Prologue to a Genocide

“When we examine the daily practices of persecution in various countries, we cannot fail to note the ease with which German occupiers were able to enlist local nationalist, national- socialist, and anti-Semitic movements to serve their ends. Without at least passive support in those countries, without the help of administrators, police, state officials, and thousands of non-German helpers who all played a role in the atrocities, Hitler's monstrous project would not have been realized with such breathless speed.” – Europe Against the Jews

Between 1941 and 1945, a mere eight decades ago, 6 million Jews were murdered in Nazi extermination camps, representing nearly two-thirds of the Jewish population in Europe at the time.  An event so recent that almost a quarter of a million Holocaust survivors are still alive today.  To understand how such a heinous crime could occur with the willing acceptance of thousands of accomplices, one must examine history to see what led to its occurrence.

In Gotz Aly’s 2020 book, “Europe Against the Jews”, Gotz, a German historian, details the events that led to the Holocaust, before the formation of the Nazi’s and Hitlers rise.  While Germany was ground zero for the operation, the passive support from European neighbors and allies allowed its worst outcomes to be realized.   The prequel is not only the story of the collapse of moral and legal standards, but also the events that led to the expulsion of minorities, especially Jews, from many European nations.   

What became the Jewish question of what to do with the Jews as they gained influence following industrialization and the economic opportunities it brought, led to the coining of the term “antisemitic” in 1880 to describe efforts to squash such power.   

While the nineteenth century ushered in a rise in nationalism, the twentieth century saw a rise in new political systems such as democracy, socialism, fascism, and communism.  With each came a greater focus on equality after the Enlightenment brought economic competition, and the ensuing scourge of comparison.

After the 1919 Treaty of Versailles ended the conflict between the Allied forces and Germany, the redrawing of European borders led to the creation of new nation states. The advent of these new political systems would lead to a growing nationalism that favored the majority of minorities.  The result was the homogenization of ethnic minorities, including native Jews, resulting in forced or involuntary expulsions, a moratorium on immigration, and a growing acceptance of resettlements, a ready answer to the Jewish problem. 

Next, the 1923 Treaty of Lausanne, the final peace treaty ending WWI, would set the preconditions for the deportation of minorities and the eventual relocation of the Jews, as a means to end the conflict and create lasting peace.  As a result, in the twentieth century, some 50 million people were subjected to involuntary emigration.  Ripped from their homeland and freed of their possessions, the international acceptance of deportations would become a way to scapegoat the Jews. 

This ongoing displacement of the Jews led to the rise of Zionism and the eventual formation of the state of Israel in 1948.  It began with the British mandate for Palestine that went into effect in 1923, when Britain began the administration of Palestinian territory towards a state for Israel.   Recognition that assimilation of Jews, even in their home countries, was no longer possible, a separate state for the Jews seemed to fulfill the desires of both the new nation states and dispossessed Jews. 

As Aly notes, the primary reason for the growing antisemitism was not based on religion or race, but on envy and resentment over the economic well-being of the Jews.  Unable to compete, native Christians used Jewish ambition as an excuse for their lack of advancement.  Jews, by taking advantage of education opportunities following industrialization, excelled, leading to claims of unfair competition fueling both social unrest and the ensuing antisemitism.  The initial response by many European countries was to first place restrictions on Jewish education and careers.  Other obstacles then included the raising of Jews’ rents, higher sales taxes, and the denial of bank loans.  When the Holocaust began, European citizens were offered Jews' possessions and positions, as an attempt to finally level the playing field. 

While Germany organized the Holocaust, occupied and allied forces abetted their atrocities by supporting the deportation of Jews to benefit their majority populations economically.   Following the introduction of nation states that strove for demographic homogeneity, a national renewal, an increase in living standards, and social mobility for the majority, many European nations created the preconditions for Jewish deportations, resettlements, and ultimately, their murders.

The rest is history.