The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies and collaborators during World War II, from 1941 to 1945. The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the German community.

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The Holocaust represents one of history's darkest periods, characterized by the extreme brutality and inhumanity of the Nazi regime. The Nazis implemented a series of increasingly oppressive policies against Jews and other targeted groups, including Roma, disabled individuals, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, communists, homosexuals, and others, which culminated in the establishment of concentration camps and extermination camps across Europe.

The systematic plan for the genocide of the Jewish people was known as the "Final Solution," which involved mass deportations to camps, where millions were murdered in gas chambers or through other methods. The impact of the Holocaust was devastating, leading not only to the loss of millions of lives but also to profound social and cultural disruptions that continue to resonate today.

In addition to the immense loss of life, the Holocaust left a lasting legacy on global human rights awareness and the need for education about the dangers of hatred, intolerance, and discrimination. Events like International Holocaust Remembrance Day serve to honor the victims and ensure that the lessons learned from this atrocity are not forgotten.