I believe that the culture of the time had
something to do with Himmler actions.
Let's face it, though Germany was at fault
for WW1, they got screwed in the
Versailles treaty, causing an economic
collapse in the country. This enabled
Hitler's rise to power and his using the
Jewish people as a scapegoat for
Germany's problems. This in tern
enabled Himmler to begin eradicating
them.