How long did the Holocaust last in years?

The Holocaust in the sense of the systemtatic extermination (genocide) of the Jews lasted from 1941-45.

Obviously, ever since Hitler came to power in 1933, Jews had been persecuted, first in Germany and then in the various countries annexed and invaded by Germany. Important 'milestones' on the road to the Holocaust include the establishment of ghettos where Jews were forced to live in intolerable conditions (Warsaw, Lodz, Krakow).

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The Nazis started putting people in camps as early as 1933. Many people died in those camps before the "Final Solution" was developed. Those earlier years should be included. We should also include other targeted groups such as Gypsies, Slavs, the mentally retarded, and political prisoners.

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Well, if you're going to include 'putting people in camps', then it was plain, ordinary persecution - like in Pinochet's Chile - and the Word 'Holocaust' is just a melodramatic redundancy. In other Words the last answer is profoundly wrong.