War and Genocide
Bergen, D.L. (2009). War and Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust. Lanham, MD:
Rowman & Littlefield
In the first seven chapters, Bergen clears up fundamental misconceptions by taking a closer, more systematic look into the Holocaust. By using an extensive compilation of both primary and secondary resources, she does a thorough job educating readers with the indispensable, factual events in chronological order. Bergen spends a substantial amount of time discussing Hitler’s upbringing and clears up common misconceptions in regards to his rise to power. In addition, she feels it is of equal importance to explore the underlying elements which caused this atrocity. Therefore, the Holocaust is presented as more than just a complex and tragic event in world history, but rather as a four-step process which stemmed from Germany’s pre-existing ideology of “Race and Space.”
Bergen explores the common prejudices, insecurities and attitudes among the antisemitic Germans in order for readers to obtain a better understanding of their mindset at the time. Regardless of their validity, she explains how fundamental those beliefs were when deciding their course of action. Learning about how they felt and what they were thinking at the time helps shed some light into the age-old question, “how could something like this happen?”
Bergen regards Nazi Germany as a severely racist regime. In addition to the notion that the Aryan race was superior, the Nazi’s, who were Social Darwinists at heart, felt threatened by various groups of people, whom they viewed as genetically inferior. Most people with any knowledge of the Holocaust understand this as a reference to the Jewish population; However, there were non-Jewish groups, such as homosexuals, gypsies, and mentally or physically handicapped individuals who were included in the Nazi regime’s array of undesirables as well. They were seen as subhumans who were taking up their precious space, consuming their resources,
Rowman & Littlefield
In the first seven chapters, Bergen clears up fundamental misconceptions by taking a closer, more systematic look into the Holocaust. By using an extensive compilation of both primary and secondary resources, she does a thorough job educating readers with the indispensable, factual events in chronological order. Bergen spends a substantial amount of time discussing Hitler’s upbringing and clears up common misconceptions in regards to his rise to power. In addition, she feels it is of equal importance to explore the underlying elements which caused this atrocity. Therefore, the Holocaust is presented as more than just a complex and tragic event in world history, but rather as a four-step process which stemmed from Germany’s pre-existing ideology of “Race and Space.”
Bergen explores the common prejudices, insecurities and attitudes among the antisemitic Germans in order for readers to obtain a better understanding of their mindset at the time. Regardless of their validity, she explains how fundamental those beliefs were when deciding their course of action. Learning about how they felt and what they were thinking at the time helps shed some light into the age-old question, “how could something like this happen?”
Bergen regards Nazi Germany as a severely racist regime. In addition to the notion that the Aryan race was superior, the Nazi’s, who were Social Darwinists at heart, felt threatened by various groups of people, whom they viewed as genetically inferior. Most people with any knowledge of the Holocaust understand this as a reference to the Jewish population; However, there were non-Jewish groups, such as homosexuals, gypsies, and mentally or physically handicapped individuals who were included in the Nazi regime’s array of undesirables as well. They were seen as subhumans who were taking up their precious space, consuming their resources,