Description
Book SynopsisDespite all the thousands of studies of the Holocaust and the rise of Nazi Germany, we still have no satisfactory explanation of why this tragedy occurred in one of the most "civilized" of Western nations. John Weiss's Ideology of Death is the first book to explore the unique nature of German history, showing how it rejected the liberal ideals of the Enlightenment, and to trace the culture of racism and anti-Semitism among powerful elites and ordinary Germans over a long period of German history. In a stunningly lucid narrative, Weiss describes exactly how and why Christian anti-Semitism, in its unique form among German Protestants and Austrian Catholics, reinforced modern secular racism to create an explosive mix. Using the latest research, he details how the Nazis, building on traditional German anti-Semitism, were able to adjust it so as to appeal to a wide variety of social groups–crucial to their electoral success. And he explains the specific complicities of various German groups and institutions in the Holocaust, and why they voluntarily cooperated with the Nazis. In its clarity and compelling argument, Ideology of Death is certain to be one of the most important books for many years to come on the reasons behind the Holocaust.
Trade ReviewEffective. * Booklist *
Illuminating...deserves a permanent place on bookshelves. * Publishers Weekly *
An extremely stimulating and informative work...Weiss has produced a detailed, clearly written account. * Kirkus *
For many readers this book can safely take the place of an entire history. -- Raul Hilberg, author of The Destruction of the European Jews
Table of ContentsPart 1 Preface vii Part 2 The Christian Legacy 3 Part 3 Luther and the Reformation 20 Part 4 The Enlightenment 36 Part 5 The Liberation of the Jews in France 50 Part 6 The Nationalist Reaction: Germany, 1815-1848 64 Part 7 Anti-Semitism in the Bismarck Era 80 Part 8 The Rise of Populist Anti-Semitism 97 Part 9 Anti-Semitism Among the Elites, 1890-1914 112 Part 10 Anti-Semitism, Academics, and Intellectuals, 1890-1914 128 Part 11 Opposing Anti-Semitism 143 Part 12 Catholic Anti-Semitism in the Austrian Empire 156 Part 13 Racial Nationalism in Austria 173 Part 14 Hitler in Austria 191 Part 15 The Great War and Racism 206 Part 16 The Seedbed: The Postwar Wave of Anti-Semitism 222 Part 17 The Battle for Culture 239 Part 18 Organizing the Nazis, 1924-1930 19 Anti-Semitism and the Nazi Vote 271 Part 20 Hitler and the Elites 288 Part 21 Hitler in Power 306 Part 22 Toward a Racial Empire 317 Part 23 The Ideology of Death 325 Part 24 Complicities 342 Part 25 Resistance, Public Opinion, Knowledge 362 Part 26 Aftermath: Judgment and Innocence 380 Part 27 Notes 399 Part 28 Index 413
