The Holocaust was the systematic killing of European Jews by the Nazis before and during World War II. When Hitler came into power, Germany turned into a totalitarian government, “The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were “racially superior” and that the Jews, deemed “inferior,” were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community” ("Introduction to the Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Web. 20 Mar. 2016). Hitler’s goal for Germany was to create the perfect Aryan race. The Nazis accepted that it was their duty to exterminate the Jews. Hitler’s twisted notion brainwashed German citizens into thinking that it was fine if other people …show more content…
A lot of propaganda was displayed through movies and films, “In the cinemas, for example, they showed films with strong anti semitic overtones, such as Jud Süss.” ("Propaganda, Nazi." Encyclopedia of the Holocaust. Ed. Israel Gutman. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 1990. World History in Context. Web. 20 Mar. 2016). These movies induced loathing towards Jews. Filmmakers made repulsive clips in which Polish ghettos made the Jews seem like an annoyance or pest. This influenced citizens to think that Jews were a nuisance and that they needed to leave Germany. There were also boycotts against Jewish businesses. Repetition, simplicity, imagery, and sentiment were used to make propaganda phrases like “Germans! Defend yourselves. Don’t buy from Jews” and “Don’t buy from Jews; shop in German businesses!” Images showing vivid red colors provoked the audience's emotions. Many posters made Hitler seem god-like with light shining on him and a background showing a vast amount of supporters holding the Nazi red flag. The Nazis wanted to disguise the unjust treatment of Jews, so they displayed fair living conditions in concentration camps. The government used media to ingrain the elements of racist ideology and altered the everyday thinking and acting of citizens towards …show more content…
The anti semitic Nazi party created many laws to make life difficult for Jews, “On March 9, 1933, several weeks after Hitler assumed power, organized attacks on Jews broke out across Germany. [...] Within a few months, democracy was obliterated in Germany, and the country became a centralized, single-party police state.” ("The Holocaust." Holocaust History. Web. 20 Mar. 2016). Hitler became the supreme leader of the Nazi party. This means that many laws were going to be passed which were going to be used to control many aspects of the Jews’ life and ultimately exterminate Jews from Germany. The German government issued the Law of Restoration of the Professional Civil Service in 1933. This law banned Jews from all civil service positions. The Nuremberg Laws were passed in September 1935, which took away the Jews’ citizenship rights. Marriage between Jews and non-Jews was not allowed. Jews experienced legal, social isolation and segregation when they were not permitted to go to the same movie theaters, restaurants, and public pools as Germans. This law also made Jews wear the Star of David which was used to distinguish the Jews from the Germans. These regulations were a step into the direction of purifying Germany from