National pride was a key factor in the German people's indifference to or participation in state-sponsored genocide and murder. There are five main reasons for this. Jews were among those blamed by German military officers who sought excuses to explain Germany's defeat in World War I and were therefore linked to the loss of national pride. Jews were seen as bringing down the economy by occupying space and manipulating other Germans into giving Jews their money to fuel their inherent greed. Hitler had helped create national and cultural unity in Germany, which had at its core strong feelings of anti-Semitism. Jews were generally considered inferior and genetically impure, so improving one's nation would involve eliminating them. Finally, due to intense national pride, many Germans may have simply thought that everything their country and leaders do should not be questioned because there must be a good reason behind it, even if the action of their country is a massacre and a genocide. In the aftermath of World War I, Germany was deeply humiliated. German government propaganda assured its citizens that Germany was crushing its opposition: the English, French and Americans. Germany, however, was defeated on the battlefield, which caused great shock to the German people. As a result of this defeat, on July 18, 1919, Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles, causing further emotional turmoil in Germany due to the terms of the Treaty. The treaty forced the German army to surrender its weapons and added massive financial sanctions that seriously damaged the German economy. German commanders quickly asserted that it was not their fault, but that of Jews, communists and left-wing politicians ... middle of paper ...the participation or indifference of the German people in with regard to the genocide. Due to the paranoia and reproaches of German leaders, Jews were associated with many events that damaged German national pride. German national pride also led to Jews being viewed as inferior and inhuman compared to the German "Aryan master race", and the national and cultural unity against the Jews that Hitler helped create also strengthened pride German. National pride also made Germans blind to the atrocities committed by the Nazi Party against minorities, primarily Jews, and even made them feel that these acts were necessary for Germany's survival. -of-the-holocaust-shoah/the-roots-of-the-holocaust.html http://web.mnstate.edu/shoptaug/AntiFrames.htm http://www.fcit.usf.edu/Holocaust/timeline /nazifica.htm