Like many things, the Holocaust came at the end of a long series of unfortunate coincidences. World War I had caused a huge economic boom, at the end of which came a global economic crash. Germany – due in part to the expense of the last war, the Treaty of Versailles, and the fact that the crash was so widespread – was especially hard hit. Unlike the other countries that began looking for ways to relieve the suffering, German leaders began looking for someone to blame.

Hitler, who was virtually unknown at the start of the 1930s, quickly rose through the ranks of the Nazi party. His message? Blame the Jews. There were so many who were suffering so much – having a group to blame for all the hardships was a very popular idea. Soon after Hitler was elected Chancellor of Germany in 1933 he gave himself the rights and powers of a dictator, and decreed a boycott of Jewish stores and opens Dachau, Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, and Ravensbrück concentration camps.

But, Hitler’s plans didn’t stop here. Almost immediately, Germany began euthanizing the sick and disabled. Hitler had a vision of a pure race with no room for differences. This didn’t only include the Jews and the infirm. Hitler saw the Polish as being almost as great a threat as the Jews – so they were out. Gypsies – how about total annihilation. Afro-Europeans – either killed or sterilized. Jehovah Witnesses – won’t sign allegiance? Gone. Homosexuals – Not in Hitler’s Germany. And, though it is little known, Hitler wanted to replace Jesus Christ as the Christian religious icon – so Priests and Christian Leaders? Outta here. And, genereally anyone who disagreed or dared to work against the Nazis – Gone, Gone, Gone. In all, 5 million people who were not Jewish suffered at the hands of the Nazis – either destined for concentration camps, death, or worse. In these concentration camps, the prisoners were starved, isolated, and, in the most heinous cases, experimented upon like lab rats.

At first those who worked against the Nazis were locked in prisons or killed in front of their families. In order to cause even more devastation, Hitler issued the “Night and Fog Decree.” It became Nazi policy to make dissenters disappear into the night or fog, with no word to their families of what happened to them. It seemed like the ultimate deterrent, and it was pure torture for those left behind.

Taking over the world was going very well for Hitler. But, he still felt as though he had a major problem: what to do with those Jews. For this, he came up with a plan called “The Final Solution.” Basically, it entailed extermination.

Concentration Camps like Auschwitz, Dachau, Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Maidanek, and Bergen-Belsen. Became the ideal place to enact these mass executions. Anyone unfortunate enough to be held as a prisoner, were sent to work hard labor, and, typically met their end in the gas chambers – it was cheaper than using bullets.

Despite all of these horrors, there were some bright spots. There were some people who stood on the side of good, and did everything they could to resist the Nazis and save lives; people like Raoul Wallenburg, Joseph Andre, Esther Bem, Marie Benoit, and Hermann Fredrich Grabe stepped up to assist their fellow man. Some communities opened their arms and homes to escaping Jews, taking them in and offering sanctuary. And, believe it or not, a great deal of art came out of the Holocaust and its aftermath; The Butterfly by Pavel Friedmann-- an extremely sad poem with a beautifully stated sentiment, is one example.

There have been many efforts to make sure that the Holocaust is remembered by each new generation and, no matter your religion, or race, or occupation, it is likely that someone like yourself was affected by this tragedy. It’s for that reason, we must not forget.