The Holocaust
The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. The murders were committed primarily through mass shootings across Eastern Europe and poison gas chambers in extermination camps, chiefly Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, Chełmno and Majdanek death camps in occupied Poland. Concurrent Nazi persecutions killed millions of other non-Jewish civilians and prisoners of war; the term Holocaust is sometimes used to include the murder and persecution of non-Jewish groups, such as the Romani and Soviet POWs. It is considered to be the single deadliest genocide in human history, and has become central to Western historical consciousness as a symbol of the ultimate human evil.
- field
- Genocide
- known_for
- Systematic murder of approximately six million Jews during World War II
- location
- German-occupied Europe, primarily in Eastern Europe and occupied Poland
- victims
- Around six million Jews (approximately two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population), plus millions of other non-Jewish civilians and POWs
Lore & Background
The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. The murders were committed primarily through mass shootings across Eastern Europe and poison gas chambers in extermination camps, chiefly Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, Chełmno and Majdanek death camps in occupied Poland. Concurrent Nazi persecutions killed millions of other non-Jewish civilians and prisoners of war; the term Holocaust is sometimes used to include the murder and persecution of non-Jewish groups, such as the Romani and Soviet POWs. The Nazis first targeted Jewish Red Army POWs and male civilians, but quickly escalated to murdering Jewish women and children. Some historians note that Adolf Hitler frequently communicated major policy decisions verbally to Heinrich Himmler rather than through written directives. Victims were deported to extermination camps where those who had survived the trip were gassed, while others were sent to forced labor camps where many died from starvation, abuse, exhaustion, or being used as test subjects in experiments. Property belonging to murdered Jews was redistributed to the German occupiers and other non-Jews.
Reader's Guide
The Holocaust is considered to be the single deadliest genocide in human history, and has become central to Western historical consciousness as a symbol of the ultimate human evil. Many Jewish survivors emigrated from Europe after the war. A few Holocaust perpetrators faced criminal trials. Billions of dollars in reparations have been paid, although falling short of the losses suffered by the European Jews. The Holocaust has also been commemorated in museums, memorials, and culture. The term Holocaust, derived from a Greek word meaning 'burnt offering', was an ordinary English word for centuries also meaning 'destruction or sacrifice by fire' or, figuratively, 'massacre'. During the 1950s, it started to become a proper noun and the most common word used to describe the Nazi extermination of Jews in English and many other languages. The Hebrew word Shoah ('catastrophic destruction') exclusively refers to Jewish victims. The perpetrators used the phrase 'Final Solution' as a euphemism for their genocide of Jews. The legacy of the Holocaust includes ongoing efforts to document its history, educate future generations, and address the profound moral questions it raises about human cruelty and the capacity for systematic violence.
Did You Know?
- The term Holocaust is derived from a Greek word meaning 'burnt offering' and became a proper noun during the 1950s.
- The Hebrew word Shoah exclusively refers to Jewish victims of the genocide.
- Some historians note that Adolf Hitler frequently communicated major policy decisions verbally to Heinrich Himmler rather than through written directives.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Holocaust?
The Holocaust, also called the Shoah in Hebrew, refers to the systematic genocide of European Jews carried out by Nazi Germany and its collaborators during World War II. It is recognized as one of the most deliberate and industrialized acts of mass murder in recorded history.
Where did The Holocaust primarily take place?
The killings occurred across German-occupied Europe, with the heaviest concentration in Eastern Europe and occupied Poland. The major extermination camps—Auschwitz-Birkenau, Treblinka, Belzec, Sobibor, Chełmno, and Majdanek—were all built in what was then Polish territory under Nazi control.
How were victims killed during The Holocaust?
Mass shootings by mobile killing units were the earliest method, particularly across the Soviet Union and other parts of Eastern Europe. Later, the Nazis built dedicated death camps where victims were murdered in poison-gas chambers, a process designed to industrialize killing on a massive scale.
Who were the victims of The Holocaust?
Approximately six million Jews—roughly two-thirds of all Jews living in Europe—were systematically murdered. The term is also sometimes extended to encompass the millions of other civilians and prisoners of war, including Romani people and Soviet POWs, who were killed under the same regime of persecution.
Why is The Holocaust considered so significant?
It is regarded as a singular event in human history because of its scale, its industrialized methodology, and the ideological hatred that drove it. The event fundamentally reshaped international law, human-rights discourse, and the global understanding of what organized state violence can do to targeted populations.
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