When people first hear about the Holocaust, they are so surprised to hear how horrible and sick the whole historical period was for the Jews. Everyone is truly shocked to know that so many horrible and hateful things could be done. The idea that countries have been taken, that families and children have been torn apart, and that people have been tortured and killed is incredible. Propaganda and psychological conditioning played an important role in the genocide and general indifference towards Jews during the Holocaust. Not only were Hitler and his troops able to control armies, but they were also able to influence other countries through precise planning and strategic moves. The Holocaust occurred over a long period of time, causing irreversible physical and mental abuse. This occurred over many years as part of a deliberate step-by-step process devised by Hitler. One of the first things people began to see and eventually believe was propaganda. The idea of ​​propaganda was to convince people to believe in something by showing illustrations that shared ideas. Generally those ideas were negative or misleading, and if someone is exposed enough to the propaganda, they are more likely to start believing it. Hitler knew that using propaganda would be a way to influence the German people into believing that Jews were horrible and needed to die. Hitler's petty tactics not only belittled the Jews, but also kept people in fear for their lives and the lives of their loved ones and therefore ready to obey his rules. When people are afraid for their lives… they do crazy things. According to A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust “Propaganda is based on emotion rather than logic, concentrates on a few points presented in simple terms, and then hammers those points home…middle of the paper…people don't want to believe that is happening. Some people nowadays choose not to listen and ignore the bad things that are happening to keep themselves at peace, and some just don't care. Genocides still continue to occur and many corrupt leaders use the same tactics as Hitler. Psychological conditioning makes people believe something when in reality it is wrong. Reinforcing negative thoughts and repeating over and over that what they are doing is okay keeps these crimes of genocide alive. Ironically, indifference is one of the worst emotions because it is not an emotion. It's the thought that people don't matter. For many, Jews did not matter. The works mention “Resistants”. A teacher's guide to the Holocaust. University of South Florida. 2005. Network. April 28, 2008. "Psychological Conditioning." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2011.Web. May 8th 2011.