Europe

After World War I, Germany goes through hard economic times. Many Germans are out of work. Feelings against the Jews grow, especially because the Jews were successful businessmen.

Adolph Hitler was a soldier in World War I. He felt the Jews were to blame for the Germans surrendering to end the war. He continued to work undercover for the army. Hitler began giving speeches spreading his ideas against Jews and Communists and democracy. He ran for government in the NAZI party and won. Eventually all other parties were outlawed. He became a dictator having all the power. Hitler had the support of many Germans to make Germany great again.

Besides changing the party name, the red flag with the SWASTIKA was adopted as the party symbol.

Hitler’s goal was to create his superior race of Germans, blonde hair and blue eyed. He gained power and persuaded people to think the way he thought. Nazi thugs stopped Germans from shopping in Jewish shops. By 1934, all Jewish shops were marked with the yellow Star of David or had the word "Juden" written on the window. NAZI men stood outside the shops to stop anyone from entering. This was an attempt to economically bankrupt the Jews and destroy what they had spent years building up.

In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were passed. The Jews lost their right to be German citizens and marriage between Jews and non-Jews was forbidden. It was after this law that the violence against the Jews really openly started. Those that could pay a fine were allowed to leave the country. Many could not and many shops refused to sell food to those who remained. Medicines were also difficult to get hold of as chemists would not sell to Jews.

Hitler strengthened the economy of Germany by putting German people to work making weapons and machines for war. He made a pact with the dictator of Italy and then took over Austria and Czechoslovakia. World War II began when Hitler invaded Poland. World War II seemed to give Hitler more freedom to bring death and destruction to Jewish communities.

Between 1939 and 1942 Germany conquered much of Europe and worked to eliminate groups of people. The Jews were one of the groups of people. Many times they were forced to live in crowded tenement buildings, unclean and poor. They would later be taken by train to camps forced to do hard work or to concentration camps where they were killed by poisonous gas.

Many Jews traveled to escape from the NAZIS. Many good Germans tried to help them as did many people in other countries, however, about 5,700,000 Jews were killed throughout Europe.