devastating for Germany. They lost the war and had to sign a treaty known as the Versailles Treaty. The treaty was embarrassing to Germany because it made the German border smaller, forced Germany to pay war damages, allowed an army of only certain number and other penalties forced on Germany. This treaty put Germany into poverty and severe economic depression. People spent their life savings on a loaf of bread. When WWI broke out, Adolf Hitler, Then in his mid 20's, hoped to join the army to fight. Being rejected for the Austrian Army Hitler was delighted because he wanted to be a German. He wrote to the King of a large State in Southern Germany and later was assigned to the 16th Bavarian Infantry Regiment which was composed of student volunteers. Hitler was wounded several times throughout the war and at the end of the was his rank was Lance Corporal. In the summer of 1919 Hitler became member #7 of a small group called the German Worker's Party. The party had no goals or plans, it was just against the government. Soon after joining this group he became their leader. Within two years of joining this group Hitler turned it into a large group and changed the name to the National Socialist German Workers Party. The work Nazi Came from the first two words of the German name, NAtional soZIalist. All kinds of people jointed Hitler's group such as war veterans, poor students,

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