Angeline Mislang

Mr. Hawkins
Modern World History-P, Period 6
18 March 2016

Identify Some of the 20th Century Precursors to the Holocaust?

Many people contemplate what caused the German's, more specifically the Nazi's,
hatred of the Jews. Anti-Semitism was not a new concept in World War II, but it caught
the attention of many people. Germany was suffering after World War I, because they
were blamed for the war and basically lost everything. Not too long after the war, the
Great Depression hit Germany and damaged thier economy even more. Many people
were left jobless, willing to do anything for work. They were desperate for a new leader
and to change for the better. This is where Adolf Hitler saw the opportunity to jump in
and take control. Hitler was a soldier in World War I, who later became the chancellor of
Germany. Soon after World War I ended, Hitler wrote a book called, Mein Kampf, which
clearly stated his thoughts about the Jews. He gained many followers after writing his
book which became known as the Nazi party. When Hitler became chancellor he
prommised the Germans jobs and work, that is why they were so quick to follow. Even
though many of Hitler's intentions were evil, he hated the Jews for economical reasons,
cultural reasons, and blamed them for Germany's loss in World War I.
The Jews were also hated for a cultural reason as well. Hitler created a master

race in which "he believed that only white people of Nordic descent were worthy to be
called the master race." (Website 3) The Nazi's had certain race classification, and
according to them the Aryan race were superior and were natives of western European
countries such as Britain, Norway, and Germany. The Jews were at the bottom of their
list. Since the Jews did not live up to HItler's standards "he wanted to eliminate everyone
who did not conform to the Nazi policy." (Website3). Hitler used propaganda to convert
many poeple's views towards the Jews. Since most European countries already had antiSemitic views so it wasn't very hard to convince the public. Catholics also weren't very
fond of Jewish people. "Catholics believed that Christ would return when all the Jews
were converted" (Website 3) This definitely created a problem for the Catholic people.
Many people didn't like the Jewish people for many differnet racial and cultural reasons,
but the Jews were also blamed for World War I.
The Nazi's blamed the Jews for the loss of World War I. There was alot of proof
that "Hitler blamed the Jews for the loss of World War I, as did many other German's."
(Website 4) After the war, many of the German people were depressed. The German's not
only lost the war, but they also lost alot of land. Hitler took this as an opportunity to
blame this on the people that he already hated and wanted to get rid of, the Jews. The
Jews acted as a scapegoat for Hitler. Hitler also knew that the Germans would join in and
blame the Jews also. The Germans were "angered...over the Treaty of Versailles."
(Website 4) The German lost a surplus of land and money becasue of this treaty. The
Treaty of Versailles took away thier pride and put them in a state of depression. Hitler
saw this, and immediatley took action. Hitler saw this as an opportunity to manipulate the
people to blame the Jews. Hitler believed that "they were stabbed in the back by the

Jews." (Website 4) Hitler once again used propaganda to pursuade the public into
thinking that the Jews were evil. Although Hitler thought that it was the Jews fault for the
loss of World War I, he also hated the Jews because they were economically stable.
Hitler's hatred for the Jews was so strong because they were very economically
stable. Hitler influenced many people to believe that if the "Jews were allowed to
hold...economic and political power while Germany was at war...they would Germany in
the back." (Website 5) Hitler believed that the Jews would only do bad to the country if
they were given certain freedoms. Hitler promoted this idea early on so the people were
influenced early on. "World War I had a devastating impact on Gemany."(Website 5).
Since the Germans were forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, the Germans were in debt
by the millions. Since the Jews were very frugal with their money, and their businesses
were still thriving; which angered Hitler even more. There was also "a long history of
conflict between Jews and non-Jews because of the social and economic relations
between Jews wherever there have been substantial communities of the Jewish
population and non-Jews around them."(Website 5) In many European countries there
was a vast amount of Jews living there, but mostly in Germany. This would stir up
conflict both economically and socially. The Jews tended to thrive more under extreme
circumstances, which would cause a conflict with the people. Not only were the Jews
hated for an economical reason, but also for cultural reasons.
The Jews were hated for many reasons including: racial, economic, and cultural
reasons. They were also blamed for Germnay's loss in World War I. Hitler did all he
could to turn the public against the Jews, before the holocaust occured. This wasn't a very
hard task for Hitler though because of the state Germany was already in after World War

I, and many ountries already had very strong anti-semitic views already. Hitler was
greatly influenced by anti-Semitic views while growing up in Austria. His hatred towards
the Jews started way before World War II. Anti-Semitism can also be traced all the way
back to the biblical times. The reasons Hitler hated them so much had to do with the way
he grew up, and he felt as if they didn't live up to his idea of an Aryan race.