- Anti-Semitism: Anti-Semitism, or prejudice against Jews, has a long history in Europe. In Germany, anti-Semitism was particularly strong in the 19th and 20th centuries. This was due in part to a number of factors, such as the rise of nationalism, the economic competition between Jews and non-Jews, and the spread of racist ideologies.
- The Nazi Party: The Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler, came to power in Germany in 1933. The Nazis were virulently anti-Semitic, and they believed that Jews were a threat to the German race. They quickly began to persecute Jews, passing a series of laws that stripped them of their rights and property.
- The Second World War: The outbreak of the Second World War in 1939 gave the Nazis the opportunity to escalate their persecution of Jews. They began to mass-murder Jews in concentration camps such as Auschwitz and Treblinka. By the end of the war, six million Jews had been killed.
It is important to note that not all Germans were anti-Semitic, and there were many who actively opposed the Nazis. However, the vast majority of Germans either supported the Nazis or did nothing to stop them. This allowed the Holocaust to happen.