The Holocaust
Uploaded by marlin_tfk@hotmail.com on Dec 16, 2008
To introduce the Holocaust, I want to provide a brief overview of the event. The Holocaust was a large scale, state-sponsored, systematic murder of innocent Jews across Europe carried out by the German military and authorities. Germans believed that their race was superior to the Jewish race. Jews were deemed, “life unworthy of life”. (1) The Holocaust was a result of this strong German belief, which led to the attempted annihilation of the Jews. The German government called the plan to annihilate the Jewish people “The Final Solution”. Nearly six million out of the nine million European Jews were murdered in total. This means that two-thirds of the European Jewish population was wiped out in less than 10 years. Although Jews were the main target of the Nazi regime, others were viewed as inferior as well. These peoples included, Gypsies, Communists, Socialists, Jehovah's Witnesses, some Slavic peoples, and homosexuals.
Today, we know that although the Germans did not succeed in their plan to annihilate the Jews, the Holocaust remains a devastating chapter in history. This essay will attempt to inform you of the terrible reality of the Holocaust and Canada’s role in it.
(We, as a nation, should be held responsible for ignoring and downplaying the importance of the events happening in Europe.)
In the year 1933, six years before World War II began, the Nazi party came to power in Germany under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. At this point, the German nation was in an economic slump, due to the consequences of World War I, specifically the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty included “massive demilitarization and financial reparations” for Germany.
During this time, Hitler became the dictator of Germany and began building a German “military machine”, contrary to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles. He wanted to expand Germany to create a German controlled European empire. Part of this plan was to create a “pure race”. This was where the Holocaust began. Hitler decided upon “The Final Solution”, the plot to rid Germany of unwanted peoples. You might be wondering what the German population thought of this idea. As it turns out, most Germans supported it, and those did not were subjected...