The Holocaust: Roots, History, and Aftermath

Now in its second edition, this book takes a fresh, probing look at one of the greatest human tragedies in modern history.

Beginning with a detailed overview of the history of the Jews and their two-millennia struggle with the anti-Judaic and anti-Semitic prejudice and discrimination that set the stage for the Holocaust, David M. Crowe then discusses the evolution of Nazi racial policies in the 1920s and 1930s and their role in the development of Hitler's Final Solution of 1941 - the mass murder of Jews throughout Nazi-occupied Europe. The German program involved the creation of not only death camps like Auschwitz and Treblinka, but also mass murder sites throughout Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. While the Jews were the principal victims, other groups who were deemed racial or biological threats to Hitler's goal of creating an Aryan-pure Europe were also targeted, including the Roma and the handicapped. This book discusses Nazi policies in each country in German-occupied Europe as well as the role of Europe's neutrals in the larger German scheme-of-things. It also takes an in-depth look at liberation, Displaced Persons, the founding of Israel, and efforts throughout the western world to bring Nazi war criminals and their collaborators to justice. This second edition includes a new chapter on the importance of memory and the Holocaust, the evolution of interpretative Holocaust scholarship and media, recent controversies about national responsibility, and the work of Holocaust museums, archives, and libraries in Israel, Europe, and the U.S. to promote Holocaust education and memory. It concludes with the rise of Neo-Nazism, white nationalism, and other movements in Germany and the US, and their relationship to questions about Holocaust memory and its lessons.

Comprehensive and offering a long perspective, this is the perfect resource for students looking to gain a deep understanding of this tragedy.