The Holocaust

Katrina Logan

College English

Mr.Neuburger

February 19, 2009

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The term holocaust originally derived from the Greek word holokauston, meaning a

“completely burnt” sacrificial offering to a god. It has been primarily used to refer to disasters or

catastrophes. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word holocaust was first used to

describe Hitler’s treatment towards the Jews. According to 2007 schools Wikipedia Selection,

The Holocaust was characterized by the efficient and systematic attempt on an industrialized

scale to assemble and kill many people as possible, using all of the resources and technology

available to the Nazi state. Millions of people died in this tragic period all because of one man,

Adolf Hitler.

In Austria, on April 20, 1889 one man was born who would soon be known as history’s

greatest villain, Adolf Hitler. When Hitler was only six years old his father, Alois, retired from

the civil service which created a strict, tense atmosphere at home. When Hitler was 13, his father

passed away. At this time, things were beginning to get tough in the Hitler household. When

Hitler turned sixteen, he quit school, and never went back. In 1907, Hitler decided he wanted to

go to a painting school because he had always had been interested in art. Hitler applied to Vienna

Academy of Art, but he did not get accepted. In 1908, one year later, he tried to apply again, but

he was not allowed to take the exam again. About two months later, Klara Hitler his mother, died

of breast cancer. Hitler then spent the next four years living off what little money he had earned

from selling postcards, drawings he had done, and little inheritance he had gotten from his

mothers death.

By this time, Hitler began getting involved with politics and became influenced by the

pan-Germanism. He did not want to go to the military, so to avoid it he packed his little things he

had and moved to Munich, Germany in May 1913. Soon World War I broke out, and he asked for

and received special permission to serve in the Bavarian-German army. He quickly proved he
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was courageous, brave, and a strong man. While lying in the hospital recovering from the gas

attack that temporarily caused him to go blind, he had heard the war ended, and Germany had

been defeated. He had felt so betrayed by the Germans, after everything he had put out there, and

even getting injured. This shaped his and the world’s future.

In 1919, Hitler had joined an army organization. At this job, he would check-up on

burgeoning local political groups. While spying on many of these groups, he soon had found one

that he liked. He then joined that group, and soon after he knew it he became the leader of it.

Hitler thought with him being the leader, he could bring strength and prestige back to Germany.

On January 30, 1933, Hindenburg appointed Hitler as chancellor of Germany. In less a year and a

half, Hitler was able to take over both the position of president and chancellor and combine both

of them into one position of supreme leader, Fuhrer.

After he gained all of that power in Germany, Hitler didn’t waste anytime using his

power. He began putting people in concentration camps who didn’t agree with him. With Hitler

having knowledge on the pan-Germanism, he then combined German people with other people

in Europe. With all people scared that another war would begin, Hitler easily took Austria

without any battle. But, whenever he tried to force into Poland, he could no longer just stand and

watch, World War II began.

Hitler slowly began removing Jews from German society. However according to the

Overview of Adolf Hitler, it mentions that with the cover on World War II, the Nazis created an

elaborate and intensive system to work the Jews as slaves, and eventually kill them.

How many Jews were actually murdered? According to the Peace Faq, an average of 5.29

million to six million was killed. That was only the Jews though; many other people were
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tortured, and killed including, communist, homosexual men, Jehovah’s Witnesses, people with

disabilities, and Freemasons.

Many people say Hitler is the one who made the decision on murder the Jews, and other

people, but he was not alone. The German society was known by anti-Semitism, racism, a

utopian vision of humanity under German hegemony. With this kind of atmosphere, it was

unclear whether Hitler instigated these actions, or just simply let his men allow this to happen.

Over the next half year, plans for many concentration camps were made clearly into their heads.

The idea of murdering all the Jews was unclear, even though it mentions in Hitler’s book Mein

Kampf, it suggest there is such an order that may eventually be given.

According to the Nazi Genocide, 1.5 million children were murdered during the

Holocaust. This figure includes more than 1.2 million Jewish children, tens of thousands of

Gypsy children, and thousands of handicapped children. The Nazi’s didn’t care which Jewish

family they persecuted, or however old the children were. They took the children one by one

from their homes, family, and belongings. Some children would even witness the murder of their

parents, siblings, and relatives. Until the children would go to the gas chambers, many had to

over come starvation, illness, and brutal labor. A girl named Anne Frank is one of the millions

who survived. Anne not only had to survive harsh punishment, starvation, and brutal labor, she

also had to overcome hiding out in a house for many months.