1933: A Turning Point in History and the Holocaust

Rise of the Nazis

• Democratic Ascent: The Nazis came to power through democratic means.
• Dismantling Democracy: Used the tools of democracy to dismantle it.

Anti-Semitic Ideology

• Targeting Jews: Defined Jews as the arch enemy and ultimate evil.
• World Jewish Population: Approximately 16-17 million Jews globally at the time.
  • European Jewish Population: About 9 million Jews in Europe.
  • German Jewish Population: Roughly half a million or slightly more in Germany.
• Nazi Racial Ideology:
  • Aryan Race: Germans, part of the "Aryan" race, seen as epitome of mankind.
    • Attributes: Creative, cultured, contributors to humanity, builders of culture and society.
  • Jews as Opposites: Viewed as the inverse of humanity.
    • Attributes: Destroyers, parasites, devil incarnate, compared to microbes or germs.
    • Seen as a threat to Germany and the world, not quite human but in human form.

Conclusion

• The Nazi regime posed Jews as the greatest threat, driven by a sinister power they imagined.