The 250;000 survivors of the Holocaust who converged on the American Zone of Occupied Germany from 1945-1948 rose to brief prominence in the immediate post-war years. They envisaged themselves as the living bridge between destruction and rebirth; the last remnants of a world destroyed and the active agents of its return to life. Much of what has been written to date looks at the Surviving Remnant through the eyes of others and thus has often failed to disclose the tragic complexity of their inner lives together with their remarkable political achievements. Zeev W. Mankowitz concentrates on this community of survivors; its people; movements; ideas; institutions and self-understanding; how it grappled with the unbearable weight of the past; the strains of the present and the challenge of the future. These ordinary people lived through experiences that beggar description. In most cases they had lost everyone and everything and were now condemned to a protracted and debilitating stay amidst grim conditions in the land of their oppressors. Yet; they got on with their lives; they married; had children and worked for a better tomorrow. By and large; they did not surrender to the deformities of suffering and somehow managed to preserve their humanity intact. This is the story Mankowitz tells in Life between Memory and Hope.Over the last two decades Dr. Zeev Mankowitz has divided his time between Holocaust research and the training of educational leaders. His celebrated lectures on Issues in the Study of the Holocaust at the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has drawn thousands of students from all over the world. In his latest project he is seeking to understand the relationship between history and memory and its implications for educational practice. This is his first book.
#1129972 in Books Gerard Chaliand 2014-11-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .74 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 0520283619312 pagesA Global History of War From Assyria to the Twenty First Century
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. An Academic Look at the Causes and Strategy of WarBy Grey WolffeHistory books are usually written about a specific war; time period or country; but in this book Chaliand tackles every large war that was fought; starting with the first recorded wars of the Assyrian Empire. In the introduction (which is a summary of the rest of the book); he makes the point that this is not a Euro-centric study; but will try to cover wars in all parts of the world; especially Asia and Southwest Asia.In the early parts of the book; prior to the Roman Empire; he discusses war as a creation of Empires; as opposed to Empires as the creator of war. War changed as new weapons were devised; horses pulled chariots or carried archers who could devastate infantry. Armies went from the province of the citizenry to paid soldiers and mercenaries; to the fealty owed to nobility; to the levee en masse of Revolutionary France; to armies of conscripts till the Total War of World War 2.As armies shaped dynasties and then nations; changes in weaponry and strategy changed the way in which armies were constituted and used. Originally lead by a Warrior (King); armies fought for plunder and control of lands and peoples. When the warriors; peoples and lands were combined under a great leader; wars were fought for resources and slaves/serfs to work the land.Religion; Nations and national groups changed why and how wars were fought. Those considered to be “barbarians†and “infidals†deserved no quarter and the lands and lives were forfeit to the victor. Only in the nineteenth century did wars become the domain of nations; who fought for economic power and control. In the twentieth century wars were fought over ideology as opposed to dynastic or religious reasons.In the end all the years and wars; one thing occurred over and over; once the barbarians had overcome a civilization and settled down to rule; the civilization slowly subsumed the barbarian/nomad. The original conquerors (and their progeny) may have remained in charge; but their attitude and outlook would be re-molded by the civilization they had conquered. This remolding would be the major characteristic in reshaping their world view. Interesting premise.Zeb Kantrowitz zworstblog.blogspot.com2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A disappointing book with some good content; best on the Assyrians; Byzantines and Mongols.By lyndonbrechtThis book is disappointing. It starts out very well--the chapters on the Assyrians and the Byzantines are excellent. But some important elements get short and not very detailed chapters; including the Arabs and the ascent of Europe. Africa and the Americas are mostly ignored; as is Southeast Asia; Korea and Japan. The best overall sections deal with various aspects of the Mongols and their heirs. There's not much on military technology. The book strikes me as mostly an academic study of strategy. The book is translated from the French.There are some strengths. There is a short chapter in Safavid Persia and also on the Mamluks; both often glossed over in histories like this. There are some maps; of moderate use; and no illustrations; which would have improved the book considerably. Some chapters get a bit tiresome; the chapter on the Byzantines seemed never to end.The book is enlivened by several quite long citations (several pages each). Two are Byzantine on strategy and one is a long but lively citation from Charles de Gaulle. Near the end he has some interesting comments on asymmetric war and American power.0 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Very disappointing book; boring and banalBy Average book reviewerI really expected much more from this book. After I've read "War! What is it good for?" by Ian Morris I expected something like that - a new grand narrative about war that sheds light on subjects that have been somehow missed by Morris and other military historians. Not so much in facts as in new perspectives; new connections of the dots; yeah; and a little bit new information that others somehow left behind. Instead; what you get is overview of war in different historical periods; random facts without any connection between them; total chaos; no structure and nothing really new. I have read several books on literally every topic that the author covers. I have read a 600-page book on war in the ancient near east; why would I need a brief summary of the same thing that I already know? I went half-way through the book and did not learn a single new thing. Nothing! Everything is as if he explains it to kids in kindergarten who never learned history before. That's not the point of global history; not the point at all! Just taking a bunch of local histories and making a summary of them is totally what global history is NOT ABOUT. And many of his facts are even wrong; I don't want to go into details on this. Generally; if you really want a global history of war; I recommend buying 'War! What is it good for?' and foregoing Chaliand's book as a poor misunderstanding. We should better just pretend this book doesn't exist.
