Can you explain simply why the Nazis hated the Jews?

Answer 1

The simplest answer is "scape-goating".

But that's not really a sufficient answer. Anti-semitism has been around for a very long time. Hitler and the Nazis didn't invent it. Not by a longshot. It's been around through medieval times, and even during ancient Rome. There's alot of 'justifications', but they are all some variation of 'Jews are different, so it's easy to project my fears and insecurities on them.'

Hitler himself had many reasons why he hated Jews and it's something historians have studied for years. His father (whom he hated) was part Jewish. He was turned down for art school and blamed Jews.

But the most potent was that Hitler, like alot of Germans, blamed Jews (unjustly) for their loss in World War 1. The government of the Kaiser kept telling the German people they were winning the war. So when Germany surrendered, it was a major shock to them. And Hitler was a soldier in WW1. It was, by his own description, the best time of his life because he thrived on the comraderie with fellow soldiers.

To Hitler and those like him, the only explanation for how they went from being in a winning position to suddenly surrendering was sabotage. And Hitler blamed Communism and Jews. Which in his mind, were basically the same because he viewed Communism as a Jewish plot.

Hitler and other German anti-semites (and it's important to acknowledge not all were) blamed Jews for the struggles imposed by Versailles and everything else that went wrong.

Answer 2

Putting it as simply as possible:

• The Nazis thought that the German Jews were 'alien', 'un-German' and a 'corrupting influence' on Germany and that they were encouraging immorality.
• The Nazis believed that the Jews were Communists (and that Communism was a specifically Jewish ideology).
• There were strange conspiracy theories that claimed that the Jews were trying to achieve 'world domination'.
• The Nazis said that the Jews were enemies of Germany, and that Jews and Germans were locked in a struggle to the death. (This was another of those conspiracy theories that many Nazis took seriously).
• The Nazis believed that the Jews had made Germany lose World War 1.
• The Nazis subscribed to racialist theories that claimed that the Jews were inferior to others.
• However, Nazi Propaganda also portrayed them as very clever indeed, very dangerous and close to achieving world domination: the two don't even begin to fit.
• With the start of World War 2 in September 1939 Hitler became obsessed with the idea that 'the Jews' had started the war.
• Earlier, 'religious' hostility to Judaism had often demonized the Jews and painted them as sinister and evil.
• Because some Jews were affluent and influential, they represented political positions in opposition to Hitler, and were targeted like others he saw as rivals.

All this was much more important than stories about what a Jew might or might not have done to Hitler in his childhood. There is no firm evidence that Hitler was anti-Jewish before about 1916. Beware of naive explanations.

For fuller answers click on the related questions below.

Answer 3

From the 1870s, traditional, 'religious' anti-Jewish attitudes were supplemented by new, secular, racist antisemitic stereotypes and by conspiracy theories.

1. Many in Germany refused to believe that Germany had actually been defeated in World War 1 and instead subscribed to a conspiracy theory nicknamed the 'stab-in-the-back legend'. This claimed that Germany had been done down on the home front by assorted liberals, socialists and by Bolshevists (Communists) - and by "the Jews". In other words, some Germans blamed "the Jews" for Germany's defeat in World War 1.
2. In Germany before World War 1 the Jews had been widely associated with liberalism. In the wake of the Russian Revolution of November 1917 they came to be widely associated with Bolshevism (Communism). In the 1920s this was widely taken for granted, not only in Germany but also in the U.S., Britain and France, for example.
3. In some extreme right wing circles there was talk about a supposed 'Judeo-Bolshevist conspiracy'. Hitler himself saw the Jews as the 'biological root' and the 'carriers' of Bolshevism. This conspiracy theory seems to have been particularly popular among some of those who fled from Russia to Germany in 1918-20. The influence of these people from Russia, which had a long tradition of antisemitism, should not be underrated. (See link below).
4. Hitler also added the claim that the Jews were homosexuals actively undermining morality in Germany.
5. Hitler saw it as his mission in life to rid the world of Communism and to establish a vast German empire in Europe.
6. In Germany, it was probably the maliciously constructed link between defeat in World War 1 (1914-1918) and the Jews that proved most explosive. Jews had not been prominent in the 1918 German Revolution, except in Bavaria, and there had been no'stab-in-the-back', either. The German army was retreating, and fast, when Germany asked for an armistice - and it wasn't Jews who asked for an armistice or signed the Treaty of Versailles. Antisemitism in Germany was particularly strong in Bavaria, and Hitler found his rantings against Jews brought him wild applause in the beer-halls of Bavaria.
7. Hitler wanted a scapegoat (which was the Jews) to blame for Germany's defeat in World War 1 and for Germany's economic problems, especially the Great Depression.
8. From September 1939 on Hitler blamed the Jews for starting World War 2.

For fuller answers click on the related question below.

Answer 4

Hitler wanted to create an ultimate race also known as the Aryans, he strongly believed in survival of the fittest which meant he thought that only the fittest of species survived (like in nature). He saw the Jews as the lowest form of humans and therefore wanted to irradiate them from the earth as they posed a threat to his dream of a perfect race. Also? are Jews related to Aryan in any way?Why he believe "the Jews as the lowest form of humans".There are much more Russian civilian or Japanese killed in second world war than the Jews.The world never rewarded them with new nations for their sufferings.or at least give the Russians one of the football fields in Berlin. "posed a threat to his dream of a perfect race" how do you concoct this theory?The Americans, The French,the English,The Christians all resisted the expansion of Hitler but none were subjected to the same inconveniences as to the Jews.Yes many were killed but have you ever heard about a figure as many as 4 millions.They were kill in combats as what the Americans did in Iraq.Let a rational mind tell me who posed a greater threat to Hitler ; the Jews or the American or the English or the Christians? He was a racist lunatic! What else is there? actually germans were put out of work and business by the jews and forced to live on the street as did hitler. also when hitler was a soldier in ww1 he had a open exposure to tabun gas which may have effected his brain. after his persuement of being an artist failed due to a jew he started the nazi party and became very popular in politics and once his party was in charge he unlike politions today he actually listned to the working and middle class people of germany and they wanted jews out of germany so he asked them to leave but they did'nt cooperate so he had to use force [this was before the haoulocust] he used his ss to run down their businesses. hitler also had a major influence in the german people one reason of this is because her believed every working man deserved the right of a car. hitler may have gone to far against the jews but you have to respect the fact he went from a homeless to a leader of a powerful party which was voted in by the public not in force so hitler wasnt all that bad he only acted on behalf of the people as should any party in power as this is apparenty democracy. also hitler even near his down fall respected the rules of engagement and the rights of prisoners of war unlike saddam. For a balanced answer that does not try to make excuses for Hitler and doesn't drag in irrelevancies like Saddam, see the related question below.

Answer 5

The Nazis needed someone to blame for things which went wrong. For centuries Jews had been blamed, as there was no country to speak up for the Jews they were an easy target.

Answer 6

Because Hitler forced the Germans to believe that the Jews were responsible for all of their problems