Legacies of Dachau: The Uses and Abuses of a Concentration Camp, 1933–2001

by Harold Marcuse

Dachau was the first among Nazi camps, and it served as a model for the others. Situated in West Germany after World War II, it was the one former concentration camp most subject to the push and pull of the many groups wishing to eradicate, ignore, preserve and present it. Thus its postwar history is an illuminating case study of the contested process by which past events are propagated into the present, both as part of the historical record, and within the collectively shared memories of different social groups. How has Dachau been used--and abused--to serve the present? What effects have those uses had on the contemporary world? Drawing on a wide array of sources, from government documents and published histories to newspaper reports and interviews with visitors, Legacies of Dachau offers answers to these questions. It is one of the first books to develop an overarching interpretation of West German history since 1945. Harold Marcuse examines the myth of victimization, ignorance, and resistance and offers a model with which the cultural trajectories of other post-genocidal societies can be compared. With its exacting research, attention to nuance, and cogent argumentation, Legacies of Dachau raises the bar for future studies of the complex relationship between history and memory. Harold Marcuse is Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he teaches modern German history. The grandson of German emigré philosopher Herbert Marcuse, Harold Marcuse returned to Germany in 1977 to rediscover family roots. After several years, he became interested in West Germany's relationship to its Nazi past. In 1985, shortly before Ronald Reagan and Helmut Kohl visited Bitburg, he organized and coproduced an exhibition "Stones of Contention" about monuments and memorials commemorating the Nazi era. That exhibition, which marks the beginning of Marcuse's involvement in German memory debates, toured nearly thirty German cities, including Dachau. This is his first book.

Genres: Holocaust, History, Nonfiction

662 pages, Hardcover

First published March 22, 2001

Reviews

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent detailed study of Dachau when it was a concentration camp from 1933-45, and its continuing role as a reminder of the German depravity.

There were several points regarding the postwar use that fit well with the observations my wife and I made at the "Terror and Fascination" exhibit in Nuremberg, which to our eyes was in many ways a glorification of Hitler. I am still frustrated that I have not been able to induce any reputable historian or journalist to visit the exhibit and see if they agree with the serious deficiencies I summarized on my author blog at ...

http://lewweinsteinauthorblog.com/201...

One quote from Marcuse regarding Dachau is almost identical to a video we saw in Nuremberg ... one housewife exonerated Hitler … most Germans weren't involved … Der Fuhrer couldn't have know about it … he would not have permitted such suffering.

Marcuse also reports how the 1979 TV documentary HOLOCAUST brought challenges and changes to the three German myths of IGNORANCE, VICTIMIZATION & RESISTANCE … making possible a change in West German's recollection of their Nazi past ... the impact of HOLOCAUST reflected changes that had been building for several years as younger Germans increasingly questioned their parents and doubted their rationalizations.

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots to think about from this book -- it is not a history of the camp itself but more about how the world, and especially Germany itself, has viewed Dachau. Fascinating to read about changing German opinion as time goes by . . . finally coming to more of a willingness to face their Nazi past and learn from it. Also interesting notes about how memorials develop and how history is remembered. I didn't give it the close reading it deserves but still felt it was rewarding.

[Harold Marcuse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote it...

[Kathy Sebesta · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offered interesting insights from directions I'd never considered. Especially thought-provoking is how the blame-placing in post-war Germany backfired so greatly. One area of disappointment was the paucity of pictures - there're so many out there, why so few? And why these few? A very long read.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly a book to be digested chapter by chapter and not one for sitting down and reading in a day. Marcuse included poignant photos and illustrations in his effort to explain the history of Dachau as a concentration camp, a town, and now as a memorial site.

[Rachael]

Written by one of my favorite professors who inspired me to go on to graduate school.