ebooks Why the Germans? Why the Jews?: Envy; Race Hatred; and the Prehistory of the Holocaust by Götz Aly in History

Review

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Scholarly discourse of German nationalist angstBy JorisGerman historian Götz Aly has built a well-deserved reputation for his innovative approach (re)examining the causes of the Holocaust and the rise of Nazism. Aside from a short case study; his works place (social)-economic considerations front and center. In his latest work; this this theme takes a backseat to fear and envy; though Aly is swift to point out its economic root causes. In well delineated chapters; Aly offers a rich analysis of German national identity and nationalist angst - the rise of the Jewish voice one amongst them - placing the latter as both a catalyst for and victim of internal turmoil. The book also provides rich cause and context for the indifference and latent animosity of many Germans to the fate of their Jewish peers; interspersing case studies and personal history; before completing with a chapter on the rise of the Nazi party. This book is intended for a scholarly audience and thus not necessarily a captivating read. It certainly does not (profess to) offer a comprehensive analysis to the rise of Nazism and the foundations of the Holocaust. However; Götz Aly fills in a part of the narrative that is often overlooked. As such; this is a valuable study.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. An outstanding familiarity with pre 1933 German society.By Philip G. EidelbergVery movingly and poignantly written.The strong point of Aly is empathy: he identifies convincingly with both Jews and German anti Semites. The fact that he himself derives from a German Gentile family; many of whose members were themselves anti Semites gives him a special authenticity.But I have several reservations:1) He makes the German non Jews appear as dull witted simpletons and country bumpkins adapting to city life with great difficulty. How do you reconcile this picture with the general image abroad during the 19th and early 20th centuries of a highly sophisticated people excelling in science; technology and medicine?2) It is understandable that the Germans should have been anti-Semitic. But even strong anti-Semitism bears little resemblance to Nazi anti Semitism. Traditional anti Semitism viewed Jews as disreputable human beings but human nonetheless. Nazi anti Semitism (Joseph Goebbels; Alfred Rosenberg; etc.) viewed Jews as "lice" or "bacteria" in human form; as Aly himself implies (206-207).3) Traditional anti Semitism; as Aly himself stresses repeatedly; was opportunistic and pragmatic. Nazi anti Semitism was total - it refused to make any compromises whatsoever. Every single Jew had to be removed from German society; including Jews whose skills and knowledge would have been of great use to the Third Reich. This is in sharp contrast to anti Semitism in the Soviet Union. There; Jews in science and technology were discriminated against (for example they were much less likely to be promoted); but they were usually (if not always) allowed to keep their jobs. Stalin may have been strongly anti Semitic but even he allowed his foreign minister; Vladislav Molotov; to have a Jewish wife. Likewise; his minister of heavy industry; Lazar Kaganovich; was a Jew.4) While Aly's bibliography is extensive and very knowledgeable; I was surprised at the omission of Peter Fritzsche's excellent Germans into Nazis (1998) which treats the same subject and from a similar perspective.But I loved the book anyway; despite its limitations; if only for its outstanding familiarity with pre 1933 German society.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Book offers an interesting thesis; but is not complete or convincingBy Richard E. HegnerThis book posits that the roots of German anti-Semitism prior to 1933 rested on envy of the Jews' relatively advanced economic and professional status. This is a plausible explanation but flies in the face of most of the vast literature on this subject; and the author makes no attempt to refute what other analyses present. Nor does he present the case for his thesis in a convincing fashion. Surely; other factors were also at play; since it is difficult to conceive of a Holocaust based merely on envy and jealousy; and of Germans' acquiescence in genocide solely because of these purported causes.The book is also remarkably discursive and rambling. For example; it discusses the socioeconomic background of Nazi Gauleiter (regional officials); as if this were a contributing factor to the genocide. It is also rather poorly written--or the translation is a poor one. If you are seeking an explanation of German anti-Semitism; look elsewhere--the works of Michael Burleigh; Ian Kershaw; and even Daniel Goldhagen offer more complete and thorough analyses.