The Truth Behind The Holocaust

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The twentieth century was a time of change. With two world wars occurring within roughly three decades, it was no surprise that society became forever changed. These two world wars, however, resulted in perhaps one of the most significant and catastrophic events in history - the Holocaust. The Holocaust saw about six million Jews killed by command of German dictator Adolf Hitler. Despite resulting from World War II, however, Hitler’s massive genocide of European Jews was planned before the Second World War, and therefore was intentionalism, because of the blame from post-World War I Germany, the twentieth century movement of eugenics as a “racial hygiene”, and the actions to exterminate Jews before the outbreak of World War II.

Faced with harsh peace terms at the end of World War I, Germany was put in the perfect position for extreme political turmoil to rise, along with the need to place the blame for the German defeat. The Treaty of Versailles, which was the Allies’ peace treaty with Germany following World War I, “... took territories from Germany in the east and west, destroyed the Austro-Hungarian Empire, humiliated Germans by including a “war guilt” clause, imposed disarmament, and demanded heavy reparation payments for war damage” (Weisser). This “peace” treaty, littered with bitter terms for Germany, did great harm to the nation. Germany was not only stripped of its once powerful nation by depriving it of its territories and armaments; but also by the destruction of its economy through hyperinflation, a result of printing more money in order to pay reparations. This treaty therefore ruined Germany, putting it in an atrocious state, which would eventually allow for dramatic political change and the placing of blame for the...

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Purcell, Aaron D. "Eugenics movement." Encyclopedia of American Immigration. Ed. L. Bankston Carl. 3 vols. Salem Press, 2010. Salem History Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

"Rise of Hitler: War Ends with German Defeat." The History Place. The History Place, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. .

"The Nuremberg Laws: Background & Overview." Jewish Virtual Library. American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. .

Weisser, Henry. "World War II." The Forties in America. Ed. Tandy Lewis Thomas. Salem Press, 2010. Salem History Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

"World War I: Aftermath." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council, 10 June 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. .

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