During World War II (1939-1945), Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler (rule 1933-1945) carried out the Holocaust, a systematic, state-directed genocide that resulted in the murder of approximately six million Jews, alongside millions of other victims across German-occupied Europe. Rooted in racial ideology, antisemitism, and authoritarian control, the Holocaust was implemented through a vast and coordinated system that included ghettos, concentration camps, extermination camps, mobile killing units (Einsatzgruppen), and state-run killing programs such as Aktion T4 (1939-1941). From industrialized death centers like Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka to mass shooting sites such as Babi Yar and Ponary, violence was both mechanized and locally executed.
The victims of the Holocaust extended beyond Jewish communities to include Romani people, disabled individuals, Soviet prisoners of war, political opponents, Poles, and other groups labeled “undesirable” by the Nazi regime. The genocide unfolded through a combination of bureaucratic efficiency, propaganda, coercion, and collaboration, demonstrating how modern state structures could be mobilized for mass murder. The Holocaust remains a central case study in modern history for understanding the consequences of extreme ideology, dehumanization, and the erosion of moral and legal constraints, underscoring the necessity of historical memory, accountability, and vigilance against genocide.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2025, December 15). Map of the Holocaust in Europe during World War II. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20036/map-of-the-holocaust-in-europe-during-world-war-ii/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Holocaust in Europe during World War II." World History Encyclopedia, December 15, 2025. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20036/map-of-the-holocaust-in-europe-during-world-war-ii/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Holocaust in Europe during World War II." World History Encyclopedia, 15 Dec 2025, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/20036/map-of-the-holocaust-in-europe-during-world-war-ii/.
