yahoo post #14 (optional)

What did you learn about the Holocaust that you did not know before the reading

When Did Hitler Decide on the Final Solution?
I was unaware that there was a debate as to when Hitler ordered the Final Solution. Also, the fact that Heinrich Himmler appeared troubled after being informed of the Final Solution shows that no matter what, human decency fails in light of ideology. I was unaware that Hitler blamed the Jews for the cause of the first World War, let alone the second World War, and for this, he chose to exterminate them. Finally, I was unaware that camps and alternative methods of elimination were considered just to avoid the public spectacle that ensued when shooting down Jews.

Albert Speers "Edifice of Lies"
I have never heard of Albert Speers, let alone a "Good Nazi." I was unaware of the "Posen Speech" given by Heinrich Himmler and the implications it had on Nazi officers.

The Jewishness of the Holocaust
I was unaware that the Nazi party was around for 25 years. I was unaware that the order to eliminate all Jews came in 2 separate orders, kill all eastern European Jews and then kill all European Jews. I was unaware that the Nazi’s believed Communism to be a creation of the Jews. I was unaware that the constant target of the Final Solution was strictly the Jews. I had always imagined it to be the elimination of all non-Germans. I was also unaware that the Holocaust was coined as such mainly to describe the "Jewish aspect of the Final Solution."