Anti-Semitism During The Holocaust

“In order for a house to burn down, three things are required. The timber must be dry and combustible, there needs to be a spark that ignites it, and external conditions have to be favorable—not too damp, perhaps some wind” (Bergen 1). What conditions could have led to such atrocities? The Holocaust was an event of global proportions; it involved people from all areas of life and was the result of complex social, political, and economic conditions that stemmed from the legacies of antisemitism throughout Europe, European imperialism, and World War I. These precursors helped ignite the spark that resulted in one of the most destructive events in human history.
Hatred of the Jews was the center of Nazi ideology. For many years anti-Semitism
As hostility towards Jews gradually increased, non-Jewish individuals would slowly become less sympathetic towards them. People were worried that they could avoid being treated that badly themselves, which made it much easier to group other “societal outcasts” with the Jews in order to used them as scapegoats. Instead of finding a way to fix the real source of their problems, they pointed their fingers at others in order to avoid similar ridicule that was facing the Jews. They were constantly looking for a scapegoat, or someone that was somehow less human. They were angry, scared, and confused and it made them feel better to have someone to
According to Ryan McMaken, “the deadly effects of the war, the repressive measures enacted by supposedly enlightened regimes… paved the way for its even bloodier sequel twenty-five years later” (mises.org). These changes were essential components for the Holocaust, because they allowed for the cheapening of human life and the devaluing of human freedom. The sheer size of the armies and great number of causalities during WWI helped to desensitize people to death and made human life seem dispensable. As a result of the war, the Treaty of Versailles was registered by the League of Nations. Though this treaty wasn’t directly linked to the Holocaust, it certainly helped to instill bitterness in the German people, which made it easier for the Nazi party to re-kindle a dispirited German youth into enlisting in the German