Hitler was the man who was the mastermind behind the Holocaust and played a huge role in World War II, which followed. Hitler believed in a master race and wanted to rid the world of those he believed did not fit into this race. Today, Hitler is regarded as one of the most notorious and evil people to have ever lived. There is much information available about Hitler, making it possible to choose from several different topics about his involvement in the Holocaust. For example, you could write about how he swayed people to his belief system about the Holocaust, or the ways in which he persuaded people to work for the Holocaust, using empowering speeches and propaganda.
Hitler began the Holocaust in order to rid the world of races of people he believed were not fit to live. He performed this terrible task by gathering these people in camps, called concentration or death camps. Here, they were killed in a number of gruesome ways, including being shot, starved, overworked or placed in gas chambers. All together, counting both Jewish and non-Jewish victims, about 11 million people were murdered, and, although there are no actual statistics on escape, the chances of survival once you were caught were very slim. Though disturbing, as a research paper topic, this allows students to understand the atrocities that occurred during the Holocaust.
Hitler’s main goal during the Holocaust was to exterminate the Jewish race. Millions of Jews were forcibly taken from their homes, separated from their families and placed in camps. Many Jews attempted to escape or hide when they realized they were being targeted. Research areas include the specific populations who were targeted or the many ways they tried to save themselves, through which writers can explore the determination of a group of people as they fought for their lives and their faith. The topic could focus on the group actions as a whole during the Holocaust and what was done to them or on single famous people victimized by the Holocaust, such as Anne Frank, who tried to hide in order to escape the genocide.
Although research of the Holocaust often focuses on Jewish victims, several other groups of people were also targeted by the genocide. Homosexuals and gypsies were rounded up and placed in camps or killed outright. People with mental or physical disabilities were also thought unworthy and targeted. An estimated 5 million non-Jewish citizens were murdered during the Holocaust. Research topics in this area could focus on which groups other than Jews were targeted, how they were treated or how they attempted to escape their fate.
Many people around Europe not only disapproved of what was happening during the Holocaust but also worked to resist it and help those people who were being abused. People who resisted the Holocaust or worked to save victims often put their own lives at risk for what they believed was the right thing to do. Topics within this area of research include the different resistance efforts that were employed throughout the Holocaust or a focus on specific individuals who assisted others in danger.