The Holocaust is one of the most notable events of the 20th century. It started slowly in 1933 as Hitler was named chancellor of Germany, and by the 1940s it had evolved into a systematic murder of more than 6 million Jews and over 11 million people in total. Nazi beliefs and ideals were founded in fascism and anti-Semitism. They believed that a master race was necessary for the success of Germany as a world power and under Hitler's rule, they vowed to do what it took to achieve that goal. While the Jews were the primary focus, others that were deemed 'inferior' were also killed, imprisoned, or forced into labor.
Those who were affected by the Holocaust included Romani, Soviets, mentally and physically disabled people, homosexuals, political opponents, Polish nationals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others that did not fit the Nazi creed of a master race of Aryan men who were strong and ethnically cleansed from any type of disease, disorder, or impurities. Because of the focus on those useful to the Nazi plight, many children were also killed during the Holocaust. Some children were put into slave labor if they were old enough. Others were imprisoned, used for medical experimentation, and killed.
Some children during World War II were even killed right after birth because they were deemed 'unnecessary' or 'inferior' by the Nazis. Nazi doctors were responsible for the euthanasia of many Jewish infants born to mothers in concentration camps and ghettos in Nazi Germany. There was no discernment for age or creed when it came to eliminating the Jews from Germany. The goal was simply to get rid of them because they were a detriment to society according to Nazi leaders, and that was done by any means possible and to anyone they came across.
For years, many countries stood by as this event escalated. However, over time, the Allied forces did gain power and decide to fight back. Germany was informed that it would be responsible for launching World War II if it didn't back down, to which the Germans responded by invading Poland. That was the starting point of the Second World War. By 1945, millions of people had died at the hands of the Nazis. However, thousands of Nazis had also died, either by suicide or after being captured by the Allies. Many committed suicide because they followed the Nazi ideology of death before surrender, including Adolf Hitler, the man held responsible for this entire event.