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Itbeganwith

asimpleboycottofJewishshopsandendedinthegaschambersatAuschwitzas
AdolfHitlerandhisNazifollowersattemptedtoexterminatetheentireJewishpopulationof
Europe.
InJanuary1933,afterabittertenyearpoliticalstruggle,AdolfHitlercametopowerinGermany.
Duringhisrisetopower,

HitlerhadrepeatedlyblamedtheJewsforGermany'sdefeatinWorld
WarIandsubsequenteconomichardships.Hitleralsoputforwardracialtheoriesassertingthat
Germanswithfairskin,blondhairandblueeyeswerethesupremeformofhuman,ormaster
race.TheJews,accordingtoHitler,weretheracialopposite,andwereactivelyengagedinan
internationalconspiracytokeepthismasterracefromassumingitsrightfulpositionasrulersof
theworld.
JewsatthistimecomposedonlyaboutonepercentofGermany'spopulationof55million
persons.GermanJewsweremostlycosmopolitaninnatureandproudlyconsideredthemselves
tobeGermansbynationalityandJewsonlybyreligion.TheyhadlivedinGermanyfor
centuries,foughtbravelyfortheFatherlandinitswarsandprosperedinnumerousprofessions.
ButtheyweregraduallyshutoutofGermansocietybytheNazisthroughaneverendingseries
oflawsanddecrees,culminatingintheNurembergLawsof1935whichdeprivedthemoftheir
GermancitizenshipandforbadeintermarriagewithnonJews.Theywereremovedfromschools,
bannedfromtheprofessions,excludedfrommilitaryservice,andwereevenforbiddentoshare
aparkbenchwithanonJew.
Atthesametime,acarefullyorchestratedsmearcampaignunderthedirectionofPropaganda
MinisterJosephGoebbelsportrayedJewsasenemiesoftheGermanpeople.DailyantiSemitic
slursappearedinNazinewspapers,onposters,themovies,radio,inspeechesbyHitlerandtop
Nazis,andintheclassroom.Asaresult,StatesanctionedantiSemitismbecamethenorm
throughoutGermany.TheJewslosteverything,includingtheirhomesandbusinesses,withno
protestorpublicoutcryfromnonJewishGermans.ThedevastatingNazipropagandafilmThe
EternalJewwentsofarastocomparedJewstoplaguecarryingrats,aforeshadowofthingsto
come.
InMarch1938,HitlerexpandedthebordersoftheNaziReichbyforciblyannexingAustria.A
brutalcrackdownimmediatelybeganonAustria'sJews.Theyalsolosteverythingandwere
evenforcedtoperformpublicactsofhumiliationsuchasscrubbingsidewalkscleanamid
jeeringproNazicrowds.
BackinGermany,

yearsofpentuphatredtowardtheJewswasfinallyletlooseonthenightthat
markstheactualbeginningoftheHolocaust.
TheNightofBrokenGlass(Kristallnacht)occurred
onNovember9/10after17yearoldHerschelGrynszpanshotandkilledErnstvomRath,a
GermanembassyofficialinParis,inretaliationfortheharshtreatmenthisJewishparentshad
receivedfromNazis.
SpurredonbyJosephGoebbels,
NazisusedthedeathofvomRathasanexcusetoconduct
thefirstStaterunpogromagainstJews.NinetyJewswerekilled,500synagogueswereburned
andmostJewishshopshadtheirwindowssmashed.
ThefirstmassarrestofJewsalso
occurredasover25,000menwerehauledofftoconcentrationcamps.Asakindofcynicaljoke,
theNazisthenfinedtheJews1BillionReichsmarksforthedestructionwhichtheNazis
themselveshadcausedduringKristallnacht.

ManyGermanandAustrianJewsnowattemptedtofleeHitler'sReich.However,mostWestern
countriesmaintainedstrictimmigrationquotasandshowedlittleinterestinreceivinglarge
numbersofJewishrefugees.ThiswasexemplifiedbytheplightoftheSt.Louis,ashipcrowded
with930JewsthatwasturnedawaybyCuba,theUnitedStatesandothercountriesand
returnedbacktoEurope,soontobeunderHitler'scontrol.
OntheeveofWorldWarII,theFhrer(supremeleader)publiclythreatenedtheJewsofEurope
duringaspeechinBerlin:"InthecourseofmylifeIhaveveryoftenbeenaprophet,andhave
usuallybeenridiculedforit.Duringthetimeofmystruggleforpoweritwasinthefirstinstance
onlytheJewishracethatreceivedmyprophecieswithlaughterwhenIsaidthatIwouldoneday
takeovertheleadershipoftheState,andwithitthatofthewholenation,andthatIwouldthen
amongotherthingssettletheJewishproblem.Theirlaughterwasuproarious,butIthinkthatfor
sometimenowtheyhavebeenlaughingontheothersideoftheirface.TodayIwilloncemore
beaprophet:iftheinternationalJewishfinanciersinandoutsideEuropeshouldsucceedin
plungingthenationsoncemoreintoaworldwar,thentheresultwillnotbetheBolshevizingof
theearth,andthusthevictoryofJewry,buttheannihilationoftheJewishraceinEurope!"

NazisusedthedeathofvomRathasanexcusetoconductthefirstStaterunpogromagainst
Jews.
ThatwarbeganinSeptember1939asGermantroopsstormedintoPoland,acountry
thatwashometooverthreemillionJews.AfterPoland'squickdefeat,PolishJewswere
roundedupandforcedintonewlyestablishedghettosatLodz,Krakow,andWarsaw,toawait
futureplans.Insidetheseovercrowdedwalledinghettos,tensofthousandsdiedaslowdeath
fromhungeranddiseaseamidsqualidlivingconditions.Theghettossooncameunderthe
jurisdictionofHeinrichHimmler,leaderoftheNaziSS,Hitler'smosttrustedandloyal
organization,composedoffanaticalyoungmenconsideredraciallypureaccordingtoNazi
standards.
Inthespringof1940,HimmlerorderedthebuildingofaconcentrationcampnearthePolishcity
ofOswiecim,renamedAuschwitzbytheGermans,toholdPolishprisonersandtoprovideslave
laborfornewGermanrunfactoriestobebuiltnearby.
Meanwhile,HitlercontinuedhisconquestofEurope,invadingBelgium,Holland,Luxembourg
andFrance,placingeverincreasingnumbersofJewsunderNazicontrol.TheNazisthenbegan
carefullytallyinguptheactualfiguresandalsorequiredJewstoregisteralloftheirassets.But
theoverallquestionremainedastowhattodowiththemillionsofJewsnowunderNazicontrol
referredtobytheNazisthemselvesastheJudenfrage(Jewishquestion).
Thefollowingyear,1941,wouldbetheturningpoint.InJune,Hitlertookatremendousmilitary
gamblebyinvadingtheSovietUnion.Beforetheinvasionhehadsummonedhistopgenerals
andtoldthemtheattackonRussiawouldbearuthless"warofannihilation"targeting
CommunistsandJewsandthatnormalrulesofmilitaryconflictweretobeutterlyignored.
InsidetheSovietUnionwereanestimatedthreemillionJews,manyofwhomstilllivedintiny
isolatedvillagesknownasShtetls.FollowingbehindtheinvadingGermanarmies,fourSS
specialactionunitsknownasEinsatzgruppensystematicallyroundedupandshotallofthe
inhabitantsoftheseShtetls.EinsatzexecutionsquadswereaidedbyGermanpoliceunits,local
ethnicGermans,andlocalantiSemiticvolunteers.LeadersoftheEinsatzgruppenalsoengaged
inaninformalcompetitionastowhichgrouphadthehighesttallyofmurderedJews.

Duringthesummerof1941,SSleaderHeinrichHimmlersummonedAuschwitzCommandant
RudolfHsstoBerlinandtoldhim:"TheFhrerhasorderedtheFinalSolutionoftheJewish
question.We,theSS,havetocarryoutthisorder...IhavethereforechosenAuschwitzforthis
purpose."
AtAuschwitz,alargenewcampwasalreadyunderconstructiontobeknownasAuschwitzII
(Birkenau).Thiswouldbecomethefuturesiteoffourlargegaschamberstobeusedformass
extermination.TheideaofusinggaschambersoriginatedduringtheEuthanasiaProgram,the
socalled"mercykilling"ofsickanddisabledpersonsinGermanyandAustriabyNazidoctors.
Bynow,experimentalmobilegasvanswerebeingusedbytheEinsatzgruppentokillJewsin
Russia.SpecialtruckshadbeenconvertedbytheSSintoportablegaschambers.

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