Top 10 Misconceptions About the Holocaust

The Holocaust was a terrible time, but there are myths and misconceptions about the Holocaust that can even confuse the biggest history buffs. In this list, I will show some myths and what the truth really is. I hope you enjoy this list, and make sure to follow me if you like the lists I make. Enjoy!
The Top Ten
1 The Holocaust only targeted Jewish people

This is in fact false. Although most of the prisoners in concentration camps were Jewish, the camps were also used for Romani people, prisoners of war, gays, lesbians, and many others who were considered "inferior" to the Third Reich.

2 All Jewish people were sent to concentration camps

Some Jewish people were not sent to concentration camps. For example, Danish Jews escaped to neutral Sweden, meaning most of them survived. Additionally, some were viewed favorably by Hitler and were even friends with him.

3 All concentration camps were the same

This is very false. There were actually four types of camps: concentration camps, transit camps, labor camps, and death camps. Although people died in all of them, death camps were specifically for the execution of prisoners by gas chambers. The only other reasons people died in the other camps were due to poor conditions, malnutrition, and being overworked.

4 All prisoners in concentration camps had number tattoos

This myth is very popular and can confuse many people, but it is only partially true. Only one concentration camp, the infamous Auschwitz, used number tattoos on their prisoners.

5 Anti-Semitism played a key role in bringing Adolf Hitler to power

Not really. The main reasons Hitler was able to rise to power were hatred for communism and socialism, not anti-Semitism.

6 The Holocaust did not happen

This is very false. There is extensive documentation, planning records, and survivors of the Holocaust. There is overwhelming evidence that the Holocaust happened. Yet some people still deny it.

7 The Allies could have saved more Jews

Not really. Most of the prisoners in concentration camps died before the tide turned in WWII. For example, 75% of Jewish people in concentration camps died before the Battle of Stalingrad, so the chances of the Allies being able to save more Jewish people were low.

8 The Holocaust was Hitler's first attempt at eradicating "inferior" races

This is very false. Hitler first tried to send the Jews to Madagascar, but he wasn't able to do so. He then asked numerous countries such as the USA, Great Britain, France, and Australia, just to name a few, to accept Jewish refugees from his country. They all rejected the offer. He had no choice but to resort to his backup plan, the Holocaust.

9 Jewish resistance could have reduced the death toll

It really wouldn't have. It would most likely have made the Nazis impose even harsher punishments and increased the death toll significantly.

10 Most Holocaust survivors were in concentration camps

Many Holocaust survivors, including some who came to Houston after WWII, were never held in concentration camps. They survived by taking refuge in the Soviet Union or by passing as non-Jews.

The Contenders
11 Soap was made from human corpses
12 The US joined the Allies because of the Holocaust
13 Each concentration camp had a gas chamber for killing people
14 After the Holocaust, Jews were safe in Poland
15 The extermination camps were built in Germany
16 There were no "Aryan" Germans who saved Jews
17 The official German abbreviation for "concentration camp" was "KZ"
18 Germany had the highest percentage of Jews
19 German Jews were a large proportion of Germany's population
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