Why is the holocaust an important event in world history?

Answer 1

Other than being the most documenetd genocide,how is the Holocaust any more important or tragic than the Rwanda genocide(which was also faily apparent for the world in 1994 being on the news),Nama-Herero genocide,Khmer Rouge cambodian genocide,or the mongol genocide in China 1211-1215? to mention a few.

The Holocaust was not the first ,last or even worst in human history others prior being bloodier and more protracted.Current genocides like in Darfur or the ones in Serbia were in a modern 'media laden' world so though the claim to the holocaust being the most documented is undeniable, in recent years that claim to fame is relative.So why is it so special; was it the methods or the fact that it was so systematic?

Anyway, no offense to anyone...but many see that as splitting hairs when it comes to the fact that genocides (whether by machete,swords,guns or gas chambers) are equally horrific.

With that said, this is why the holocaust of WW2 serves as the most important lesson humanity must learn from the barbarism of the Nazis.

Without trivializing the deaths in the Holocaust, or the groups that were targeted, men have been systematically slaughtering each other based on ethnicity, religion, nationality, race, and a host of other factors for several millenia.

Besides the scale of the slaughter (and, the relative short timeframe this slaughter was carried out), there are two really unique and interrelated characteristics which make the Holocaust stand out from all other genocides and mass-murders in history:

(1) The level of industrialized, mechanized, and automated death. Never before (and, really, never since) has a mass murder campaign been carried out with such precision and utilizing the full resources of the country. Complete systems of automated death were designed and used to maximum efficiency, with constant "improvements" and other hallmarks of the industrial revolution's manufacturing processes. Unlike all other genocides, the level of planning and execution mirrored that of an industrial assembly line process - effectively, the Holocaust manufactured mass death as a product, and sold it to its victims.

(2) The level of which the Holocaust was not just a formal policy of a nation-state, but the way that it was institutionalized and bureaucratized into the nation carrying out the campaign. The reason we know so much about the Holocaust's victims was, that unlike all other mass-murder campaigns, the Nazi's kept meticulous records of everything, just like any other government bureaucracy. A whole government ministry was set up to handle the killing, and did so like any other ministry - it competed with other ministries for funding, talent, and resources, had goals and projections and produced statistical reports, and had all the hallmarks of "ordinary" government ministries. No other genocide has ever had this level of organization and official recognition within an established government the way that the perpetrators of the Holocaust had.

These things are what truly differentiate the Holocaust from all other genocides: this industrialization of death. Other genocides had specifically targeted killed Jews, blacks, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, or any of a myriad of minority groups. Others had killed in massive numbers, and with terrible means. Others had even wiped out whole societies and civilizations. However, no one else has ever directed the entire means of modern industrial society and technology to the purpose of genocide. The efficiency and scale such industrialized means give is an ominous warning to be vigilant for anyone else looking to apply such "lessons" to evil purposes.

Read more: Why_is_the_Holocaust_significant

Answer 2

WWII was the last time in human history that a country (nation) would be able to fight an all out total war without risking mutual destruction, because we (the world) had entered the atomic age; by virtue of using the atomic bomb (twice) in August of 1945, thus ending WWII.

Answer 3

Because this genocide was unimaginably horrible.

Jews disappeared from all over Europe and were killing in extermination camps which were made for no other reason than death or used as slave labor. This genocide had huge consequences. Most Jews were exterminated and those who have survived lost their property and often were the only surviver from their whole family. They couldn't go back home, because their homes were confiscated so they went to Israel which was given to Jews.

Holocaust changed politics after war. Everyone seen atrocity in Nazi camps so it give bases to some military operation in Yugoslavia where Serbs were waging wars against other nations, so NATO with US bombed Serbs to stop ethnic clearing.

Answer 4

The Holocaust was an important part of history because 6Million innocent people died.

( Jews, cripples, Russians, polish, ect) because Hitler belived that blonde hair and blue eyes were the master race so he killed Jews and many others. In his eye's he's done nothing wrong. He killed him self before are soldiers could get to him.

Answer 5

that's what the whole war was about. it was to stop all of the concentration camps.

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With respect, World War 2 was not about the concentration camps or the Holocaust. In fact, one keeps on hearing that in the US most people had 'no idea' about all this till US forces actually liberated camps at the very end of the war in Europe.

Answer 6

It began with a simple boycott of Jewish shops and ended in the gas chambers at Auschwitz as Adolf Hitler and his Nazi followers attempted to exterminate the entire Jewish population of Europe. For some is seen as a major event, not as a turning-point. For others the Holocaust was a turning point in history, which prompted the world to say "never again".

Answer 7

It encouraged the Jews fought for a homeland (Israel).

Answer 8

It is seen as a major event, not as a turning-point.

Answer 9

No, at the time it was considered unimportant. The Allies didn't want to know about it.