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Why?: Explaining the Holocaust
Featured in the PBS documentary, "The US and the Holocaust" by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sarah Botstein
"Superbly written and researched, synthesizing the classics while digging deep into a vast repository of primary sources." ―Josef Joffe, Wall Street Journal Despite the outpouring of books, movies, museums, memorials, and courses devoted to the Holocaust, a coherent explanation of why such ghastly carnage erupted from the heart of civilized Europe in the twentieth century still seems elusive even seventy years later. Numerous theories have sprouted in an attempt to console ourselves and to point the blame in emotionally satisfying directions―yet none of them are fully convincing. As witnesses to the Holocaust near the ends of their lives, it becomes that much more important to unravel what happened and to educate a new generation about the horrors inflicted by the Nazi regime on Jews and non-Jews alike. Why? dispels many misconceptions and answers some of the most basic―yet vexing―questions that remain: why the Jews and not another ethnic group? Why the Germans? Why such a swift and sweeping extermination? Why didn’t more Jews fight back more often? Why didn’t they receive more help? While responding to the questions he has been most frequently asked by students over the decades, world-renowned Holocaust historian and professor Peter Hayes brings a wealth of scholarly research and experience to bear on conventional, popular views of the history, challenging some of the most prominent recent interpretations. He argues that there is no single theory that “explains” the Holocaust; the convergence of multiple forces at a particular moment in time led to catastrophe. In clear prose informed by an encyclopedic knowledge of Holocaust literature in English and German, Hayes weaves together stories and statistics to heart-stopping effect. Why? is an authoritative, groundbreaking exploration of the origins of one of the most tragic events in human history. 5 illustrations
"Superbly written and researched, synthesizing the classics while digging deep into a vast repository of primary sources." ―Josef Joffe, Wall Street Journal Despite the outpouring of books, movies, museums, memorials, and courses devoted to the Holocaust, a coherent explanation of why such ghastly carnage erupted from the heart of civilized Europe in the twentieth century still seems elusive even seventy years later. Numerous theories have sprouted in an attempt to console ourselves and to point the blame in emotionally satisfying directions―yet none of them are fully convincing. As witnesses to the Holocaust near the ends of their lives, it becomes that much more important to unravel what happened and to educate a new generation about the horrors inflicted by the Nazi regime on Jews and non-Jews alike. Why? dispels many misconceptions and answers some of the most basic―yet vexing―questions that remain: why the Jews and not another ethnic group? Why the Germans? Why such a swift and sweeping extermination? Why didn’t more Jews fight back more often? Why didn’t they receive more help? While responding to the questions he has been most frequently asked by students over the decades, world-renowned Holocaust historian and professor Peter Hayes brings a wealth of scholarly research and experience to bear on conventional, popular views of the history, challenging some of the most prominent recent interpretations. He argues that there is no single theory that “explains” the Holocaust; the convergence of multiple forces at a particular moment in time led to catastrophe. In clear prose informed by an encyclopedic knowledge of Holocaust literature in English and German, Hayes weaves together stories and statistics to heart-stopping effect. Why? is an authoritative, groundbreaking exploration of the origins of one of the most tragic events in human history. 5 illustrations
432 pages, Hardcover
First published January 17, 2017
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2454 people want to read
About the author
Peter Hayes
11 books13 followersPeter F. Hayes is professor emeritus of history at the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, and chair of the Academic Committee of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Specializing in the Holocaust, genocide and the history of modern Germany, Hayes is the author or editor of 10 books, including Industry and Ideology: IG Farben in the Nazi Era (1987), a prize-winning study of the IG Farben corporation. He has been described as the leading scholar of the historiography of industry in Nazi Germany.
Specializing in the Holocaust, genocide and the history of modern Germany, Hayes is the author or editor of 10 books, including Industry and Ideology: IG Farben in the Nazi Era (1987), a prize-winning study of the IG Farben corporation. He has been described as the leading scholar of the historiography of industry in Nazi Germany.
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February 23, 2022
The Defective Gene Pool
Peter Hayes is very aware of the problem of ‘explaining’ the Holocaust. Right up front he points out the basic paradox:
Hayes presents his extremely sober and meticulous analysis of ‘Why?’ in a set of sub-issues. Within each issue his arguments are extremely well-documented and succinct. While there are elements of his own research, given the magnitude of his undertaking most of the material has been sourced from elsewhere. What is probably most original is his debunking of certain myths that have circulated from time to time in matters ranging from popular involvement in the programme of annihilation to the responses to that programme by non-Germans.
Hayes gives his own summary of conclusions for each issue at the end of the book. But here is my interpretation of his results issue by issue:
1. Why the Jews? Because it had become a tradition over millennia in Christian Europe to attribute any local or national misfortune to a Jewish presence.
2. Why the Germans? Because the particular economic and social conditions of Weimar Germany formed an opportunity for Hitler to take power.
3. Why murder? Because the Nazis were allowed to by the German populace through a carefully controlled programme of escalating violence against Jews and necessitated by the regime’s inability to expel Jews faster than it conquered them.
4. Why annihilation? Because by 1941 the Germans had nothing to lose either domestically or internationally, and the cost of the effort was insignificant.
5. Why wasn’t Jewish resistance more vigorous? Because their situation was manifestly hopeless and the Nazi strategy of annihilation was directed against whole communities which they manipulated expertly to minimise resistance.
6. Why did some Jews nevertheless survive? Because the Germans ran out of time in their latter conquests, allowing a quarter of European Jews to escape not through Gentile assistance but German defeat.
7. Why was immediate assistance to surviving victims, and longer term resettlement and restitution so difficult to obtain? Because it wasn’t considered in the interests of the victorious Western countries in the context of Cold War politics.
Certainly my summary interpretations cannot capture the extensive detail or nuance of Hayes’s exposition. And he does throw a number historical red herrings back in the sea. And, as a non-professional, I find his reasoning compelling.
Nevertheless, does the book really ‘explain’ the Holocaust? It makes it seem that all of the historical threads which created and sustained the massacre were merely a lack of good fortune, a perfect storm of human insanity and inhumanity. If one or more causal elements had been lacking, perhaps it needn’t have happened, at least with such massive ferocity.
Perhaps this is all any historian can do. But I don’t find it satisfying. The evil which was manifest in the Holocaust and so well presented by Hayes did not arise from the intersection of historical events and opportunities. The evil was there waiting, perhaps in Western culture, probably in religious institutions and the civil institutions derived from them, certainly in a very deep flaw in human psychology.
A superior explanation, therefore, it seems to me, is that human beings are simply not fit for purpose. It is not the case that there are merely some bad apples. The entire gene pool is maladapted to life on earth. As antisemitism and other irrational prejudices again resurface, apparently spontaneously, around the world, this conclusion presses itself forward as the only real explanation. There are, it seems, no normal people. Nor is there a solution to be found to our unfitness through finding reasons for such tragedy.
Perhaps I am simply ignorant, old, worn-out, or disgusted. Then again, maybe I’m right on the money..
Peter Hayes is very aware of the problem of ‘explaining’ the Holocaust. Right up front he points out the basic paradox:
“To say that one can explain the occurrence of the Holocaust seems tantamount to normalizing it, but professing that one cannot grasp it is an assertion of the speaker’s innocence—of his or her incapacity not only to conceive of such horror but to enact anything like it.”In other words, to explain the murder of 6 million people requires finding a rational motive which then mitigates the massive evil involved. But to consider the event as a mute fact implies that inhumanity is simply beyond expression for ‘normal’ people.
Hayes presents his extremely sober and meticulous analysis of ‘Why?’ in a set of sub-issues. Within each issue his arguments are extremely well-documented and succinct. While there are elements of his own research, given the magnitude of his undertaking most of the material has been sourced from elsewhere. What is probably most original is his debunking of certain myths that have circulated from time to time in matters ranging from popular involvement in the programme of annihilation to the responses to that programme by non-Germans.
Hayes gives his own summary of conclusions for each issue at the end of the book. But here is my interpretation of his results issue by issue:
1. Why the Jews? Because it had become a tradition over millennia in Christian Europe to attribute any local or national misfortune to a Jewish presence.
2. Why the Germans? Because the particular economic and social conditions of Weimar Germany formed an opportunity for Hitler to take power.
3. Why murder? Because the Nazis were allowed to by the German populace through a carefully controlled programme of escalating violence against Jews and necessitated by the regime’s inability to expel Jews faster than it conquered them.
4. Why annihilation? Because by 1941 the Germans had nothing to lose either domestically or internationally, and the cost of the effort was insignificant.
5. Why wasn’t Jewish resistance more vigorous? Because their situation was manifestly hopeless and the Nazi strategy of annihilation was directed against whole communities which they manipulated expertly to minimise resistance.
6. Why did some Jews nevertheless survive? Because the Germans ran out of time in their latter conquests, allowing a quarter of European Jews to escape not through Gentile assistance but German defeat.
7. Why was immediate assistance to surviving victims, and longer term resettlement and restitution so difficult to obtain? Because it wasn’t considered in the interests of the victorious Western countries in the context of Cold War politics.
Certainly my summary interpretations cannot capture the extensive detail or nuance of Hayes’s exposition. And he does throw a number historical red herrings back in the sea. And, as a non-professional, I find his reasoning compelling.
Nevertheless, does the book really ‘explain’ the Holocaust? It makes it seem that all of the historical threads which created and sustained the massacre were merely a lack of good fortune, a perfect storm of human insanity and inhumanity. If one or more causal elements had been lacking, perhaps it needn’t have happened, at least with such massive ferocity.
Perhaps this is all any historian can do. But I don’t find it satisfying. The evil which was manifest in the Holocaust and so well presented by Hayes did not arise from the intersection of historical events and opportunities. The evil was there waiting, perhaps in Western culture, probably in religious institutions and the civil institutions derived from them, certainly in a very deep flaw in human psychology.
A superior explanation, therefore, it seems to me, is that human beings are simply not fit for purpose. It is not the case that there are merely some bad apples. The entire gene pool is maladapted to life on earth. As antisemitism and other irrational prejudices again resurface, apparently spontaneously, around the world, this conclusion presses itself forward as the only real explanation. There are, it seems, no normal people. Nor is there a solution to be found to our unfitness through finding reasons for such tragedy.
Perhaps I am simply ignorant, old, worn-out, or disgusted. Then again, maybe I’m right on the money..
October 16, 2019
Why? is often a difficult question when asked about simple things. It is many more times difficult when applied to a historical incident as complex and multifaceted as the Holocaust. This book provides a review of history focusing on those facets which enabled the Holocaust.
The following is a compact summary of reasons for the Holocaust as broken down into replies to four why questions.
Along the way this book debunks a number of myths. The book's contents provide reasons why the following are NOT TRUE. To limit this review to a reasonable length, I have not provided supportive explanations.
1. The ideology of democracy has won in Western countries, thus conditions are different from the first half of the twentieth century when ideologies that prioritized obedience to group goals were popular (e.g. fascism, Nazism, communism). However, other parts of the globe are another matter.
2. The spirit of nationalism, hostility to foreigners, and economic inequality is on the rise in Western countries. This could cause reversal to early twentieth century conditions.
3. The existence of an independent Jewish State could complicate matters for Jews living outside of Israel because it makes them vulnerable to charges of split loyalties.
The book builds on the above observations to provide the following two lessons for today which can be applied to all minority groups.
The following is a compact summary of reasons for the Holocaust as broken down into replies to four why questions.
1. Why the Jews? Because their emancipation in the nineteenth century from centuries of residential and occupational confinement aroused a backlash that gave new impetus and new form to a chimerical hatred—that is, to a belief that they constituted the single cause for everything that others opposed and feared.The book thoroughly lays out the points in history that support the above conclusions. If the these statements raise questions in your mind, please refer to the book.
2. Why the Germans? Because a massive and multidimensional national crisis, a perfect storm of economic, political, cultural, and social upheavals, opened the way for believers in this hatred to acquire power in Germany and to reinforce or indoctrinate others in their views.
3. Why murder and with these means? Because of a process of problem-solving mission creep, a cumulative radicalization of policy, as increasingly harsh efforts to "remove" Jews from German territory proved insufficient or unworkable and gave way to ever more extreme methods of "elimination."
4. Why was the eradication of the Jews so nearly successful, resulting in the deaths of two-thirds of those in Europe and at least three-quarters of those within reach of the Nazis? Because indifference and self-interest in Germany and then the occupied or satellite states during World War II cleared the way for the haters; because the logistics of murder proved uncomplicated and self-financing; because the Nazis' ferocious onslaught peaked during the period of their greatest military success; and because most of the killing was done when the Allies against Germany could neither observe nor interdict it. (p.326-327)
Along the way this book debunks a number of myths. The book's contents provide reasons why the following are NOT TRUE. To limit this review to a reasonable length, I have not provided supportive explanations.
... antisemitism played a primary or decisive role in bringing Hitle to power ...The final pages of the book offer the author's take on the implications for us today. The following is my summary without elaboration or support. I recommend reading pages 333 to 343 to see the book's supportive reasoning.
... Hitler planned to murder the Jews from the day he took office ...
... Allies could have done much io impede the killing once it began ...
... greater passive or active resistance by Jews could have reduced the death toll considerably ...
... popular attitudes toward Jews, rather than political structures and interests, were the principal determinants of survival ...
... the Holocaust diverted resources from the German war effort an weakened it in significant ways ...
... slave labor systems was driven principally by greed ...
... most of the leading perpetrators of the Holocaust escaped punishment after World War II ...
... the Holocaust was a product of modernity and a demonstration of its dangers. ...
... it never happened. ... (p.327-330)
1. The ideology of democracy has won in Western countries, thus conditions are different from the first half of the twentieth century when ideologies that prioritized obedience to group goals were popular (e.g. fascism, Nazism, communism). However, other parts of the globe are another matter.
2. The spirit of nationalism, hostility to foreigners, and economic inequality is on the rise in Western countries. This could cause reversal to early twentieth century conditions.
3. The existence of an independent Jewish State could complicate matters for Jews living outside of Israel because it makes them vulnerable to charges of split loyalties.
The book builds on the above observations to provide the following two lessons for today which can be applied to all minority groups.
Lesson One is: Be alert but not afraid. ...(p336)The book notes that the United States is blessed by having much diversity with not one ethnic group being dominate. But of course that doesn't stop political rhetoric opposing the most recent immigrants.
Lesson Two...is: Be self-reliant but not isolationist. ...(p339)
August 15, 2016
Despite being a very avid reader of historical non-fiction books about the Holocaust and World War 2, I have never read a book that really focused in on why the Holocaust happened. Why the Nazis did the things they did and why they specifically targeted the Jewish population. In this book, the author answers many questions that I imagine a lot of people have about this time period and also goes over a variety of different theories that have been presented over the years.
The book is broken down into 8 chapters that discuss a variety of topics; Why the Jews? Why the Germans? Why This Swift & Sweeping? Why Didn't More Jews Fight Back More Often? Why Did Survival Rates Diverge? Why Such Limited Help from Outside? What Legacies, What Lessons? From the first chapter, I thought this was a very interesting book, The author discusses Antisemitism and even goes back as far as discussing the ideas of an ancient Roman writer Tacitus as describing the Jewish people as having a "stubborn attachment to one another . .". This book contains a great deal of history, including going back in to the early 1800's discussing Germany and their political systems and ideas. The last chapter in the book also discusses a things that I have not read a lot about, such as the return and resettlement of inmates in the varies concentration camps and does go into describing what happened to a variety of Nazi military officers after the camps were liberated. The author also discusses what we can learn from the Holocaust and how quickly things can go wrong in this world. I found it to be very interesting and I encourage anything one is interested in the Holocaust and World War 2 to read this book.
Thank you to the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book is broken down into 8 chapters that discuss a variety of topics; Why the Jews? Why the Germans? Why This Swift & Sweeping? Why Didn't More Jews Fight Back More Often? Why Did Survival Rates Diverge? Why Such Limited Help from Outside? What Legacies, What Lessons? From the first chapter, I thought this was a very interesting book, The author discusses Antisemitism and even goes back as far as discussing the ideas of an ancient Roman writer Tacitus as describing the Jewish people as having a "stubborn attachment to one another . .". This book contains a great deal of history, including going back in to the early 1800's discussing Germany and their political systems and ideas. The last chapter in the book also discusses a things that I have not read a lot about, such as the return and resettlement of inmates in the varies concentration camps and does go into describing what happened to a variety of Nazi military officers after the camps were liberated. The author also discusses what we can learn from the Holocaust and how quickly things can go wrong in this world. I found it to be very interesting and I encourage anything one is interested in the Holocaust and World War 2 to read this book.
Thank you to the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2022
I first learned about the Holocaust through The Diary of Anne Frank: The Definitive Edition. And then every year in high school we'd have the "WWII" section in history class, but besides a few WWII historical fiction books, I know next to nothing about the Holocaust and why it happened. This book did what it says in the title, in that it explains how the Holocaust happened. I wouldn't necessarily call this narrative nonfiction, but Hayes writes this in a way that makes it easier for the layperson to comprehend. In the acknowledgements, he states that this book was 30 years in the making, which I think you can tell with how careful this book is written. Each chapter is laid out in a manner that seeks to answer questions that may pop up while reading the book. Overall, I would definitely recommend it to those who interest in this subject. It is heavy and triggering re: genocide, so you definitely need to be in the right frame of mind before entering.
February 12, 2018
Historian Peter Hayes offers a comprehensive stocktaking directed squarely at answering the most central and enduring questions about why and how the massacre of European Jewry unfolded. In this well written and persuasive book, he attempts to set the record straight regarding:
1. Targets: Why the Jews?
2. Attackers: Why the Germans?
3. Escalation: Why Murder?
4. Annihilation: Why This Swift and Sweeping?
5. Victims: Why Didn't More Jews Fight Back More Often?
6. Homelands: Why Did Survival Rates Diverge?
7. Onlookers: Why Such Limited Help from Outside?
8. Aftermath: What Legacies, What Lessons?
1. Targets: Why the Jews?
2. Attackers: Why the Germans?
3. Escalation: Why Murder?
4. Annihilation: Why This Swift and Sweeping?
5. Victims: Why Didn't More Jews Fight Back More Often?
6. Homelands: Why Did Survival Rates Diverge?
7. Onlookers: Why Such Limited Help from Outside?
8. Aftermath: What Legacies, What Lessons?
August 14, 2020
Es war absolut ausgezeichnet! Es war das erste Buch, dass ich gelesen habe, das die schmerzhafte Wahrheit über das Thema sagt. Es ist unglaublich traurig, vor allem, weil manche Leute und Länder mehr tun können. Ein besonderer Platz in meinem Bücherregal!
Wehret den Anfängen.
Wehret den Anfängen.
November 30, 2018
The very idea of the word “Holocaust” conjures up feelings of the most despicable kind of evil imaginable. It is normal for those who have detailed knowledge of the horrific mistreatment of Jews in Nazi Germany to wonder what could have motivated such barbarous actions in a civilized country. This is the very question history professor Peter Hayes seeks to answer in Why? Explaining the Holocaust. While Hayes admits his task is not an easy undertaking, he comes as close as perhaps one can to arriving at an explanation. Hayes introduces his study by stating: “Each chapter of this book examines . . . eight central issues . . . and the book as a whole reflects my conviction that the Holocaust is no less historically explicable than any other human experience . . .” (59). Broadly speaking, the issues Hayes deals with can be categorized into “acts of commission, some concern acts of omission, and still others entail[ing] both” (59).
The story of anti-Semitism in Europe starts long before the existence of national socialism. Hayes observes that “Although some ancient Egyptian and Greek texts express animosity toward Jews, the rise of intense hostility to and fear of them largely coincides with the rise of Christianity” (133). Guilds across Europe kept Jews from competing economically in most vocations. However, the rise of capitalism afforded an opportunity for Jews to have success in financial vocations such as money lending. An oft-repeated cliche throughout the book is that “the appeal of antisemitism rises and falls in inverse relationship with the stock market” (478). The perception that Jews, because of their over representation in banking, were responsible for the financial down turns that affected the rest of the population formed the wedge that would tarry long into post-Christian secularism.
Of course the moral objection to the Jewish people still had a profound affect. The author states that “By the time of the Reformation . . . hatred of Jews . . . had crystallized around two central generalizations: (1) that Jews were parasitic profiteers, intent on extracting wealth from Christians, and (2) that Jews were incorrigible instruments of Satan, intent on serving his purposes and afflicting the pious” (207). The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a widely circulated publication originating in early 20th century Russia, asserted a Jewish conspiracy for international control. This theory was widely echoed as one Catholic journal from 1938 “wrote of the Jews’ ‘messianic craving for world domination’” (3994). It was this attitude that could have given rise to the Holocaust in many European countries as the lack of resistance and degree of assistance in the Holocaust among other nations shows.
The reason the Holocaust happened within a German context, according to Haynes, has much to do with events immediately preceding the rise of Hitler. “ . . . the prominence of Jews in the arts became an excuse to blame them for the alleged ‘corruption’ of German culture during the Roaring Twenties. . . the leading proponent of sex education and research and of gay rights . . . was a Jew, as was the owner of Germany’s preeminent manufacturer of condoms . . .” (1012). In addition, Germany’s devastating economic collapse in the late 20s and early 30s was blamed on Jewish corporate interests. Association with Bolshevism gave the impression that Jews did not care about the country in which they resided. The three-class voting system and “Jew count” from World War I still lingered in the minds of Germans who believed that Jews were over represented in political decision making had shirked their military duty. Catalyzing justification for this resentment was the fact that evolutionary “science” could now be used to justify racial hatred. “Hitler tricked his message out with a synthesis of pseudoreligion and pseudoscience that may be aptly dubbed a ‘theozoology’: On the one hand, he posed as an evangelist of the Volk, the person who would lead a national revival by making the German people sense its own power and, as the Nazi slogan ‘Deutschland Erwache’ said, ‘Awaken Germany’” (928). It was in awakening the German people to alleged Jewish privilege and fanning the flames of resentment because of it that Hitler gained the support necessary to eventually carry out the Holocaust.
In addition to answering the major questions, Hayes also draws lessons about the Holocaust. He identifies potential opportunities that exist within the United States for stoking the flames of hatred, namely toward homosexuals and Hispanics. This may be Hayes weakest section since he fails to make necessary distinctions between the motivations for the resentment of Jews within Germany and the motivations for wanting to secure the southern border within the United States. He also fails to interact with movements aimed at the rich, such as Occupy Wall Street, or the popular concepts of social justice and white privilege. Still, Hayes does offer up a wonderfully thorough explanation for why the Holocaust took place, and why there was little resistance to it.
The story of anti-Semitism in Europe starts long before the existence of national socialism. Hayes observes that “Although some ancient Egyptian and Greek texts express animosity toward Jews, the rise of intense hostility to and fear of them largely coincides with the rise of Christianity” (133). Guilds across Europe kept Jews from competing economically in most vocations. However, the rise of capitalism afforded an opportunity for Jews to have success in financial vocations such as money lending. An oft-repeated cliche throughout the book is that “the appeal of antisemitism rises and falls in inverse relationship with the stock market” (478). The perception that Jews, because of their over representation in banking, were responsible for the financial down turns that affected the rest of the population formed the wedge that would tarry long into post-Christian secularism.
Of course the moral objection to the Jewish people still had a profound affect. The author states that “By the time of the Reformation . . . hatred of Jews . . . had crystallized around two central generalizations: (1) that Jews were parasitic profiteers, intent on extracting wealth from Christians, and (2) that Jews were incorrigible instruments of Satan, intent on serving his purposes and afflicting the pious” (207). The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a widely circulated publication originating in early 20th century Russia, asserted a Jewish conspiracy for international control. This theory was widely echoed as one Catholic journal from 1938 “wrote of the Jews’ ‘messianic craving for world domination’” (3994). It was this attitude that could have given rise to the Holocaust in many European countries as the lack of resistance and degree of assistance in the Holocaust among other nations shows.
The reason the Holocaust happened within a German context, according to Haynes, has much to do with events immediately preceding the rise of Hitler. “ . . . the prominence of Jews in the arts became an excuse to blame them for the alleged ‘corruption’ of German culture during the Roaring Twenties. . . the leading proponent of sex education and research and of gay rights . . . was a Jew, as was the owner of Germany’s preeminent manufacturer of condoms . . .” (1012). In addition, Germany’s devastating economic collapse in the late 20s and early 30s was blamed on Jewish corporate interests. Association with Bolshevism gave the impression that Jews did not care about the country in which they resided. The three-class voting system and “Jew count” from World War I still lingered in the minds of Germans who believed that Jews were over represented in political decision making had shirked their military duty. Catalyzing justification for this resentment was the fact that evolutionary “science” could now be used to justify racial hatred. “Hitler tricked his message out with a synthesis of pseudoreligion and pseudoscience that may be aptly dubbed a ‘theozoology’: On the one hand, he posed as an evangelist of the Volk, the person who would lead a national revival by making the German people sense its own power and, as the Nazi slogan ‘Deutschland Erwache’ said, ‘Awaken Germany’” (928). It was in awakening the German people to alleged Jewish privilege and fanning the flames of resentment because of it that Hitler gained the support necessary to eventually carry out the Holocaust.
In addition to answering the major questions, Hayes also draws lessons about the Holocaust. He identifies potential opportunities that exist within the United States for stoking the flames of hatred, namely toward homosexuals and Hispanics. This may be Hayes weakest section since he fails to make necessary distinctions between the motivations for the resentment of Jews within Germany and the motivations for wanting to secure the southern border within the United States. He also fails to interact with movements aimed at the rich, such as Occupy Wall Street, or the popular concepts of social justice and white privilege. Still, Hayes does offer up a wonderfully thorough explanation for why the Holocaust took place, and why there was little resistance to it.
December 6, 2019
The title of this book reminds me of a story I heard from college, that one final exam question was simply "Explain the Holocaust". This book was an embodiment of that exam, only a lot longer than an exam booklet, and with more citations. This work does attempt to offer some concise points about the Holocaust. Hayes covers the definition and origins of antisemitism, the origins of German antisemitic feelings and beliefs, how the Nazis leveraged that hatred to come to power, how they initially dealt with the Jews, how that evolved as the war evolved, how they implemented the Holocaust, how the victims dealt with the torture and death, and what happened in the aftermath of the Holocaust. Hayes' analysis does attempt to challenge certainly long-held beliefs, such as the real impact of the Holocaust on German logistics and economic outputs (the Holocaust barely registered any significant impact on German rail, despite previously held assumptions and while the Holocaust was very profitable for the German economy (from the plunder/lootings), slave labor was hardly the economic boon to the German war industries).
Like many books about the Holocaust, it can be hard to read, given that still doesn't seem real that people could do that to each other. However, this book focuses more on theories, data and impact, making it a bit impersonal and more analytical than other books about the subject. Still, the academic structure is readable and readers from all levels (scholarly to lay readers) can follow the theories and assumptions. The full story of the Holocaust may never be told in its entirety, but this work does have its place on the shelves of good Holocaust analysis.
Like many books about the Holocaust, it can be hard to read, given that still doesn't seem real that people could do that to each other. However, this book focuses more on theories, data and impact, making it a bit impersonal and more analytical than other books about the subject. Still, the academic structure is readable and readers from all levels (scholarly to lay readers) can follow the theories and assumptions. The full story of the Holocaust may never be told in its entirety, but this work does have its place on the shelves of good Holocaust analysis.
September 28, 2023
a nearly perfect introduction to Holocaust Studies. I plan to integrate it into my 12th grade elective next year. analytically sharp, thoroughly engaging writing, a must read. many thanks to USHMM for my copy!
April 30, 2022
„Warum? Eine Geschichte des Holocaust“ von Peter Hayes ist ein Sachbuch, dass sich anhand von 8 Fragen mit dem Holocaust beschäftigt. Erschienen ist das Buch 2017 im Campus-Verlag.
Normalerweise schreibe ich eine eigene Zusammenfassung, aber diesmal übernehme ich den Klappentext vom Campus-Verlag:
Warum geschah der Holocaust, die Ermordung von Millionen jüdischer Menschen während des Nationalsozialismus? Peter Hayes ist der erste Historiker, der die Frage nach dem Warum ins Zentrum eines Buches stellt. Hayes spannt den Bogen von den Ursprüngen des Antisemitismus bis hin zur Bestrafung von NS-Verbrechern nach 1945. So gelingt ihm ein kluger und präziser Überblick über die Vernichtung der europäischen Juden. Ein eindrucksvolles Buch, an dem künftig nicht vorbeizukommen sein wird.
Im letzten Jahr konnten mich neben Science-Fiction auch Sachbücher für sich begeistern und so mache ich auch in diesem Jahr damit weiter. Beim Lesen erfordern diese Bücher eine etwas andere Herangehensweise, finde ich, denn diese lassen sich nicht mal eben nebenbei weg lesen, haben mir bisher aber meist neue Erkenntnisse gebracht.
Das Buch beschäftigt sich mit dem Holocaust und stellt die Frage nach dem Warum. Unterteilt ist das ganze in 8 Fragen, die sich mit jeweils einem Teilaspekt beschäftigen. Der Klappentext gibt bereits einen guten Aufschluss über die Themen, die in diesem Buch behandelt werden. Es wurde unglaublich viel Wissen zum Thema zusammengetragen und man merkt, dass sich der Autor ausführlich damit beschäftigt hat. Hierzu sollte allerdings erwähnt werden, dass es sich um einen emeritierten Professor für Geschichte und Deutsch sowie Holocaust Studies an der Northwestern University handelt.
Ich habe sehr viele neue Informationen für mich aus diesem Buch mitgenommen, anderes war mir bekannt, wurde aber mit neuen Zahlen und Fakten untermauert. Manche Kapitel waren einfacher für mich zu lesen, manche schwerer, manche Kapitel haben mich einfach nur wütend gemacht.
Neben den oben genannten Themen beschäftigt sich das Buch beispielsweise auch damit, warum niemand von außen geholfen hat und ab wann die Vorgänge ins Ausland gedrungen sind. Manchmal stellt das Buch provokative Fragen wie, warum sich die Juden nicht gewehrt haben. Bei diesem Kapitel hatte ich tatsächlich ein wenig Angst was da kommt, aber das hat sich dann relativ schnell gelegt.
In das letzte Kapitel mit den Lehren, die wir daraus ziehen können und ob das nochmal passieren kann, hatte ich tatsächlich mehr Hoffnung gesetzt. Ich musste dann feststellen, dass sich das Buch an ein amerikanisches Publikum richtet und da wurde mir dann fast ein wenig zu viel relativiert. Hier muss ich nochmal auf die Suche gehen, ob ich etwas finde, dass sich im speziellen an unsere geschichtliche Verantwortung im Zusammenhang mit diesem Thema richtet.
Ich habe meine Ausgabe bei der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung erworben und da ist der Klappentext ein wenig anders und spricht zum Beispiel auch an, dass sich oftmals reflexartig von dem Thema distanziert wird und dieses Buch das überwinden möchte. In Teilen hat es das erfüllt. Das Buch spricht viele wichtige Mechanismen an, bei denen es auch heute noch wichtig ist, dass uns diese bewusst sind. Ich habe in diesem Buch einiges gelesen, dass mich an so manch andere heutige Situationen erinnert und was mir ein bisschen Angst macht für die zukünftige Entwicklungen.
Fazit: Ein Buch mit unheimlich viel Faktenwissen, das thematisch breit aufgestellt ist und einen tiefen Einblick in den Holocaust zulässt und manches Mal sehr schmerzvoll zu lesen ist. Leider richtet sich das Buch an ein amerikanisches Publikum und so konnte es mir kein befriedigende Antwort auf die Frage nach unserer geschichtlichen Verantwortung geben.
Normalerweise schreibe ich eine eigene Zusammenfassung, aber diesmal übernehme ich den Klappentext vom Campus-Verlag:
Warum geschah der Holocaust, die Ermordung von Millionen jüdischer Menschen während des Nationalsozialismus? Peter Hayes ist der erste Historiker, der die Frage nach dem Warum ins Zentrum eines Buches stellt. Hayes spannt den Bogen von den Ursprüngen des Antisemitismus bis hin zur Bestrafung von NS-Verbrechern nach 1945. So gelingt ihm ein kluger und präziser Überblick über die Vernichtung der europäischen Juden. Ein eindrucksvolles Buch, an dem künftig nicht vorbeizukommen sein wird.
Im letzten Jahr konnten mich neben Science-Fiction auch Sachbücher für sich begeistern und so mache ich auch in diesem Jahr damit weiter. Beim Lesen erfordern diese Bücher eine etwas andere Herangehensweise, finde ich, denn diese lassen sich nicht mal eben nebenbei weg lesen, haben mir bisher aber meist neue Erkenntnisse gebracht.
Das Buch beschäftigt sich mit dem Holocaust und stellt die Frage nach dem Warum. Unterteilt ist das ganze in 8 Fragen, die sich mit jeweils einem Teilaspekt beschäftigen. Der Klappentext gibt bereits einen guten Aufschluss über die Themen, die in diesem Buch behandelt werden. Es wurde unglaublich viel Wissen zum Thema zusammengetragen und man merkt, dass sich der Autor ausführlich damit beschäftigt hat. Hierzu sollte allerdings erwähnt werden, dass es sich um einen emeritierten Professor für Geschichte und Deutsch sowie Holocaust Studies an der Northwestern University handelt.
Ich habe sehr viele neue Informationen für mich aus diesem Buch mitgenommen, anderes war mir bekannt, wurde aber mit neuen Zahlen und Fakten untermauert. Manche Kapitel waren einfacher für mich zu lesen, manche schwerer, manche Kapitel haben mich einfach nur wütend gemacht.
Neben den oben genannten Themen beschäftigt sich das Buch beispielsweise auch damit, warum niemand von außen geholfen hat und ab wann die Vorgänge ins Ausland gedrungen sind. Manchmal stellt das Buch provokative Fragen wie, warum sich die Juden nicht gewehrt haben. Bei diesem Kapitel hatte ich tatsächlich ein wenig Angst was da kommt, aber das hat sich dann relativ schnell gelegt.
In das letzte Kapitel mit den Lehren, die wir daraus ziehen können und ob das nochmal passieren kann, hatte ich tatsächlich mehr Hoffnung gesetzt. Ich musste dann feststellen, dass sich das Buch an ein amerikanisches Publikum richtet und da wurde mir dann fast ein wenig zu viel relativiert. Hier muss ich nochmal auf die Suche gehen, ob ich etwas finde, dass sich im speziellen an unsere geschichtliche Verantwortung im Zusammenhang mit diesem Thema richtet.
Ich habe meine Ausgabe bei der Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung erworben und da ist der Klappentext ein wenig anders und spricht zum Beispiel auch an, dass sich oftmals reflexartig von dem Thema distanziert wird und dieses Buch das überwinden möchte. In Teilen hat es das erfüllt. Das Buch spricht viele wichtige Mechanismen an, bei denen es auch heute noch wichtig ist, dass uns diese bewusst sind. Ich habe in diesem Buch einiges gelesen, dass mich an so manch andere heutige Situationen erinnert und was mir ein bisschen Angst macht für die zukünftige Entwicklungen.
Fazit: Ein Buch mit unheimlich viel Faktenwissen, das thematisch breit aufgestellt ist und einen tiefen Einblick in den Holocaust zulässt und manches Mal sehr schmerzvoll zu lesen ist. Leider richtet sich das Buch an ein amerikanisches Publikum und so konnte es mir kein befriedigende Antwort auf die Frage nach unserer geschichtlichen Verantwortung geben.
February 23, 2025
Amazingly comprehensive. I admired Hayes' ability to remain focused on the bigger picture while simultaneously focusing in on specific events, examples, or instances in order to provide context. I also really appreciated his decision to start fairly far back in history in order to give a wider, farther reaching context and historical view. American history education is sorely lacking; I don't remember learning much more than the basics about the events and details of WWII/the Holocaust before the US' entry into the war. So I'm very glad of this book for providing those details. I'm also impressed at Hayes' ability to break this history down into these main questions, and to answer every question without the book feeling chaotic or confusing or chopped up in terms of discussion of timelines of events.
I've read a number of autobiographical accounts of Holocaust survivors, but this is the first history book I've read that gives a broader context. I'm not someone who's good at conceiving of larger numbers generally, but I was really glad for the sheer amount of numbers and statistics included in this book. I think seeing the numbers written out, even if it's hard for me to really get a mental picture of how much 38,000 people really is (for example), truly hammered home the insanely massive number of victims and the speed at which huge amounts of people were both moved and murdered.
It's very weird to be reading this book in the US right now. I started reading on the 26th of January, and for a week or two I'd read a chapter or a chunk of a chapter, go to bed, and then wake up to read the news and find that something similar to what I had just read was now happening in current news. So this book has felt (appropriately) like a warning, very future/present prophetic.
I've read a number of autobiographical accounts of Holocaust survivors, but this is the first history book I've read that gives a broader context. I'm not someone who's good at conceiving of larger numbers generally, but I was really glad for the sheer amount of numbers and statistics included in this book. I think seeing the numbers written out, even if it's hard for me to really get a mental picture of how much 38,000 people really is (for example), truly hammered home the insanely massive number of victims and the speed at which huge amounts of people were both moved and murdered.
It's very weird to be reading this book in the US right now. I started reading on the 26th of January, and for a week or two I'd read a chapter or a chunk of a chapter, go to bed, and then wake up to read the news and find that something similar to what I had just read was now happening in current news. So this book has felt (appropriately) like a warning, very future/present prophetic.
August 12, 2025
Anyone teaching anything related to the Holocaust should read this book. It has well balanced perspectives and allows us to answer simple questions such as "Why the Jewish people?" with sophisticated answers.
If you're interested in Holocaust literature, this is also a profound read in that the information is so far-reaching that it just shows how interconnected everything is and was at the time.
If you're interested in Holocaust literature, this is also a profound read in that the information is so far-reaching that it just shows how interconnected everything is and was at the time.
February 13, 2023
Esta ha sido una de las mejores explicaciones que he leído sobre lo que fue el Holocausto. Creo que el autor hace un excelente trabajo explicando que el Holocausto no fue algo que se decidió en un determinado momento ni fue orden de una persona específica, sino que fue escalando y evolucionando al tiempo en que se desarrollaba la guerra.
Hay algunas opiniones y comentarios del autor que podrían ser revisadas, pero de ahí en fuera recomiendo ampliamente la lectura.
Hay algunas opiniones y comentarios del autor que podrían ser revisadas, pero de ahí en fuera recomiendo ampliamente la lectura.
April 17, 2024
very very in depth and heavy book but it was super informative and well written
December 20, 2021
A good overview of eight issues in Holocaust history that the general public most wants answers for. Hayes goes for balance, without being too academic and getting bogged down by the amount of competing data, and presenting the two sides of a controversial point when there's one he must address. It's meant for the average reader and history lover, not for the professionals in the field, and all those that would like more in-depth information on any given topic of the eight Hayes tackles can consult the bibliography at the end.
July 17, 2024
This book is fantastic, not only designed for those who know nothing about the holocaust, but those who want to brush up on the knowledge, it starts right from the start to why the world has hated Jews over the centuries
To then be told how the Germans started segregated Jews from the mid 1930s, and how it led to them being hunted killed and eventually put in death or concentration camps
It was really interesting to hear the Nazis more specifically Hitler’s reason for hating the Jews
The way the author has told the story was absolutely bloody brilliant, although it’s a very complex subject. It is broken down very well.
It’s not a read for the faint of hearted as details are not spared about how the Jews were killed, but it definitely worth a read
To then be told how the Germans started segregated Jews from the mid 1930s, and how it led to them being hunted killed and eventually put in death or concentration camps
It was really interesting to hear the Nazis more specifically Hitler’s reason for hating the Jews
The way the author has told the story was absolutely bloody brilliant, although it’s a very complex subject. It is broken down very well.
It’s not a read for the faint of hearted as details are not spared about how the Jews were killed, but it definitely worth a read
September 14, 2021
As a lifelong teacher of the Holocaust, I've had no question more frequently posed than the simple, "Why?" And I didn't always have a satisfactory answer at hand.
So for me and anyone interested in a clear understanding of how and why the Holocaust happened, written by a premier authority on the subject and backed by up-to-date historical research, this book is essential. I wish I'd had it in 1976.
Hayes is an "economic historian" by training, and he uses numbers to enlighten.
The final chapter explores the lessons and legacies (spoiler alert: It's more than "never forget") in an honest and unflinching discussion. It includes a debunking of common myths about the Holocaust that any student of the subject will find useful.
So for me and anyone interested in a clear understanding of how and why the Holocaust happened, written by a premier authority on the subject and backed by up-to-date historical research, this book is essential. I wish I'd had it in 1976.
Hayes is an "economic historian" by training, and he uses numbers to enlighten.
The final chapter explores the lessons and legacies (spoiler alert: It's more than "never forget") in an honest and unflinching discussion. It includes a debunking of common myths about the Holocaust that any student of the subject will find useful.
January 7, 2023
A lot of people tend to ask "Why?" when it comes to answering the question of monstrosities. Peter Hayes attempts to answer that simple question in this well-researched review of history.
The chapters are divided into the following: Why the Jews? Why the Germans? Why This Swift & Sweeping? Why Didn't More Jews Fight Back More Often? Why Did Survival Rates Diverge? Why Such Limited Help from Outside? What Legacies, What Lessons?
This book is very in-depth and educational, so if you're interested in learning more about the history of the Shoah, I'd recommend this.
The chapters are divided into the following: Why the Jews? Why the Germans? Why This Swift & Sweeping? Why Didn't More Jews Fight Back More Often? Why Did Survival Rates Diverge? Why Such Limited Help from Outside? What Legacies, What Lessons?
This book is very in-depth and educational, so if you're interested in learning more about the history of the Shoah, I'd recommend this.
November 29, 2020
The first third of this book was the best, most compelling, interesting information I have ever read about antisemitism and German/European politics leading up to WWII. I couldn't put it down. So much was illuminating for me in ways that were both educational and, of course, upsetting. Unfortunately, the other two-thirds of the book while also valuable is much more academic and scholarly, and try as I might, I got bogged down entirely. I definitely recommend the book, overall, but wish that the whole book was as readable as the first third of it. The parallels between Germany then and the United States now are just shocking - this is important stuff.
September 26, 2023
The first three chapters are phenomenal, the rest drags a bit.
February 10, 2021
This book is incredible. Hayes absolutely succeeds in his quest to answer some of the most notable questions about the Holocaust, most notably: Why? He offers a sweeping, yet detailed history of the Holocaust and presents it in a fresh and highly readable way. Some sections on the death camps, concentration camps, death marches and the like are hard to read, but it is important for us to remember what the Jewish people went through. May we all learn something from this book and others like it, to treat every human being with dignity, decency, and respect. I highly recommend this book.
January 20, 2020
Ein kurzweiliges Buch, das eine tiefe Analyse des Holocausts erlaubt und viele neue Erkenntnisse gebracht hat.
February 18, 2017
"Our first responsibility as citizens, regardless of our walk of life, is to do no harm. That is not a doctrine of passivity. 'Why?' has shown how much harm doing nothing can do. It is a doctrine of activity informed by seriousness, prudence, restraint, and unselfishness."
"As William Pitt, a British prime minister in the mid-eighteenth century, once warned: 'Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.'"
"The first lesson of the study of the Holocaust for all minority groups in American society is 'be alert, but not afraid.' The general trend in America remains toward pluralism, freedom, and Jefferson's right to 'pursuit of happiness' for each person in his or her own way. We all have a responsibility to see to it that the trend continues; its opposite is the oppression, the stasis, and the homogeneity that Nazism prized."
"To prevent other Holocausts, it is not enough to combat antisemitism; one has also to fight for these broader values, and not only at home....In an increasingly globalized world, the obligation to combat and reduce parochialism and intolerance is an increasingly global matter."
"Sometimes historical work is an extended game of whack-a-mole."
"Everyone knows or should know that freedom is indivisible; when taken away from someone, it can be taken away from anyone. But few people dare to act on that principle--or think they need to do so--even under the best circumstances."
"The public mind was, in other words, methodically poisoned, and the measuring stick of morality systematically shifted from general ethical principles like the Golden Rule to the specific matter of whether an action strengthened Germany or did not."
"...power magnifies the ideas of those who hold it because of the human tendency to seek safety in conformity. The only antidotes are conviction--loyalty to a strong countervailing ideology--and the freedom to express it. Where these are lacking, as was the case in Germany after 1933, ideologues quickly get the upper hand and call the tune for behavior. A minority of haters, backed by the authority of the state, thus becomes free to drive events forward, to make the lives of any targeted group ever more miserable."
"The platform they ran on was summarized succinctly by Gregor Strasser, the day-to-day director of Party operations in the early 1930s, when he defined National Socialism as 'the opposite of what exists today.' And their method in state and national parliaments, as well as in municipal councils, was to disrupt democratic government, make it dysfunctional, and thus 'prove' its ineffectiveness in meeting Germans' needs. In a fundamental sense, this highly partisan political force ran against politics, with all its messy compromises, disagreements, and imperfections, and promised to replace it with order and strength."
"In sum: Nazi ideology was a witches' brew of self-pity, entitlement, and aggression. It was also a form of magical thinking that promised to end all of Germans' postwar sufferings, the products of defeat and deceit, by banishing their supposed ultimate cause, the Jews and their agents."
"As William Pitt, a British prime minister in the mid-eighteenth century, once warned: 'Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.'"
"The first lesson of the study of the Holocaust for all minority groups in American society is 'be alert, but not afraid.' The general trend in America remains toward pluralism, freedom, and Jefferson's right to 'pursuit of happiness' for each person in his or her own way. We all have a responsibility to see to it that the trend continues; its opposite is the oppression, the stasis, and the homogeneity that Nazism prized."
"To prevent other Holocausts, it is not enough to combat antisemitism; one has also to fight for these broader values, and not only at home....In an increasingly globalized world, the obligation to combat and reduce parochialism and intolerance is an increasingly global matter."
"Sometimes historical work is an extended game of whack-a-mole."
"Everyone knows or should know that freedom is indivisible; when taken away from someone, it can be taken away from anyone. But few people dare to act on that principle--or think they need to do so--even under the best circumstances."
"The public mind was, in other words, methodically poisoned, and the measuring stick of morality systematically shifted from general ethical principles like the Golden Rule to the specific matter of whether an action strengthened Germany or did not."
"...power magnifies the ideas of those who hold it because of the human tendency to seek safety in conformity. The only antidotes are conviction--loyalty to a strong countervailing ideology--and the freedom to express it. Where these are lacking, as was the case in Germany after 1933, ideologues quickly get the upper hand and call the tune for behavior. A minority of haters, backed by the authority of the state, thus becomes free to drive events forward, to make the lives of any targeted group ever more miserable."
"The platform they ran on was summarized succinctly by Gregor Strasser, the day-to-day director of Party operations in the early 1930s, when he defined National Socialism as 'the opposite of what exists today.' And their method in state and national parliaments, as well as in municipal councils, was to disrupt democratic government, make it dysfunctional, and thus 'prove' its ineffectiveness in meeting Germans' needs. In a fundamental sense, this highly partisan political force ran against politics, with all its messy compromises, disagreements, and imperfections, and promised to replace it with order and strength."
"In sum: Nazi ideology was a witches' brew of self-pity, entitlement, and aggression. It was also a form of magical thinking that promised to end all of Germans' postwar sufferings, the products of defeat and deceit, by banishing their supposed ultimate cause, the Jews and their agents."
Read
October 12, 2023very clear and concise explanation of the basics in holocaust research. debunks the most common myths in a readable way that makes it easy to follow. wasn't a big fan of him often referring to communism and fascism together but he's american so ig that's just to be expected. still would recommend this to people who want to have a good base level understanding of the topic.
February 5, 2017
Peter Hayes brings a lucid and thoughtful voice to the discussion of Holocaust history and the events surrounding it. He writes his book with an eye at explaining the complicated and difficult parts with simplicity and nuance, and he does so with astonishing grace. His writing is beautiful, thoughtful and concise.
The book is designed to answer some of the biggest questions that people have about the Holocaust. Each chapter is a major question, and the rest of the chapter is the answer. The answers are never simplistic, but nor are they so complex as to be inscrutable. Hayes connects the dots and gives the reader all the relevant backstory in order to fill in the picture of what happened.
This book is a welcome addition to the history of the Holocaust, and it gives the reader a full understanding of how it happened, why it happened, and why no one stopped it from happening. Anyone at all will benefit from reading this book now, and for many years to come. His detailed account brings solemnity and truth to an often fraught and emotional topic.
The only complaint I have about this book is the author’s tendency to throw around a lot of names. There were many, many different Nazi leaders mentioned once or twice in one chapter, and then they would be referenced again fifty pages later. Many times it was hard to keep track of who was responsible for what. Outside of this one detail, though, it was a compelling and interesting read that was both educational and necessary.
The book is designed to answer some of the biggest questions that people have about the Holocaust. Each chapter is a major question, and the rest of the chapter is the answer. The answers are never simplistic, but nor are they so complex as to be inscrutable. Hayes connects the dots and gives the reader all the relevant backstory in order to fill in the picture of what happened.
This book is a welcome addition to the history of the Holocaust, and it gives the reader a full understanding of how it happened, why it happened, and why no one stopped it from happening. Anyone at all will benefit from reading this book now, and for many years to come. His detailed account brings solemnity and truth to an often fraught and emotional topic.
The only complaint I have about this book is the author’s tendency to throw around a lot of names. There were many, many different Nazi leaders mentioned once or twice in one chapter, and then they would be referenced again fifty pages later. Many times it was hard to keep track of who was responsible for what. Outside of this one detail, though, it was a compelling and interesting read that was both educational and necessary.
October 21, 2018
A superbly written book that tries to answer its title question through eight sub-questions ..why the Jews, why the Germans, why murder, why so swift and sweeping, why didn’t Jews fight back, why different survival rates, Why was outside help so limited, and what are the lessons to be learned ?
We have each probably asked at least one of these questions, and the author uses unrelenting statistics and gripping anecdotal stories to answer each of them.
This was a very slow read and after each chapter/question a pause was necessary to integrate the facts and conclusions before moving on to the next question. I must admit the last question had me turning to the front page to check when the book was written. 2017. So timely. His three part answer was not small and I quote them here.
1. This means that Politics matters, and none of us can afford to fail to participate in making responsible public policy.
2. This dreadful history shows the necessity of standing up To categorization and conspiracy peddling, of refusing to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to defamation.
3. The politics of division and emergency, of bullying and rage deserves opposition and scorn. We need to preserve the distinction between means and ends.
Early voting opens in Texas tomorrow. A state where normally only 25 percent of registered voters vote in midterm elections. Politics matters.
We have each probably asked at least one of these questions, and the author uses unrelenting statistics and gripping anecdotal stories to answer each of them.
This was a very slow read and after each chapter/question a pause was necessary to integrate the facts and conclusions before moving on to the next question. I must admit the last question had me turning to the front page to check when the book was written. 2017. So timely. His three part answer was not small and I quote them here.
1. This means that Politics matters, and none of us can afford to fail to participate in making responsible public policy.
2. This dreadful history shows the necessity of standing up To categorization and conspiracy peddling, of refusing to turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to defamation.
3. The politics of division and emergency, of bullying and rage deserves opposition and scorn. We need to preserve the distinction between means and ends.
Early voting opens in Texas tomorrow. A state where normally only 25 percent of registered voters vote in midterm elections. Politics matters.
December 2, 2021
Answers the why questions: why the Jews, why the Germans, why murder, why swift and sweeping annihilation, why didn't Jews fight back more often, why did survival rates diverge, why such limited help from outside? The author makes some very interesting points in a very readable text.
Some thoughts that struck a chord in me, as they relates to the current turmoil in the world:
. . . from now on, it is not up to you to deicide whether something is true, but whether it is in the interests of the National Socialist Revolution. . . how power magnifies the ideas of those who hold it because of the human tendency to seek safety in conformity. The only antidotes are conviction - loyalty to a strong countervailing ideology and the freedom to express it. p. 95.
. . . portrait is of a public split into three groups: people who endorsed the persecution of Jews, people who merely accepted it, and people who disliked it but saw little point in protesting, even though they expressed reservations or felt embarrassed about specific actions. p. 98
National Socialist morality: overcoming scruples against inflicting pain became a sign of moral progress not indecency. p. 141
. . . Nazi regime succeeded in creating a closed mental world, an ideological echo chamber in which leaders constantly harped on the threat the Jews (unjabbed?) supposedly constituted and the need for Germans to defend themselves against it. . . -. 144
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the mentality of the Nazi perpetrators was their self-delusion, their capacity to distract themselves from what they were doing by calling it something else. Perpetrators never owned up to torturing and slaughtering; they always professed to be serving a sanctified purpose that immunized them from the charge of immorality. p. 154
To succeed, it has needed a host that it can exploit - a pervasive sense of crises and victimization that allegedly justified lashing out in reprisal. That is the essential prerequisite for widespread demonizing of Jews as the root of all evil (sickness?) and the presence of this sort of sweeping crisis is what brought Hitler to power. p. 336
The veneer of civilization is thin, the rule of law is fragile, and the precondition of both is economic and political calm. This means that politics matters, and none of us can ever afford to fail to participate in making responsible public policy. Nazism stemmed from German racism, but that ideology would never have become national policy without the presence of an economic, national, and ideological crisis that fostered demagoguery and irresponsibility. Everyone's first goal in a decent society must be to avoid contributing to such a crises or to those responses. p. 340
The Holocaust illustrates the fundamental importance and difficulty of individual courage and imagination. . . there can be no drawing of distinctions between citizens when it comes to fundamental human rights, no hair-splitting about who gets to have them and who does not. . .dreadful history also shows that doing the right thing can have costs that are multiplied by the unwillingness of most people to pay them, so bravery is not enough - wit, wiliness, shrewd judgment, persistence, and creativity in challenging evil are also indispensable. Resistance is never easy and seldom comfortable. . . rising to that challenge begins with a refusal to be cowed, followed by alertness to opportunity. . . Pastor Andre Trocme, of Le Chambon-sur-LIgnon believed that if you choose to resist evil, and you choose this firmly, then ways of carrying out that resistance will open up around you. p. 341
The Holocaust testifies to the need to preserve the essential distinction between means and ends. Antinomianism - the idea that moral restrictions do not apply to us because of some special nobility or necessity or our purposes - is the fatal temptations that the Nazis proffered and the fateful rationalization they used. Still endemic, it always feeds on fear. In times of extreme crisis, the history of the Holocaust demonstrates a person's most profound moral commitments to family, faith, community, country, organization, party, and principle, for example - can be made to seem like reasons to choose to do great harm. . . p. 341
As William Pitt, a British prime minister in the mid 18th century warned, "necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." The politics of division and emergency, of bullying and rage - the politics that says desperate times require the political equivalent of "stand-your-ground" laws - that sort of politics always deserves opposition and scorn because it is the politics that is just itching to get out of hand. p. 342
When did the Holocaust begin? Peter Hayes writes, April 1-5 1933 in Berlin. . . the occupation by a company of Nazi storm troopers in the offices of the National Association of German Industry. The thugs made clear their intention to stay and disrupt the association's work until it dismissed all its employees who were Jews or affiliated with other political parties. When Krupp (the industrialist who was also the head of this association) tried to persuade Hitler to call of his dogs, Hitler refused. Krupp then gave in, firing everyone of whom the Nazis disapproved on April 5 and thus breaking his contracts with each one of those people.
One of the members of the Association's governing board, Georg Muller-Oerlinghausen, wrote a prophetic protest to Krupp eight days later, saying that his actions amounted to capitulation to bullying and that they deprived the organization of all basis for future noncompliance with Nazi demands. If the German industrialists would not stand up for the contractual legal rights of their own personnel, for whom would they stand up and on what grounds. . . the more powerful the Nazis became, the more irreversibly right he was. Beware the beginnings. p. 343 (less)
Some thoughts that struck a chord in me, as they relates to the current turmoil in the world:
. . . from now on, it is not up to you to deicide whether something is true, but whether it is in the interests of the National Socialist Revolution. . . how power magnifies the ideas of those who hold it because of the human tendency to seek safety in conformity. The only antidotes are conviction - loyalty to a strong countervailing ideology and the freedom to express it. p. 95.
. . . portrait is of a public split into three groups: people who endorsed the persecution of Jews, people who merely accepted it, and people who disliked it but saw little point in protesting, even though they expressed reservations or felt embarrassed about specific actions. p. 98
National Socialist morality: overcoming scruples against inflicting pain became a sign of moral progress not indecency. p. 141
. . . Nazi regime succeeded in creating a closed mental world, an ideological echo chamber in which leaders constantly harped on the threat the Jews (unjabbed?) supposedly constituted and the need for Germans to defend themselves against it. . . -. 144
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the mentality of the Nazi perpetrators was their self-delusion, their capacity to distract themselves from what they were doing by calling it something else. Perpetrators never owned up to torturing and slaughtering; they always professed to be serving a sanctified purpose that immunized them from the charge of immorality. p. 154
To succeed, it has needed a host that it can exploit - a pervasive sense of crises and victimization that allegedly justified lashing out in reprisal. That is the essential prerequisite for widespread demonizing of Jews as the root of all evil (sickness?) and the presence of this sort of sweeping crisis is what brought Hitler to power. p. 336
The veneer of civilization is thin, the rule of law is fragile, and the precondition of both is economic and political calm. This means that politics matters, and none of us can ever afford to fail to participate in making responsible public policy. Nazism stemmed from German racism, but that ideology would never have become national policy without the presence of an economic, national, and ideological crisis that fostered demagoguery and irresponsibility. Everyone's first goal in a decent society must be to avoid contributing to such a crises or to those responses. p. 340
The Holocaust illustrates the fundamental importance and difficulty of individual courage and imagination. . . there can be no drawing of distinctions between citizens when it comes to fundamental human rights, no hair-splitting about who gets to have them and who does not. . .dreadful history also shows that doing the right thing can have costs that are multiplied by the unwillingness of most people to pay them, so bravery is not enough - wit, wiliness, shrewd judgment, persistence, and creativity in challenging evil are also indispensable. Resistance is never easy and seldom comfortable. . . rising to that challenge begins with a refusal to be cowed, followed by alertness to opportunity. . . Pastor Andre Trocme, of Le Chambon-sur-LIgnon believed that if you choose to resist evil, and you choose this firmly, then ways of carrying out that resistance will open up around you. p. 341
The Holocaust testifies to the need to preserve the essential distinction between means and ends. Antinomianism - the idea that moral restrictions do not apply to us because of some special nobility or necessity or our purposes - is the fatal temptations that the Nazis proffered and the fateful rationalization they used. Still endemic, it always feeds on fear. In times of extreme crisis, the history of the Holocaust demonstrates a person's most profound moral commitments to family, faith, community, country, organization, party, and principle, for example - can be made to seem like reasons to choose to do great harm. . . p. 341
As William Pitt, a British prime minister in the mid 18th century warned, "necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves." The politics of division and emergency, of bullying and rage - the politics that says desperate times require the political equivalent of "stand-your-ground" laws - that sort of politics always deserves opposition and scorn because it is the politics that is just itching to get out of hand. p. 342
When did the Holocaust begin? Peter Hayes writes, April 1-5 1933 in Berlin. . . the occupation by a company of Nazi storm troopers in the offices of the National Association of German Industry. The thugs made clear their intention to stay and disrupt the association's work until it dismissed all its employees who were Jews or affiliated with other political parties. When Krupp (the industrialist who was also the head of this association) tried to persuade Hitler to call of his dogs, Hitler refused. Krupp then gave in, firing everyone of whom the Nazis disapproved on April 5 and thus breaking his contracts with each one of those people.
One of the members of the Association's governing board, Georg Muller-Oerlinghausen, wrote a prophetic protest to Krupp eight days later, saying that his actions amounted to capitulation to bullying and that they deprived the organization of all basis for future noncompliance with Nazi demands. If the German industrialists would not stand up for the contractual legal rights of their own personnel, for whom would they stand up and on what grounds. . . the more powerful the Nazis became, the more irreversibly right he was. Beware the beginnings. p. 343 (less)
May 4, 2017
Beware the beginnings.
If you take away anything from this book, it's to beware the beginnings. This is remarkably well-written, analytical and detached from sensationalism that often pervades other books on the Holocaust. Thoroughly written and clearly researched, the author poses the most common questions about the Holocaust, such as why the Germans? Why the Jews? Debunking common and dangerous myths and misconceptions with historical evidence and proof, Hayes has covered all of the bases for those truly interested in understanding why. It's not enough to say that the Holocaust is incomprehensible--as Hayes writes, that's indicative of laziness and a collective desire to render oneself so thoroughly disgusted by the idea that it could never occur again.
Beware the beginnings.
If you take away anything from this book, it's to beware the beginnings. This is remarkably well-written, analytical and detached from sensationalism that often pervades other books on the Holocaust. Thoroughly written and clearly researched, the author poses the most common questions about the Holocaust, such as why the Germans? Why the Jews? Debunking common and dangerous myths and misconceptions with historical evidence and proof, Hayes has covered all of the bases for those truly interested in understanding why. It's not enough to say that the Holocaust is incomprehensible--as Hayes writes, that's indicative of laziness and a collective desire to render oneself so thoroughly disgusted by the idea that it could never occur again.
Beware the beginnings.
February 9, 2021
Hayes' writing is clear, direct, and thorough. He identifies the core questions at the heart of why the Holocaust happened, explains how institutional failures and societal fractures allowed the Nazi regime to thrive, and dispels a number of myths that have sprung up in recent decades regarding the historical record.
I worry that many people have this idea in their minds that the horrors of the Holocaust are something that can be locked away in a Pandora's box, confined merely to the history books. Hayes shows this cannot be the case. That such atrocities could happen in a civilized society and in the face only emphasizes how important these lessons are.
Beware the beginnings.
I worry that many people have this idea in their minds that the horrors of the Holocaust are something that can be locked away in a Pandora's box, confined merely to the history books. Hayes shows this cannot be the case. That such atrocities could happen in a civilized society and in the face only emphasizes how important these lessons are.
Beware the beginnings.
July 4, 2017
This was not a fun read but very informative. The upsetting topic took much longer to read to fully digest. The book provided important information to better understand the events leading up to the Holocaust and the progression. I can only hope we learn from our past to act better in the future as humans. We have to stay vigilant to recognize these terrible trends are still happening in our world today including areas like Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Somalia, Central African Republic, Myanmar, Nigeria, Burundi, Turkey, Ukraine, Yemen, and Afghanistan.
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