Why did Hitler target Jewish people?

To understand why Hitler targeted Jewish people, it is useful to look at Nazi racial ideology. These ideas were developed by Hitler and published in his autobiography, Mein Kampf. According to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, Hitler believed that the Jews were a subhuman race of people and that they posed a genuine threat to the survival of his own race - the Aryans. In this respect, it was Hitler's racial duty to stamp them out. (See the first reference link provided).

Hitler also targeted the Jews because he believed that they were responsible for many of Germany's failings. He blamed them for the collapse of the economy, for example, and for Germany's defeat in World War One. Hitler also believed that the Jews planned on taking over the world and that they must be stopped before this could happen. (See the second reference link for more information).