Discrimination
Who:
Nazi leaders searching the unwantables
Several races of people were discriminated against during the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler had a perfect vision of what his followers should look like: pure German Highland with blond hair and blue eyes. He called this race of people "Aryan." With this in mind, Hitler began segregating those who were not part of his "superior race." The most of which were the Jews. But there was other people discriminated against as well--African Americans, Homosexuals, Gypsies, the disabled, Slavic people, and mixed-races.
How:
Two Jews forced to sew stars on their cloths
The first discriminatory act against the Jews was forcing the Jewish people to sew a yellow star of David on any part of clothing. Next was the passing of the "Nuremberg Laws" by the Germans right before the start of World War II. These rules banned marriages between Jews and Germans, barred Jews from voting or holding office, made Jews with German-sounding names to adopt Jewish names, prevented the Jews to work as: civil servants, journalist, farmers, teachers, and actors, and rebuked the Jews' right to operate a business. They were also banned from living in certain neighborhoods and forced to live in poor, crowded, and confined neighborhoods called Ghettos.
Why:
A sign for "No-Jews"
Following World War I, Germany was in extreme debt. To pay back their debts, the German government decided to print out more marks. By doing this, they caused hyper-inflation in Germany. Inflation increased so much that people's savings became useless, and they began taking wheelbarrows full of money to buy simple products such as bread and butter. Needing a scapegoat, the German government blamed the Jews, who had previously been victims of discrimination. They had even been blamed for killing Jesus Christ. Since the discrimination of Jews was not a new idea, it was easy for the Nazi Party to persuade German citizens that the Jews were at fault for super-inflation, and ultimately the depression they were in. The public believed that there was only one way for the nation to go back to pre- war times: exterminate the Jewish race completely.
Sources:
http://trcs.wikispaces.com/Discrimination+against+the+Jews+in+WWII
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/holocaust/holocaustjournals/danielsstory.htm
http://trcs.wikispaces.com/Discrimination+against+the+Jews+in+WWII
http://www.cyberlearning-world.com/holocaust/holocaustjournals/danielsstory.htm