Glossary
Anti-Semitism
Hostility to, prejudice toward, or discrimination against Jews. It has a long history in Europe, manifesting in various forms of exclusion and persecution.
Example:
During the Medieval period, European communities often engaged in the anti-Semitism of expelling Jewish populations from their cities.
Aryan Race
A pseudoscientific concept promoted by the Nazis, referring to a supposed master race of non-Jewish Caucasians, particularly those of Nordic or Germanic descent.
Example:
Nazi ideology centered on the purity of the Aryan Race, which they believed was superior and destined to rule, justifying the extermination of those deemed 'inferior'.
Holocaust
The systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators between 1941 and 1945.
Example:
The Holocaust represents a horrific period in European history, where the Nazis implemented their 'Final Solution' to exterminate Jewish people and other 'undesirables'.
Kristallnacht
Known as 'The Night of Broken Glass,' this was a coordinated series of violent pogroms against Jews throughout Nazi Germany and Austria on November 9-10, 1938.
Example:
Kristallnacht marked a significant escalation in the persecution of Jews, with widespread destruction of synagogues and Jewish businesses, signaling the beginning of the Holocaust's violent phase.
Nationalism
A political ideology that emphasizes a nation's collective identity and interests, often leading to the desire for a homogenous national population.
Example:
The rise of intense nationalism in 19th-century Germany contributed to the exclusion of groups perceived as 'outsiders,' like Jews, who didn't fit the idealized national heritage.
Nazi Racial Ideology
The core belief system of the Nazi Party, which posited a hierarchy of races with the 'Aryan race' at the top and Jews, Romani people, and others deemed 'unworthy of life' at the bottom.
Example:
The Nazi Racial Ideology was the driving force behind the Holocaust, providing the pseudoscientific justification for the systematic extermination of millions.
Nuremberg Laws
A set of anti-Jewish statutes enacted in Nazi Germany in 1935 that stripped Jews of their German citizenship and prohibited marriage and sexual relations between Jews and Germans.
Example:
The Nuremberg Laws were a foundational step in the legal persecution of Jews, clearly defining who was considered 'Jewish' based on ancestry rather than religious practice.
Propaganda
Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.
Example:
Nazi propaganda frequently depicted Jews with exaggerated features and blamed them for Germany's economic woes, effectively turning public opinion against them.
Scapegoating
The practice of blaming an individual or group for problems that are not their fault, often to deflect attention from the real causes or to unify a group against a common 'enemy'.
Example:
Hitler's regime used scapegoating to rally support by falsely accusing Jews of causing Germany's defeat in WWI and its subsequent economic struggles.