Between and , Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe , around two-thirds of Europe's Jewish population. They also murdered approximately five million non-Jewish civilians and prisoners of war POWs , including Soviets , Poles , Serbs , and disabled people.
The Nazis developed their ideology based on racism and pursuit of "living space" , and seized power in early Meant to force all German Jews to emigrate , regardless of means, the regime passed anti-Jewish laws, encouraged harassment, and orchestrated a nationwide pogrom in November After Germany invaded Poland in September , occupation authorities began to establish ghettos to segregate Jews.
Following the June invasion of the Soviet Union , 1. By early , the Nazis decided to murder all Jews in Europe. Victims were deported to extermination camps where those who had survived the trip were killed with poisonous gas, while others were sent to forced labor camps where many died from starvation, abuse, exhaustion, or being used as test subjects in experiments.
Property belonging to murdered Jews was redistributed to the German occupiers and other non-Jews. Although the majority of Holocaust victims died in , the killing continued until the end of the war in May Many Jewish survivors emigrated out of Europe after the war.
A few Holocaust perpetrators faced criminal trials. Billions of dollars in reparations have been paid, although falling short of the Jews' losses.
