Explain which groups of people were affected by the Holocaust and why the Nazis targeted them.

(4 points)

1 answer

1. Jewish people were disproportionately targeted during the Holocaust, with approximately six million Jews killed. The Nazis targeted Jews as they viewed them as a separate and inferior race, blaming them for Germany's economic and social problems.

2. People with disabilities were also targeted by the Nazis, as they were believed to be "genetically defective" and a burden on society. Thousands of disabled individuals were forcibly sterilized or killed under the Nazi euthanasia program.

3. Romani people, also known as the Roma or Gypsies, were targeted by the Nazis due to their ethnicity and perceived social deviance. It is estimated that between 220,000 to 500,000 Romani people were killed during the Holocaust.

4. Homosexuals were also persecuted by the Nazis, who viewed homosexuality as a threat to the Aryan population. Thousands of homosexual individuals were arrested, imprisoned, and killed in concentration camps.

Overall, the Nazis targeted these groups of people based on their perceived racial, social, or genetic inferiority, as well as their deviation from Nazi ideals of a homogeneous and pure Aryan society. The Holocaust was a result of the systematic persecution and extermination of those deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime.