Sources of the Holocaust

by Steve Hochstadt

The Holocaust was the central event of the twentieth century. How can we understand the Nazi drive to murder millions of people, or the determination of concentration camp prisoners to survive? In this new collection of original documents and sources, Steve Hochstadt brings the reader into direct contact with the Holocaust's human participants. The words of Nazi leaders and common soldiers, SS doctors and European collaborators show how and why they became involved in mass murder, while those of the victims help us to imagine their torments.

Sources of the Holocaust moves from the origins of Christian anti-Semitism to today's controversies over restitution to reveal the ideas that made the Holocaust possible, the detailed Nazi plans to destroy human lives, and the ability of those targeted to mount resistance. Hochstadt's authoritative commentaries on each source, based on the latest research, describe the people who produced these documents, and provide a full history of the Holocaust. At the same time, Hochstadt offers fresh ideas on major perpetrators, the significance of resistance, and the meaning of the word 'Holocaust'.

Both shocking and compelling, this volume of authentic accounts of Holocaust experiences offers new insights into one of the most terrible episodes in human history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Holocaust, School, College, World War II

292 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2004

Reviews

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A document alone, seen apart from its context, reveals little. Numerous documents must be read together to understand the meanings of any one." (pg. 294). I think this statement encapsulates why this book is so important in the study of the Holocaust. The book comprises eleven sections: 1) Introduction, 2) The Context of Christian Antisemitism, 3) The Creation of Monsters in Germany: Jews and Others, 4) The Nazi Attack on Jews and Other Undesirables in the Third Reich, 1933-1938, 5) The Physical Assault on Jews in Germany 1938-1939, 6) The Perfection of Genocide as National Policy 1939-1943, 7) 'Arbeit Macht Frei': Work and Death in Concentration Camps and Ghettos, 8) Assembly Lines of Death: Extermination Camps, 9) The Aftermath, 10) The Holocaust in Contemporary Life, and 11) Conclusion. These eleven sections hold 84 documents in total. As you can see, this was a very thorough and important compilation of original documents. I highly recommend it since most of us have a Holocaust education primarily consisting of film and literature (which are great but simply not enough).

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliantly organized collection of the horrors of the Holocaust in the words of those who performed it and carried it out and those who managed to survive. The book was staggering in the statistics alone that were proudly kept ( though filled with little truth of what actually was happening)all during this reign of killing.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

PLS 240: The Holocaust

Eye-opening and heartbreaking primary sources.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those not heavily into research, this book provides key sources that summarize the various viewpoints of the Holocaust. Additionally, it talks about ALL the victims (i.e. Roma, Ukrainians, homosexual men, usw.). The only scary part is how similar some of the policies and personal accounts are to modern day. ("Those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it.") This is a great collection of primary sources for the study of World War II.