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Hitler and the Holocaust
Hitler and the Holocaust is the product of a lifetime’s work by one of the world’s foremost authorities on the history of anti-Semitism and modern Jewry. Robert S. Wistrich examines Europe’s long history of violence against its Jewish populations, looks at the forces that shaped Hitler’s belief in a “satanic Jewish power” that must be eradicated, and discusses the process by which Hitler gained power and finalized his plans for mass genocide. He concludes by addressing the abiding legacy of the Holocaust and the lessons that can be drawn from it. Combining a comprehensive picture of one of the most cataclysmic periods in recent history with contemporary scholarly developments and fresh historical inquiry, Hitler and the Holocaust is an indelible contribution to the literature of history.
320 pages, Paperback
First published October 2, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
January 3, 2016
This was not the book I was hoping for from the title; instead, it's an overview of the Holocaust, including a discussion of collaboration and resistance in the various occupied and Nazi-allied countries (that part was helpful to me, especially with regard to Italy). As such, it's probably a good introduction to the subject and to the scholarship on same, since Wistrich discusses the various historians (Broszat, Goldhagen, etc.) and seems to have a rational and balanced assessment, insofar as I myself have done enough reading to tell.
I had a problem with the book (aside from it not being the book I had hoped for), so I'm uncertain about recommending it. My problem is that its style is polemical, value-judgments being made overtly and the reader openly asked to feel pity and outrage.
Now, my problem is not that I disagree with Wistrich's polemics. Because, in fact, I believe that it may be completely impossible to overstate the evil of the Nazi leaders (Hitler, Himmler, Göring, Goebbels, Heydrich, Bormann), who did not merely do evil in the full knowledge that it was evil, but who lied and bullied to ensure that evil was done, and who forced not merely their allies, but also their victims to participate in the doing of evil.
My problem is that the use of emotional rhetoric is to manipulate. Hitler himself is a really stunning example of this. I find that kind of manipulation ethically questionable, regardless of how good the cause is. And in a published book, where the author has MORE than enough time to rethink every word on every page, an appeal to the emotions is there as a result of a deliberate choice, and that's a manipulative choice. That's the author trying to tell me what to feel. And even when I agree with that author, the manipulative intent makes me uneasy. It makes me worry about what other things I may be persuaded into.
Thus, Wistrich's polemics make me uneasy; I wonder if what seems like a factual historical account with polemical comments is in fact a historical account with an agenda--if what he presents as fact is merely interpretation. And so I don't know if this overview of the Holocaust is entirely trustworthy. Certainly, in the places where I have enough knowledge to judge, I can see over-simplifications and a tendency toward Manichean morality. So I am left unsettled and dissatisfied and uncertain.
I had a problem with the book (aside from it not being the book I had hoped for), so I'm uncertain about recommending it. My problem is that its style is polemical, value-judgments being made overtly and the reader openly asked to feel pity and outrage.
Now, my problem is not that I disagree with Wistrich's polemics. Because, in fact, I believe that it may be completely impossible to overstate the evil of the Nazi leaders (Hitler, Himmler, Göring, Goebbels, Heydrich, Bormann), who did not merely do evil in the full knowledge that it was evil, but who lied and bullied to ensure that evil was done, and who forced not merely their allies, but also their victims to participate in the doing of evil.
My problem is that the use of emotional rhetoric is to manipulate. Hitler himself is a really stunning example of this. I find that kind of manipulation ethically questionable, regardless of how good the cause is. And in a published book, where the author has MORE than enough time to rethink every word on every page, an appeal to the emotions is there as a result of a deliberate choice, and that's a manipulative choice. That's the author trying to tell me what to feel. And even when I agree with that author, the manipulative intent makes me uneasy. It makes me worry about what other things I may be persuaded into.
Thus, Wistrich's polemics make me uneasy; I wonder if what seems like a factual historical account with polemical comments is in fact a historical account with an agenda--if what he presents as fact is merely interpretation. And so I don't know if this overview of the Holocaust is entirely trustworthy. Certainly, in the places where I have enough knowledge to judge, I can see over-simplifications and a tendency toward Manichean morality. So I am left unsettled and dissatisfied and uncertain.
November 4, 2021
Good overview of the history and especially good at highlighting the different situations in various places in Europe. I was unaware of the complexity and variety of responses/collaboration among various Eastern European countries. I’m not sure that I buy the part of his thesis that tries to pain Hitler as a boiling over of this very long monolithic thread of European/Christian antisemitism. I don’t think he adequately appreciates what was ideologically new in Hitler’s thought and how disconnected it was from the Christian tradition.
March 16, 2025
I read this for class. I thoroughly appreciated the global perspective this book provides on the Holocaust. We often overlook the influence other nations had on the Jewish genocide and are quick to solely blame Germany when we should acknowledge the decisions others made to add to the horror.
June 24, 2019
Me gustó sin embargo no es un libro imparcial, es un libro de un historiador judio que desde luego tiene una visión subjetiva, se pregunta y no se contesta porque la Europa del 1900 tenía el estereotipo tan arraigado del judio acaudalado, agiotista y hasta desligado de la sociedad; muestra al contrario en su análisis país por país resumiendo cómo las sociedades dan la espalda a la comunidad judía y trata de explicar cómo lo hacen, sin embargo no responde de dónde sale ese estereotipo. Es una visión muy clara de los hechos del holocausto aunque le hace falta en mi opinión abrir la mira y explicar o dar más razones del Holocausto. Es buen libro, si puede léalo.
August 16, 2010
No matter how many books on holocaust I read, it just never ceases to shock me - the level of cruelty humans are capable of - not just inflicting on other humans - but also of allowing it to happen and looking the other way... Sometimes I can almost understand holocaust deniers, I would also like to deny to myself that something like this can ever happen, and don't want to believe that it's possible, especially within the life time of people who are still alive today. While reading this book, there were instances when I wanted to just stop and put it away, and yet I had to continue reading. At times I also couldn't help but hope that some of these things are exaggerated, while at the same time instinctively knew that they are not.
December 29, 2017
A,concise and flawed overview
Wistrich adds little to the volumes which have been written about the Holocaust. While there are a few pertinent observations, they are few and far between. The idea that the Holocaust is somehow an outgrowth of Christian millenariasm is not supported. There is fertile ground for more in-depth study, especially in the role of collaboration in the Ukraine and Lithuania, but this is glossed over.
Wistrich adds little to the volumes which have been written about the Holocaust. While there are a few pertinent observations, they are few and far between. The idea that the Holocaust is somehow an outgrowth of Christian millenariasm is not supported. There is fertile ground for more in-depth study, especially in the role of collaboration in the Ukraine and Lithuania, but this is glossed over.
February 29, 2020
I feel badly giving this three stars. But, it’s my own opinion that it was written in a high level of language that I just couldn’t follow. I learned a few things though.
April 1, 2019
Un libro muy buen documentado que discurre por distintos puntos que dan a conocer un poco más de este horrible episodio de la especie humana que no es como muchos creen un episodio de barbarie y salvajismo sin sentido e incivilizado, sino más bien una demostración palmaria de modernidad. La muerte como herramienta para el progreso humano. Paradoja que fue llevada hasta la última consecuencia por Adolf Hitler y sus secuaces durante la existencia del Tercer Reich y sobre todo los años de la segunda guerra mundial.
El holocausto no fue un hecho aislado ni fue una idea original de los nazis, los que solo aprovecharon el ambiente antisemita que ya cundía en Europa desde hacía siglos y para ellos hay muchos hechos que lo demuestran, que se remontan al ataque a judíos porque se les creía causantes de la peste negra o la expulsión de España unos siglos después.
El antisemtismo se vio reflejado en todos los pueblos europeos que colaboraron de manera eficaz en el exterminio del pueblo judío, como los eslovacos, los rumanos, lituanos o ucranianos. Algunas de estas razones también descansan en la propaganda que identificó a los judíos como bolcheviques, hecho que hizo más virulento el odio hace ellos.
El libro también analiza el ambivalente papel que jugó la Iglesia católica y demás iglesias cristianas que quedaron en conjunto como hermanos fraticidas. Con honrosas excepciones, claro.
En suma, un buen libro. Altamente recomendable. Si pueden incluso revisar sus fuentes, eso sería muy valioso.
El holocausto no fue un hecho aislado ni fue una idea original de los nazis, los que solo aprovecharon el ambiente antisemita que ya cundía en Europa desde hacía siglos y para ellos hay muchos hechos que lo demuestran, que se remontan al ataque a judíos porque se les creía causantes de la peste negra o la expulsión de España unos siglos después.
El antisemtismo se vio reflejado en todos los pueblos europeos que colaboraron de manera eficaz en el exterminio del pueblo judío, como los eslovacos, los rumanos, lituanos o ucranianos. Algunas de estas razones también descansan en la propaganda que identificó a los judíos como bolcheviques, hecho que hizo más virulento el odio hace ellos.
El libro también analiza el ambivalente papel que jugó la Iglesia católica y demás iglesias cristianas que quedaron en conjunto como hermanos fraticidas. Con honrosas excepciones, claro.
En suma, un buen libro. Altamente recomendable. Si pueden incluso revisar sus fuentes, eso sería muy valioso.
August 5, 2025
Hitler & the Holocaust
By Robert S. Wistrich
Very interesting. I learned a good deal that I did not know about the Holocaust. That Hitler bore a hatred for the Jewish people dating back at least to WWI, blaming them for the loss. That several governments which became part of the Axis powers were eagerly complicit with Germany in the attempted extermination of the Jews. That when “rescued” by Russian forces, internee’s lot improved little. WWII was a hellscape where Jews, the infirm and “undesirable” were the subjects of diabolical torture and experimentation.
Definitely worth reading. Especially if you feel like falling prey to Holocaust deniers.
By Robert S. Wistrich
Very interesting. I learned a good deal that I did not know about the Holocaust. That Hitler bore a hatred for the Jewish people dating back at least to WWI, blaming them for the loss. That several governments which became part of the Axis powers were eagerly complicit with Germany in the attempted extermination of the Jews. That when “rescued” by Russian forces, internee’s lot improved little. WWII was a hellscape where Jews, the infirm and “undesirable” were the subjects of diabolical torture and experimentation.
Definitely worth reading. Especially if you feel like falling prey to Holocaust deniers.
March 21, 2018
As a history buff who is especially interested in WWII and the Holocaust, I avidly read this book. There were several new things I learned that I didn't know before. One of the things which is heartbreaking is the very non-committal and abysmal way the US and Britain handled this. Apparently there was rampant antisemitism going on in both governments where they didn't want to get involved.
I could tell that this was someone's history book for a class because I found several pages highlighted.
I could tell that this was someone's history book for a class because I found several pages highlighted.
September 20, 2025
A book that will reveal that such a long history of persecution, extinction, deliberate attacks, and destruction for a universally accepted and recognized belief that Jews were the ultimate enemy and should be extinguished. this goes back as far as the Bible and has been seen the this very day. yet, the give and take seems to never subside as the warring and hatred keeps getting churned up over and over again without a real solution. The powers that be have caused an eternal crisis that will never end with solutions being unable to be found even to this day. A great read for history buffs!,
October 18, 2021
Excelente guía para entender de manera concluyente el holocausto, una de las mentes más brillantes y una de las voces autorizadas para escribir sobre el tema. Fue uno de los seis académicos que formaron parte de la Comisión Histórica Católica - Judía Internacional de 1999 a 2001 para examinar el historial de guerra del Papa Pío XII , con especial referencia al Holocausto. Gran obra muy recomendada.
October 20, 2024
An excellent overview of the Holocaust. Following an introduction to European antisemitism and a short narrative of the rise of Hitler, Wistrich addresses the major aspects of the Holocaust, such as resistance, Allied responses, Christianity, and collaboration.
April 7, 2020
Excellent overview of the “why” behind the Holocaust. The name is a bit of a misnomer, as each of the chapters focuses on a different part of this event, not just Hitler himself.
May 19, 2020
finally a book about the holocaust mentions the collaboration with IBM. I was beginning to think that never happened.
June 17, 2021
Another very insightful look into this horrific man. Gives you another view of who he was, and how he became the man we know from history.
October 21, 2016
I recently read the book Hitler and the Holocaust by Robert S. Wistrich. This is a very informative book that describes the world's largest genocide from beginning to end. The major events in this book are Adolf Hitler coming to power, "Kristallnacht" or the night of glass, the beginning of the extermination of jews and other so called "undesirables", and the liberation of the camps. Major characters in this book are Adolf Hitler, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Josef Stalin, and Winston Churchill. The book starts off by describing how Hitler rose to power in Germany. Then, it goes in depth on the horrors those deemed undesirable by the Nazi's faced. Next, it describes how the Nazi's carried out the largest genocide in history. Finally, Robert S. Wistrich explained how the Jews and other races exterminated by the Germans were liberated from the death camps.
I liked the fact that this book went in depth about the Holocaust which is a topic I very interested in reading about, but I did not like the writing style of this book. It reminded me of a book I read earlier called After: Daybreak the liberation of Bergen-Belsen by Ben Shephard in which there was almost an overload of information leading to a boring read. As I mentioned in my review of After Daybreak I would strongly recommend making the book a mixture of informational text and a first person novel.
In my opinion anyone with a high interest in the holocaust would enjoy this book. I do not recommend this book to someone who is just starting to read about this time period due to the overload of very detailed oriented information.
I liked the fact that this book went in depth about the Holocaust which is a topic I very interested in reading about, but I did not like the writing style of this book. It reminded me of a book I read earlier called After: Daybreak the liberation of Bergen-Belsen by Ben Shephard in which there was almost an overload of information leading to a boring read. As I mentioned in my review of After Daybreak I would strongly recommend making the book a mixture of informational text and a first person novel.
In my opinion anyone with a high interest in the holocaust would enjoy this book. I do not recommend this book to someone who is just starting to read about this time period due to the overload of very detailed oriented information.
October 2, 2016
This book focused on the background of anti-Semitism and the complexities of the factors that led to the Holocaust. This is a good read for those wanting to have a deeper knowledge of the Holocaust, as well as the attached anti-Semitism. However, I believe that this book also downplayed many rescue programs for the Jews, only mentioning in great detail the fact that most of those who were in power to help the Jews from their impending Holocaust hesitated and failed to do something to the Jews.
April 14, 2014
Sparse but compact book with brief but new information on some of the key players involved in the genocide. Also covers other massacres of the gypsies, Serbs, etc! Compared to other books on this subject the author takes a rather unselfish stance and recognizes the Holocaust was not just about the Jews!
December 25, 2015
Very interesting perspective on the Holocaust. Wistrich examines prevailing prejudices prior to the war in Europe and the US. He discusses the progression in Germany from expelling the Jews to genocide. He also discusses how ordinary people could participate in these acts.
This book is not just a history, but an examination into HOW these things came about. A very thought provoking read.
This book is not just a history, but an examination into HOW these things came about. A very thought provoking read.
February 8, 2011
Quite a detailed account on how the life of Adolf Hitler compounded with the prevalence of Anti-Semitism in the 20th century Europe, helped brew the one of the biggest horrors that mankind could ever see.
September 22, 2011
This is a well-written and insightful book on the Holocaust. I found particularly interesting Robert Wistrich's analysis of how Christian antisemitic roots were both reflected and refracted in the ideology of the Nazis.
June 17, 2009
Makes Obama, Clinton, and Jimmy Carter look like good guys.
September 9, 2012
If you read one book on the holocaust this should be it. I think everyone should read as much as possible about this event and time period.
November 16, 2012
Long and slow. I love WW2, especially gleaning from the German side, but this was a very hard read for me
December 19, 2014
superlative in relating the complicity of the church-terrible in how he disregards all experiences, save the Jewish. He virtually ignores gypsies and never once mentions the gay persecution.
March 30, 2015
Quite an excellent read.Should be required reading in all schools
June 16, 2017
Una lectura imprescindible para los que son lectores ávidos de lo que está relacionado al Holocausto Nazi. Aprendí un montón de cosas interesantes...
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Reseña completa en breve...
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January 18, 2010Hitler and the Holocaust (Modern Library Chronicles) by Robert Solomon Wistrich (2003)
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews