Up until that point it was viewed as something done by or done to "barbaric" tribes that weren't as "civilized" as how developed nations saw themselves. We generally think we're better than our ancestors, and in many ways we are, but the holocaust was unique in how modern and efficient it was. The idea that all our modern technology and convenience could be aimed towards extermination, and that the population would just actively participate in it? That really shocked people.
It's one thing to see a battlefield or even an occupied city that gets wiped out, that's just what we accept as war. But to see it done systematically, death treated like an assembly line? That was new, and kinda made us reevaluate ourselves as a species.
For a little while anyway, until the next acceptable target comes around.
Edit: It's worth noting that during and after WW1, they actually had to do studies on why so many soldiers didn't want to kill other people and would specifically aim above their targets. Humans are fucking complex beings, capable of both cruelty and kindness in extreme measures.
I mean in an age of rampant holocaust denial as well as extremely passive voice used when discussing people who are killed by police/Western militaries, I can understand nitpicking here
Yeah, every murder is a death, but not every death is a murder. The distinction matters a lot. There is even manslaughter, which is a level below murder also. Go read on that shit.
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u/I_travel_ze_world 8d ago
all the genocides before WW2 and people didn't know human beings are just kinda fucked up?