The Holocaust: Origins, Implementation, Aftermath presents a critical and important study of the Holocaust. Complete with an introduction that summarises the state of the field, this book contains major reinterpretations by leading Holocaust authors along with key texts on testimony, memory, and justice after the catastrophe.

Many of the pieces challenge conventional interpretations and preconceived notions about the Holocaust, whether they have to do with the centrality of anti- Semitism, the importance of economic calculations, or the timing of the decision on the ‘Final Solution’. Starting with the background of the Holocaust by focusing on anti-Semitism and scientific racism as being at the root of the ‘Final Solution’, the book goes on to examine the context of the decision to unleash the genocide of the Jews. Three powerful texts then provide readers with a close look at the psychology of a perpetrator, the attitude of the bystanders, and the fate of the victims. Finally, there is an analysis of survivors’ oral testimonies, a deeply revealing discussion on the limits of transmitting the experience of the camps to posterity, and a powerful plea for the prosecution of crimes against humanity.

The Editor

Omer Bartov is Professor of European History at Rutgers University and has written on the Holocaust, Nazi Germany and modern France. His books include Mirrors of Destruction: War, Genocide and Modern Identity (2000); Murder in Our Midst: The Holocaust, Industrial Killing, and Representation (1996); and Hitler’s Army: Soldiers, Nazis and War in the Third Reich (1991).