Prejudice has existed in endless social, historical, political and cultural contexts but the possibly the most notable and horrific embodiment of these principles of hatred, fear, and discrimination were present in the holocaust, which took place during the Second World War (1939-1945). Members of the German public who used humanities greatness weaknesses and transformed them into passionate hatred initiated this act of extreme and disgusting discrimination, which forever haunts the minds of those who were affected. In the following essay I will address the reasoning that resulted in this event through acquired knowledge on the subject and the deconstruction of two pieces of material with strong, direct and connotative relations to the event and the influences that caused it to take place.
The holocaust was the systematic, state sponsored murder of Jews and others thought as "inferior" by Nazis during the Second World War. The ideals and principles on which it was based were strongly influenced by several individuals, the most notable of which being Adolf Hitler, one of histories most destructive and vicious men. Over 6 million Jews and up to 5 million others were simply eradicated to achieve what Hitler believed would be an Aryan utopia, free of the inferior. Jews were the primary target of the holocaust but the nazis targeted countless other minority groups including the aged, the mentally and physically handicapped and any others who were socially, mentally, physically, financially or culturally vulnerable. .
The way in which the post WW2 world has embraced the fight against prejudice can be attributed slightly to the holocaust and it's overwhelming social effects on the world. The holocaust had served as a precedent for every prejudicial issue and event since the end of WW2 and has helped the world to understand the horrific and often deadly results that prejudice can stem. The two pieces of related material that I have chosen are an extracts from Adolf Hitler's book Mein (my struggle) Kampf and extracts from the Warsaw ghetto diary of Chaim A.
