Holocaust Encyclopedia

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Intentionality

In the context of the Holocaust, intentionality refers to leading National-Socialist functionaries having had intentions to physically annihilate the Jews within their reach, plans they devised to that effect, and orders they issued to make it happen.

Intentions can be gleaned from public and private statements of leading National-Socialist politicians. See in this regard the entries on:

• Adolf Hitler
• Heinrich Himmler
• Himmler Speeches
• Joseph Goebbels
• Hermann Göring
• Hans Frank
• Alfred Rosenberg

Whether any plans existed that were devised to turn such a potential intention into reality, is furthermore discussed in the following entries:

• Plan, to Exterminate the Jews
• Hitler Order, Final Solution

Which orders were actually issued, is discussed in the following entries:

• Final Solution
• Emigration
• Resettlement
• Einsatzgruppen, section Extermination Order

Other entries on mid-level functionaries also cover some aspects of this overarching topic, such as:

• Rudolf Höss
• Otto Ohlendorf
• Kurt Becher
• Reinhardt Heydrich
• Richard Glücks
• Oswald Pohl