Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust
by Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
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Book Summary Information
Author: Daniel Jonah GoldhagenEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 1997-01-28
ISBN: 0679772685
Number of pages: 656
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust
Book Review: Nice Try Daniel
Summary: 2 Stars
I rarely trash a book on here but this one is just plain wrong. Goldhagen essentially argues that the German people were culturally hard-wired to kill Jews, thus the Holocaust was simply an inevitable result of this "eliminationist anti-Semitism." Not only was this virulent anti-Semitic attitude a uniquely German phenomenon, Goldhagen would have us believe, but apparently the Holocaust was a fulfillment of every German's deep-seated desire.
Even though only a small percentage of Germans were actually involved in the killing, Goldhagen claims not only that the majority of the population wholeheartedly supported it, he even goes so far as to suggest that most ordinary Germans would have happily taken part in genocide if only they had been given the opportunity. He denies claims that Nazi ideology or coercion can explain the genocide, to him; Germans have just always wanted to kill Jews. He goes on and on about medieval anti-Semitism and how it was passed on through the generations, yet he fails to mention that this applies to virtually all of Europe, not just Germany. Historically, the Germans were no more anti-Semitic than their neighbors and in fact, many would argue that countries like France were historically more anti-Semitic. It should also be noted that 19th century Germany was considered one of the most "Jew-friendly" countries in Europe. Germany was not a monolithic entity either. Certain regions, like Cologne, were much less anti-Semitic than places like Berlin. I don't think anyone would deny that a certain amount of anti-Semitism has always been present in Germany, but to imply that this was somehow uniquely German, or that anti-Semitism inevitably leads to genocide, is just flat out rubbish. And as a writer, Goldhagen is very jagged and repetitive, making this even more of an excruciating read.
In one attempt to prove his point, Goldhagen spends an entire chapter on Police Battalion 101, a group of ex-policemen that were responsible for the mass killing of Jews in Poland. Apparently, these men were mostly "ordinary" men with no special training or indoctrination by the Nazis. While this is admittedly an intriguing case that would seem to justify Goldhagen's position, it seems that the author of the book used as a primary source for this section, Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland disagrees with Goldhagen's thesis, as do most serious historians.
Bottom line, the truth of what the Nazis did is bad enough. There is no need to slander the entire German people with this nonsense. That being said, I give Goldhagen 2 stars for effort. He clearly put a lot of work and research into this so I would feel remiss at not at least giving him credit for that.
Summary of Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust
This groundbreaking international bestseller lays to rest many myths about the Holocaust: that Germans were ignorant of the mass destruction of Jews, that the killers were all SS men, and that those who slaughtered Jews did so reluctantly. Hitler's Willing Executioners provides conclusive evidence that the extermination of European Jewry engaged the energies and enthusiasm of tens of thousands of ordinary Germans. Goldhagen reconstructs the climate of "eliminationist anti-Semitism" that made Hitler's pursuit of his genocidal goals possible and the radical persecution of the Jews during the 1930s popular. Drawing on a wealth of unused archival materials, principally the testimony of the killers themselves, Goldhagen takes us into the killing fields where Germans voluntarily hunted Jews like animals, tortured them wantonly, and then posed cheerfully for snapshots with their victims. From mobile killing units, to the camps, to the death marches, Goldhagen shows how ordinary Germans, nurtured in a society where Jews were seen as unalterable evil and dangerous, willingly followed their beliefs to their logical conclusion."Hitler's Willing Executioner's is an original, indeed brilliant contribution to the...literature on the Holocaust."--New York Review of Books
"The most important book ever published about the Holocaust...Eloquently written, meticulously documented, impassioned...A model of moral and scholarly integrity."--Philadelphia Inquirer
In a work that is as authoritative as it is explosive, Goldhagen forces us to revisit and reconsider our understanding of the Holocaust and its perpetrators, demanding a fundamental revision in our thinking of the years between 1933-1945. Drawing principally on materials either unexplored or neglected by previous scholars, Goldhagen marshals new, disquieting primary evidence that explains why, when Hitler conceived of the "final solution" he was able to enlist vast numbers of willing Germans to carry it out. A book sure to provoke new discussion and intense debate.
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