Language:
English
Year of publication:
2003
Titel der Quelle:
Journal of Genocide Research
Angaben zur Quelle:
5,2 (2003) 225-236
Keywords:
Goldhagen, Daniel Jonah.
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) Historiography
;
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
;
National socialism
;
Antisemitism History 1800-2000
Abstract:
Argues that the war was a necessary prerequisite for carrying out the Holocaust. Before the war began, antisemitism and violence had occurred throughout Germany but it was not systematic and bureaucratic. The German populace reacted negatively to brutal violence perpetrated in the streets. But the war inured the German people to violence. War changed the social atmosphere in Germany, brought on mass psychosis, squashed popular dissent, and hardened people to senseless violence and the suffering of others. It provided the perpetrators with a complex system of psychological justification for their actions, and muted religious opposition. The Holocaust only makes sense in the context of the war; somehow German logic led to the conclusion that the Jews had actually caused both World Wars. Given that war is a catalyst for genocide, the first step in avoiding holocausts in the future is to avoid war itself.
URL:
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