The genocide of the Jewish people and other groups by Germany and her allies fueled the 3rd Reich's aggression and was very real. It was part and parcel of Hitler's plan to dominate Europe and Russia, and was set forth by him and his supporters in their propaganda. The belief that there was no holocaust, or genocide of targeted groups, but only collateral damage of the larger war effort by Germany and her allies, is to misunderstand Germany's purpose for going to war.

The myth that Germany was led into World War II by the unfair and onerous conditions imposed by the Versailles treaty is now being debunked. Germany never abided by the terms of the Treaty. It re payed little of the terrible damage it had done to France. It began remobilization in the 30's, which the Allied powers knew about, but did nothing to stop. The allies wanted a reconstructed Germany, as a bulwark to Russia.

It was always Hitler's intent and the population which supported him to created "living space" in Eastern Europe and Russia for the German people, to dispose of the Slavic populations by resettlement or destruction and to round up the surviving populations into slaves for Germany. Agricultural and mineral resources located in Eastern European countries, the bread basket of the Ukraine and the oil fields of southern Russia had to be taken. He disposed of populations that got in the way.

Hitler and his supporters assigned a complicated and nonsensical hierarchy to the different populations of different countries, according to myth, ethnicity, race, religion, and other bizarre factors too numerous to mention or for that matter to understand. His campaign against the Gypsies is particularly ridiculous, as Gypsies most probably came from India, the "seat" of Aryan culture, whatever that is. The annihilation of the Jewish people were his top priority. Ultimately, while much of the German Reich's aggression was fueled by greed for land and resources, its "rage" was fueled by a deep abiding hatred for populations it truly believed were inferior and which, Germany believed, deserved what they got. This was not a new German/Prussian belief, but had been brewing for a century under the guise of "nationalism."

Finally, not only are the figures of the murdered Jews accurate, evidence is emerging that maybe more that 6 million were killed or died of disease. What is also becoming clear is how much of the local populations participated in the extermination and the theft of Jewish property, including homes, land, business, art and whatever else the people could get their hands on. Hopefully, as more records become available from Germany, which is presently happening, and other countries, like Russia, the true extent of the killing and theft will emerge.

Learn more about this author, Jessica Kunen.
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