Final answer:
Hitler's anti-Semitism was rooted in personal grudges against Jews, whom he blamed for Germany's ills, and in learned prejudices from rampant anti-Semitism in Viennese society and political circles. His views were then propagated through Nazi media to justify the Holocaust.
Step-by-step explanation:
Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitism can be discussed by examining (a) his personal grudges and (b) prejudice he learned from others. Hitler's personal grudges stemmed from his belief, as stated in Mein Kampf, that Jews were responsible for various disasters in Germany's history, including the loss of World War I. According to Hitler, Jews orchestrated ideologies such as communism and democracy, which he perceived as threats to German purity and strength. His perception of Jews as vermin or existential threats to Germany was a vehicle for dehumanizing and justifying their extermination.
In terms of prejudice learned from others, Hitler absorbed rampant anti-Semitism during his time in Vienna, influenced by right-wing politics and racist pseudo-scholarship. This environment, combined with his encounters with like-minded individuals in far-right political circles, greatly shaped his anti-Semitic views. Propaganda from figures like Joseph Goebbels played a crucial role in spreading these views to the wider German populace.
Together, Hitler's grudges and outside influences formed a toxic mixture that fueled the Holocaust, the systematic attempt to exterminate Jews, resulting in millions of deaths.