The Holocaust
The Holocaust was the systematic murder of six million Jewish people and millions of others by Nazi Germany.
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The Holocaust was the systematic murder of six million Jewish people and millions of others by Nazi Germany.
- Concentration and death camps were built
- Kristallnacht was in 1938
- Remembering prevents repetition
🧠 Quick quiz
Three questions. Score 2 or more to complete the topic.
What is The Holocaust?
Within History, which covers ancient civilisations, empires, revolutions, world wars and the making of the modern world, this topic explains The Holocaust. History topics connect events, people and ideas across time, so each one here gives a clear summary and a way to test your understanding.
Check that you can explain The Holocaust in your own words and give one example from everyday life. If you can do that, you have understood the core idea.
Understanding The Holocaust helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
The Holocaust in detail
The Holocaust was the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews and millions of others, such as Roma, disabled people, political opponents and homosexuals, by Nazi Germany and its collaborators. It developed from discriminatory laws, such as the Nuremberg Laws of 1935, and violence such as Kristallnacht in 1938.
Jews were forced into ghettos, then taken to concentration and extermination camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, after the "Final Solution" was planned at the Wannsee Conference in 1942. Some people resisted and others rescued Jews. After the war, trials were held at Nuremberg. Remembering the Holocaust warns against prejudice, hatred and indifference.
How the interactive helps you understand The Holocaust
Watch the timeline in the interactive. Use any sliders or buttons it offers to change the values and see how the timeline responds.
Before you change anything, predict the result. Then change one value at a time and check whether your prediction was right. This is a quick way to build a correct mental model of The Holocaust.
Real-life uses and examples
- Explain the causes and consequences of The Holocaust in a well-structured paragraph.
- Compare The Holocaust with another event to spot patterns of change and continuity.
- Build a timeline that shows when The Holocaust happened and what came before and after.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Describing events without explaining why they happened.
- Treating one source as the whole story when you study The Holocaust.
- Learning the definition without testing it. Use the quiz and the interactive to check that you can apply the idea.
Frequently asked questions about The Holocaust
What is The Holocaust?
The Holocaust was the systematic murder of six million Jewish people and millions of others by Nazi Germany.
What are the most important points about The Holocaust?
The main points are: Concentration and death camps were built; Kristallnacht was in 1938; Remembering prevents repetition.
Why is The Holocaust useful?
Understanding The Holocaust helps you explain change over time and judge why events happened, which is the core skill in history essays.
How can I practise The Holocaust?
Open the interactive at the top of this page and change the controls one at a time. Predict the result before each change, then take the three-question quiz. A score of two or more marks the topic as complete on this device.
Which topics are related to The Holocaust?
Related topics in History include The Cold War, The Space Race, Indian Independence and Gandhi.