“I want war. To me all means will be right. My motto is not “Don’t, whatever you do, annoy the enemy.” My motto is “Destroy him by all and any means.” I am the one who will wage the war!.” (Snyder, 66) A powerful quote by Hitler depicting his strong will to eliminate German’s enemy, the Jews. The enemies were destroyed primarily at camps as the camps allowed Nazis to conduct mass murders through the use of gas chambers. Through Hitler’s guidance and action by key party members: Himmler, Heydrich and Goebbels, the “Final Solution” was effective in eliminating many lives. By grouping the Jewish people together and holding them in various camps, it made the process of elimination much easier. Of course the aftermath would have been different had these camps not existed. “It is hard to conceive of a serious attempt to physically eliminate the Jewish people across the continent without Auschwitz-Birkenau, Chelmno, Maidanek, Belzec, Sobibor and Treblinka.” (Breitman, 75) Himmler, Heydrich and Goebbels all worked towards the same goal, however they had distinctive contributions towards the Holocaust and more importantly, to the concentration camps. If Goebbels promoted the use of concentration camps, then Himmler overlooked the creation of camps, followed by Heydrich being in charge of transporting the victims to the camps.

The blog captures the importance of the individuals mentioned for Hitler’s Nazi regime. They were all significant candidates and had important contributions towards the Holocaust. Firstly, Himmler was considered the second most powerful man in Germany and was responsible for overseeing implementation of the “Final Solution.” Secondly, Heydrich led the Wannsee Conference, at which the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” was discussed. Lastly, Goebbels ensured the media and propaganda channel was effective with distributing antisemitic information to the German people.

“If there is a god, he will have to beg for my forgiveness.”
– Anonymously carved into the wall of Cell Block 20, Mauthausen-Gusen Concentration Camp

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