Anti-Semitism means hatred of the Jewish race
Throughout European history, Jews had been treated unequally, whether in court or being forced to live in ghettos
The main reason for hatred of Jews in Nazi Germany was they tended to be well educated and had the highest paying jobs or ran successful shops and businesses
Hitler had become obsessed with the fact that Jews ran many of the most successful businesses especially department stores
This offended his ideology of the superiority of the Aryan race
Hitler also blamed Jewish businessmen and bankers for Germany's defeat in World War One
As soon as Hitler took power in 1933, he began to mobilise the full power of the state against the Jews
Jews were immediately banned from the civil service and public services, such as broadcasting and teaching
SA and SS organised boycotts of Jewish shops and businesses