After Germany's defeat in World War I and the harsh Treaty of Versailles, the Nazi party rose to power under Adolf Hitler by blaming Jews for Germany's economic struggles. Jews had faced discrimination and anti-Semitism for centuries based on unfounded stereotypes and the belief that they caused societal problems. During World War II, the Nazis carried out the systematic murder of approximately 6 million Jews and other minority groups in the Holocaust between 1939 and 1945.