Sentence:  Do patriots everywhere know enough about how the <WSD>persecution</WSD> of the Jews in Germany and later in the occupied countries contributed to terrorizing the populations , splitting apart individuals and groups , arousing the meanest and most dishonest impulses , pulverizing trust and personal dignity , and finally forcing people to follow their masters into the abyss by making them partners in unspeakable crimes ? 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  the act of persecuting (especially on the basis of race or religion)