Germany's War and the Holocaust: Disputed Histories

by Omer Bartov

"While attempts to come to terms with past catastrophe... can help prevent its recurrence, they may also provide arguments for... actions against the real or imagined perpetrators of previous disasters. The confrontation with... catastrophe can help us understand the roots and nature of this century's destructive urges, as well as humanity's extraordinary recuperative capacities; but it can also legitimize the perpetuation of violence and aggression."―from the Introduction Omer Bartov, a leading scholar of the Wehrmacht and the Holocaust, provides a critical analysis of various recent ways to understand the genocidal policies of the Nazi regime and the reconstruction of German and Jewish identities in the wake of World War II. Germany's War and the Holocaust both deepens our understanding of a crucial period in history and serves as an invaluable introduction to the vast body of literature in the field of Holocaust studies. Drawing on his background as a military historian to probe the nature of German warfare, Bartov considers the postwar myth of army resistance to Hitler and investigates the image of Blitzkrieg as a means to glorify war, debilitate the enemy, and hide the realities of mass destruction. The author also addresses several new analyses of the roots and nature of Nazi extermination policies, including revisionist views of the concentration camps. Finally, Bartov examines some paradigmatic interpretations of the Nazi period and its aftermath: the changing American, European, and Israeli discourses on the Holocaust; Victor Klemperer's view of Nazi Germany from within; and Germany's perception of its own victimhood.

Genres: World War II, Holocaust

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Omer Bartov is an Israeli-born historian. He is the Samuel Pisar Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University, where he has taught since 2000. Bartov is a noted historian of the Holocaust and is considered one of the world's leading authorities on the subject of genocide.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bartov sheds light on recent Historiography on the role of the Wehrmacht in perpetuating the Holocaust in WWII. The book it too long and kind of repetitive for my taste, so unless you’re into the Holocaust and recent research on it, don’t read this book. Bartov does give good arguments for and against why the Holocaust happened. He focuses on historians theories by Daniel Goldhagen, Christopher Browning and Gotz Aly. I came away having as many questions as answers on why it happened, which was kind of his point I think. Bartov wants people to understand that there was no particular reason for the Holocaust, but to let us know that it was a terrible event.

[Ryan Wulfsohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A masterful review of Holocaust literature by a true expert on this complex and controversial subject .