It is a chilly thought that people sympathised with Germany and these people were in the thousands. Some were civilians, others were soldiers.
Even some people who were not German or a part of Nazi Germany were sympathisers or collaborators with Nazi Germany like Argentina or Philippe Pertain.
I know that antisemitism had existed and was socially accepted at the time but it is a chilling thought that people were devoted to the extremist idea that Jews and other social groups like the communists or the Romani were the enemy and they were persecuted and hunted down by the thousands.
So what were the factors that made so many people so convinced that they thought that their actions were justified and wanted to remain devoted to Nazi Germany without questioning these supposed ideals?
Anti-semitism had existed for hundreds of years in Germany by the start of WW2. The belief that Jews were responsible for the death of Jesus led early European Christians to justify their persecution. Though they faced persecution in pre Christian societies as well. The events of the First Crusade in 1095 showcase widespread violence against Jews. Thousands of Jewish peoples were murdered(especially in the Rhine and Danube regions) while the mobs following Peter the Hermit marched to Jerusalem. This persecution continued throughout the Middle Ages and into the present day. Even important German cultural figures such as Martin Luther preached anti-semitism. Jews were often the scapegoat for any woes German society faced (wars, plagues, etc.). To put it directly antisemitism was common and deep in German society at the time of Hitlers rise to power.
Hitler, along with his propaganda arm, turned this hatred for Jews into a political tool to unite his allies and deflect blame for Germany’s failings in WWI. While in the past this hatred often manifested itself into mob violence before receding, Hitler and co. cultivated it into a pseudo-intellectual idea. Drawing on the Eugenics movement, the Nazi’s presented antisemitism in an almost scientific manner that was palatable to “normal people”. Race science was used to justify the segregation and dehumanization of the Jews to the general German public(in an incremental fashion).
Now to answer the question, what made people so convinced that the Nazis actions were justified? Well this is difficult to answer because we have no idea how many people truly believed their actions in Germany were justified. Famously we hear many post-war claim they were simply “following orders” while carrying out atrocities in the Holocaust. The real truth of history is often grey. Undoubtedly many in Germany and outside it were convinced by the propaganda of the Nazi party and believed extermination of the Jews and other minority groups was the only reasonable solution to improve Germany. Many probably had no deep resentment for the Jews but went along with the parties ideas as it improved their status or wellbeing. Some may have secretly opposed these ideals but out of fear continued to show support for the cause. While even fewer actively resisted them. In the end with whatever actual % thought the Nazis were justified the Holocaust was carried out. Sadly this not an isolated incident in history, this type of violence and justification repeats itself into the present day