With the rise to power of the Nazis, many anti-Jewish laws were introduced. As a result of the adoption of these bills, it was decided to oust all Jews from Germany.
First, the Nazis tried in every possible way to expel the Jews from the countries under their control. The Gestapo and the SS controlled this process. So already in 1938, about 45,000 Jews left Austria. Before the outbreak of World War II, between 350,000 and 400,000 Jews left Czechoslovakia and Austria.
When Hitler's troops entered Poland, anti-Jewish policies became even harsher. The final solution to the Jewish question, put forward by the German National Socialists, was the mass extermination of Jews in Europe. Hitler considered Jews a racially inferior nation that had no right to life. Now the Jews were not only detained, but also shot. Special ghettos were organized (closed quarters for the complete isolation of Jews and supervision over them).
After Germany attacked the USSR, SS units began to exterminate Jews by mass execution. In 1941, gas vans (cars where Jews were poisoned with carbon monoxide) began to be used for this purpose. In order to immediately destroy a large number of people, three concentration camps were created (Belzec, Treblinka, Sobibor). At the beginning of 1942, the Majdanek and Auschwitz concentration camps served as the death camp. In Auschwitz, up to 1.3 million people were killed, of which about 1.1 were Jews. During the entire period of the war, about 2, 7 million Jews perished.
According to historians, such a policy of the Third Reich found support from the German people because all property taken from the Jews was distributed to ordinary Germans. Thus, the Third Reich wanted to become even more powerful, and enlist the support of as many people as possible.
Algorithm for solving the Jewish question
Concentration of all Jews in certain areas (ghettos). Separation of Jews from other nationalities. Forcing them out of all spheres of society. Confiscation of all property, expulsion from the economic sphere. Bringing to a state where labor remains the only way to survive.
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The reasons for the genocide. Most likely versions
Hitler considered Jews and Gypsies to be the dregs of society that have no place in the civilized world, so he decided to cleanse Europe of them as soon as possible.
The very idea of destruction is associated with the Nazi idea of dividing all nationalities into several groups: the first is the ruling elite (true Aryans). The second is slaves (Slavic peoples). The third - Jews and Gypsies (they must be destroyed, and the survivors turned into slaves). Hitler accused Jews of all sins, including the appearance of the Bolsheviks, the revolution in Russia, etc. Negroes were completely excluded from this hierarchy as an inferior race. The ruling elite believed that in order to conquer the whole world, the fascist troops already needed major victories, so they were allowed to kill Jews and Gypsies as unwanted and most vulnerable. Thus, the morale of the soldiers was raised. Most historical sources do not provide a clear explanation of Hitler's actions towards the Jewish people.
The consequences of the genocide for Europe
As a result of this policy, about 6 million Jews in Europe died. Of these, only 4 million victims could be identified personally. This course of events had a negative impact on European civilization. The Yiddish culture began to fade away, but at the same time the self-awareness of Jews far beyond the borders of Europe increased significantly. Thanks to this, the surviving Jews were able to give new life to the Zionist movement, as a result of which Israel grew stronger and grew (in its historical homeland - Palestine).