The Holocaust (1933–1945) was the systematic, state-sponsored genocide of approximately six million European Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. Initiated by Adolf Hitler, this genocide targeted Jews as an "inferior" race, using methods like mass shootings, ghettos, and extermination camps (e.g., Auschwitz). While Jews were the primary target, Nazis also murdered millions of others, including Roma, Poles, Soviet POWs, and people with disabilities.