When Did the Holocaust Start?

Perhaps one of the darkest and horrible times in the twentieth century, it’s important to study and learn about the Holocaust to ensure that its events never repeat themselves. By understanding the events that preceded the Holocaust, we might be able to stop a similar chain of events from occurring in the future.

The Holocaust is also known as the Shoah. It refers to the genocide of almost six million Jewish individuals in Europe, as well as six million other individuals throughout Europe. This was an organized extermination which was sponsored by Nazi Germany.

The Holocaust had its roots in a tradition of anti-Semitism throughout Europe. Since Constantine had declared Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, Jewish individuals were persecuted and deemed untrustworthy.

Although this improved throughout the centuries, these past beliefs towards Jewish individuals were certainly still somewhat accepted even at the beginning of the twentieth century. Particularly in Germany, this anti-Semitism was not uncommon.

Hitler's Rise

When Hitler rose to power in 1933, the country of Germany was suffering. It had been heavily taxed due to World War I. This, combined with the Great Depression, had sent the country into an economic downfall.

Thus, when Hitler took control and promised an economic recovery, the people were eager to follow him. However, along with his economic recovery plans, he also issued a series of anti-Jewish legislation. This legislation was aimed at greatly reducing the economic, legal, and social rights of Jewish individuals.

The Rights of Jews

There are numerous examples of anti-Jewish legislation. For example, Jewish lawyers were automatically disbarred. Jewish individuals were not allowed to own farmlands, or grow crops. Jewish individuals were restricted from various professional organizations.

In 1935, Hitler passed the Nuremberg Laws which forbid Jewish individuals and Aryans to marry. It further annulled any existing marriages between Jewish individuals and Aryans. Additionally, Jewish individuals were not allowed to serve as civil servants, and German Jewish individuals were stripped of their German citizenship. Even at this time, Hitler spoke to his officers about the “final solution” for the Jewish individuals in Europe.

Violence Against Jews

On November 7, 1938, the transition switched from legal oppression of the Jewish individuals in Europe to outright violence. A Jewish minor named Herschel Grunspan assassinated a Nazi German diplomat Ernst vom Rath in Paris. This event sparked the transition, and the Nazi Party began an organized attack that night.

The night is referred to as Kristallnacht, literally the “Night of Broken Glass.” The windows of Jewish stores were smashed, Jewish property was vandalized, and Jewish individuals were beaten up. At the end of the night, over seven thousand Jewish shops and almost two thousand Jewish synagogues were vandalized or destroyed.

Although the death toll was recorded at ninety-one, historians believe that it was actually much higher. Almost thirty thousand individuals were sent to concentration camps after this night, although they were released after several weeks if property was transferred to the Nazi Party, or if they proved that they had plans to leave Germany in the future.

After Germany invaded Poland, the question of what the Nazis should do with the Jewish individuals became a concern for the party. At first, the Nazis rounded up the Jewish individuals into ghettos in the major cities. These ghettos were extremely crowded, and the living conditions were horrible. Inside these ghettos, Jewish individuals were forced to work for the Nazi Party.

However, this was always a temporary solution, as the Nazi Party intended to orchestrate the mass murder of the Jewish individuals. This began during Operation Tannenberg. By 1942, concentration camps were established as extermination camps and Jewish individuals were sent there to first work, and then be systematically killed.