Genocide of the Jewish race: an unthinkable actGenocide. How is it defined? According to the Holocaust Encyclopedia, genocide is defined as any crime committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, or religious group. The Holocaust during World War II was one of the most significant acts of genocide in human history, resulting in an unimaginable number of deaths among the Jewish race (Holocaust Encyclopedia). According to the Houston Holocaust Museum, more than 5,800,000 Jews were killed during the Holocaust. Communists, trade unionists, socialists, and gypsies are just a few of the many groups also affected by this horrible event (Holocaust Museum Houston). Many questions remain unanswered today regarding the Holocaust. Perhaps the biggest question is why did this happen? Why was Hitler so evil? Why did the Nazis and Hitler choose the Jewish race to commit genocide? According to History Learning Site, Adolf Hitler was born in a small Austrian town near the German border on April 20, 1889. He left school at the age of 15 to pursue an education. a career in painting. His life in Vienna was “five years of misery” (History Learning Site). It was at this time that he began to hate the Jews. He blamed them for his mother's death and his failure to enter the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna. As a young man, he joined the German army to fight in World War I, as he was unsuitable to join the Austrian army. By the end of World War I, Hitler was convinced that Jews were responsible for Germany's defeat. Hitler started as president/chancellor of Germany and later became dictator of Germany. According to the history learning site and a teacher's guide, there is evidence that as early as 1919, Hitler's hatred of the...... middle of paper ... As George Santayana once said; “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” (The Santayana Edition) Works Cited “Adolf Hitler”, accessed May 13, 2014 http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/adolf_hitler.htm “A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust”, accessed May 13, 2014 http:// fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/people/victims.htm “Education FAQ Page”, accessed May 14, 2014 http://www.hmh.org/la_holocaust_faqs.shtml#2 “The historian has- Did he finally discover the real reason for Hitler's obsessive policies? hatred of Jews? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1194194/Has-historian-finally-real-reason-Hitlers-obsessive-hatred-Jews.html#ixzz328P07Zgs “Introduction to the Holocaust”, accessed 14 may. , 2014 http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007043 “The Satayana Edition” Accessed May 15, 2014 http://iat.iupui.edu/santayana/content/santayana-quotations