Hitler and the Holocaust - the Rise of the Nazi Party

HITLER AND THE HOLOCAUST

Everyone knows who Adalf Hitler is and was. But, not everyone knows what really went on during the Holocaust. We all know that it was a terrible time in our history, not to mention Germany's history. I have always been fascinated with the concept of the whole ordeal. I wanted to know why Hitler did what he did and how these poor people stood around and dealt with it and miraculously survived. Through out this paper, I will describe to you how the Jewish community came to terms with what they had to do and how they overcame their triumph. Also, I took a look into Hitler's mind at the time this all took place and I will give you quotes from what he believes to be true. So, lets get started.

THE RISE OF THE NAZI PARTY

I thought starting from the beginning would be easier to understand. The development of the Nazi Party began from 1918-1933. World War I had ended in 1918 and Germany was not prepared for the defeat they had. They were devastated and angry. They say it "injured their pride." They believed to be "stabbed in the back" by politicians, Communists and the Jews. Jews didn't fight in the War, they stayed at home with their families and for that, they were considered to be for the other side. They weren't apart of Germany if they didn't defend their country like everyone else. As a result of losing the War, Allies punished Germany severely. They totally disarmed them and forced them to pay reparations to France and Britain for the cost they had to pay for the War.

During this time, a Party was formed called the German Workers' Party. Adolf Hitler joined this little Party and in 1919, became the leader through his emotional and captivating speeches. He would give speeches on purifying Germany again with real, "pure" Germans. He gave back some of the pride that was lost due to defeat. He had also condemned Jews by exploiting them to be the reason they lost the War and how they weren't pure Germans. He then changed the name of the party to the National Socialist German Workers' Party, a.k.a. Nazi Party for short. At the end of 1920 the Nazi Party grew to have 3,000 members and a year later, Hitler became their official leader.

In 1923, Hitler tried to overthrow local authorities, and failed miserably. He ended up with a five-year sentence in prison, although he was let out after just one year for good behavior. While he was in prison, he wrote a book called 'Mein Kampf', or 'My Struggle.' After he was released, he rebuilt the Nazi Party and used his book as their bible. During this time, Hitler was looking for the perfect time to take over the political power in Germany. Not only did Hitler rebuild the Nazi Party, but he established other Parties as well. Such as the Hitler Youth, The Student League and the Pupils' League for young Germans. They also established The National Socialist Women's League for women to get involved. Every profession had their own auxiliary unit they could join.

From 1925-1927, the Nazi Party lost the election with only 2.6% of the total vote. With this discouragement, they decided to go elsewhere and they preached their nonsense about Jewish stores and agricultural property. Eventually, the Nazi Party grabbed mass attention of university students, veterans' organizations, and professional groups. They also became very popular to the young men of the lower middle classes.

In 1929, the Great Depression hit Germany and the government decided to take in advisors to help in a time of crisis. The first chancellor to go under the president failed. Unfortunately, the Nazi Party won the vote to be a part of Germany's government. The Nazi Party became the second largest political party.

Paul von Hindenburg was the president in Germany and in 1932 his term as president was almost over. He was 84 years old and didn't want to run again, but if he didn't he knew that Hitler would take over. He ran and won, but Hitler received 37% of the vote. Although, trouble began when the Nazi party won the July 1932 elections due to their massive propaganda campaigning. All the top powerful German leaders were outraged at this incredible take over, but there was nothing anyone could do now.

THE NAZIFICATION OF GERMANY

After taking office, Hitler and his party totally turned Germany around. Germany was now known as the police state. They began to maintain some of their military, which was a violation of the Treaty of Versailles. The also made a big stink about not having enough land. They have asked to expand and were refused, so Germany invaded Poland in 1939. Britain and France were up against the wall. They had no choice but to declare war on Germany; and so World War II began. It was shortly before, in 1933, that President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Hitler as Chancellor. It was at that time that all hell broke loose. Buildings got burned down and the rise of the Communist revolution had begun. Within just months of Hitler being appointed Chancellor, he set up the concentration camp Dachau. After the camp was completed, they started to arrest Communists, Socialists, and labor leaders. This camp was used for a short time to train Hitler's men and then they brought their prisoners there to dehumanize them.

In 1935, Hitler announced what he called the Nuremberg Laws. These laws stripped Jews from every right they had. They had no civil rights and they were separated from the rest of the Germans in every way, legally, socially, and politically. They were known as the race beneath all other Germans. They weren't even considered humans any longer from that point forward. "Being Jewish was now determined by ancestry; thus the Germans used race, not religious beliefs or practices, to define the Jewish people." These rules even applied to those Germans who didn't really consider themselves Jewish, but they had the same laws and restrictions as those "real" Jewish people. They were all treated in the same manor.

In 1938, Joseph Goebbels, a Propaganda Minister, initiated a free-for-all against Jews. During this time 1,000 synagogues were set on fire, 76 of which were completely destroyed. More than 7,000 Jewish businesses and homes were destroyed and almost 100 Jews were killed and nearly 30,000 were arrested and took to concentration camps. Shortly after that, Hitler demanded that all Jewish children be pulled out of public schools. He didn't want a mixed social environment, even for the children. In