HOLOCAUST ESSAY

Table of contents

• Short Synopsis of the Holocaust
• Topics for a Holocaust Essay
• Writing a Holocaust Essay
• The Holocaust Essay Examples

Short Synopsis of the Holocaust

The end of World War I left Germany in ruins. And the Allies wanted to punish Germany for its part in the War. As a result, Germany went into a deep economic depression, as well as a cultural depression among its citizens.

It was in this environment that Adolf Hitler rose to power, promising Germans a return to greatness – and blaming many of their woes on the Jews. Aryan Germans flocked to his promises, and, in 1933, he was appointed Chancellor. Thus, he began his reign.

Hitler set about his persecution of the Jews immediately. It began with the confiscation of their property and businesses and ended with the concentration camps, where six million Jews were systematically murdered. All of this was in the name of purifying the Aryan race in the country, any other race being considered inferior and not worthy of residing in the country.

The full impact of Hitler’s atrocities was not completely discovered until Allies invaded Germany toward the end of 1944 when World War II in Europe was ending. There are those who insist that the Allies, including the U.S., knew what was going on but chose to ignore the situation while the War raged on.

Topics for a Holocaust Essay

The Holocaust in total is far too broad a topic for a research paper or an essay. If you are charged with a paper or essay on the holocaust, you will need to choose a topic within the length specifications of your instructor. Holocaust essay topics for a two-page piece will be much narrower than an 8-page research paper, but neither can treat the Holocaust in total. Here are several potential Holocaust essay questions and topics for you to consider:

Writing a Holocaust Essay

Choose a topic that interests you. Otherwise, you will struggle with research and writing.

Once you have chosen your topic, do nothing else until you conduct the research on that topic. Until you have the knowledge, you cannot form a thesis statement.

Develop your thesis statement. What are you trying to “prove?” Why is this topic important? What do you want your reader to take away from this essay or paper? Answering these questions should help you craft your thesis.

At this point, you are ready to collate your research into sub-topics that will form the paragraphs of your essay or the sections of your research paper. You will want to organize these subtopics into the sequence that you will present them, along with the important details supporting each of those subtopics.

You are ready for your rough draft. Write the body of the piece first. In doing this, you will think more about your thesis and why it is important. This will help you as you begin to formulate your introduction. 

That introduction should begin with a good “hook” to pique the interest of your reader. Provide a shocking statistic; give a short anecdote; provide a quote from a survivor – something that will make that reader wants to move forward. Your introduction must conclude with your thesis statement so that the reader knows exactly what is to follow.

Once you have completed your rough draft, you know the “drill.” You must go back and clean it up. Even the best thoughts and points will be lost amid grammar and compositional errors.

The Holocaust Essay Examples

You will find sample Holocaust essays and papers all over the web. And certainly, those that relate to the topic and thesis of your essay or paper will give you some insights.