The Holocaust was the systematic state sanctioned detention, torture, and annhialation of the Jewish people in Europe. Other people were also affected, but the motivation for attacking Gypsies, Gays, disabled people, etc was sgnificantly different that the reasons for attacking Jews.
Your question is one that many have asked since evidence was presented to the world of this horrific event. No one has been able to fully answer it. Yes Anti-Semistism had been a commonplace cultural aspect of Europe since the early Middle- Ages, but why act so much more horrifically in 1933 then in the 11th century (for example).
What most Holocaust Scholars have focused on is not Why it happened, but rather how. Asking Why is seeking too emotional a connection to an inhuman act. Seeking the how it happened allows us to learn from it. We can better predict possible Nazi-like behaviors and beliefs in an attempt to prevent another Holocaust regardless of its primary victim.
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