The Holocaust lasted for approximately four years, from 1941 to 1945. It is commonly defined as the period during which Nazi Germany systematically exterminated six million Jews, along with millions of others, including Roma, disabled individuals, Polish people, Soviet prisoners of war, and various other groups deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime.
While some earlier discriminatory laws and actions against Jewish people and other groups began in the 1930s, the full-scale implementation of the genocide, known as the Final Solution, started in earnest in 1941. This was marked by the establishment of mass extermination camps and the intensification of deportations aimed at eradicating entire communities.
The Holocaust came to an end in 1945 with the defeat of Nazi Germany at the close of World War II, leading to the liberation of concentration and extermination camps by Allied forces. This tragic period serves as a grave reminder of the consequences of hatred, intolerance, and unchecked power.