Holokaustin

Holokaustin, also known as the Holocaust, was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. The genocide occurred during World War II. The Nazis, led by Adolf Hitler, viewed Jews as an inferior race and a threat to the purity of the Aryan race. Their ideology was rooted in extreme antisemitism, a hatred of Jews that had existed in Europe for centuries.

The persecution began with discriminatory laws and policies that stripped Jews of their rights, property, and citizenship. Jews were forced into ghettos, overcrowded and unsanitary areas, where many died from starvation and disease. The Nazis then implemented the "Final Solution," a plan for the mass extermination of Jews. This involved deporting Jews from across Europe to concentration and extermination camps.

At these camps, such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, and Sobibor, millions of Jews were subjected to forced labor, starvation, torture, and medical experiments. The primary method of mass murder was the use of gas chambers. While the vast majority of victims were Jewish, the Nazis also targeted and murdered millions of others deemed undesirable, including Roma (Gypsies), Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, disabled people, homosexuals, and political opponents. The Holocaust ended with the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. Its legacy continues to serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of hatred and intolerance.