The Holocaust was the mass persecution and extermination of marginalized groups under Hitler's Nazi Germany. The most notable targeted group was the Jews, who lost two-thirds of their European population at the hands of the Nazis. Communists, Roma, people with disabilities, and other minority groups were also persecuted. This intolerance killed an estimated 15 to 20 million people across Europe. The Nazis, along with the Axis Powers, launched World War II, which claimed an estimated 70 - 85 million lives. The Nazi party's rise can be traced back to Germany's defeat in World War I. Many Germans were unable to accept their defeat. The Jews were blamed for sabotaging Germany and took on the role of scapegoat. This 'stab in the back' conspiracy fueled the already-existing antisemitism in the region. Jewish people have faced persecution since the destruction of the Kingdom of Judah, in what is now modern Israel, according to the Hebrew Bible. Anti Semitism has existed for millennia. From ancient Egypt to the Roman Empire and into the Middle Ages. The stereotype of Jews as outsiders often persisted into modern times. The German “Volkisch” movement of the late 19th century promoted the idea that a nation should share a common language, faith, and ethnic ancestry. Other ethnic groups were treated as second-class citizens in comparison to the white German Aryans. Following Germany's defeat in World War I, the country faced many economic problems. Hitler used the Jewish people as scapegoats on who to blame Germany’s problems.