The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary, Condensed Edition

by Randolph L. Braham

The Politics of The Holocaust in Hungary, Condensed Edition is an abbreviated version of the classic work first published in 1981 and revised and expanded in 1994. It includes a new historical overview, and retains and sharpens its focus on the persecution of the Jews. Through a meticulous use of Hungarian and many other sources, the book explains in a rational and empirical context the historical, political, communal, and socioeconomic factors that contributed to the unfolding of this tragedy at a time when the leaders of the world, including the national and Jewish leaders of Hungary, were already familiar with the secrets of Auschwitz.

The Politics of Genocide is the most eloquent and comprehensive study ever produced of the Holocaust in Hungary. In this condensed edition, Randolph L. Braham includes the most important revisions of the 1994 second edition as well as new material published since then. Scholars of Holocaust, Slavic, and East-Central European studies will find this volume indispensable.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Hungary

328 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1980

About the author

A political scientist and Holocaust survivor whose parents were killed at Auschwitz, Dr. Braham came to the United States in 1948. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics and government and a master’s in education from City College. He received a doctorate in political science from the New School for Social Research. He was a professor at the City University of New York, where he founded the Graduate Center’s Rosenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies. He was an expert on the Holocaust in Hungary and was best known for The Politics of Genocide: The Holocaust in Hungary.

Reviews

[Peter Szabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book while conducting research on the Holocaust in Hungary for a book I wrote. I also consulted Braham's massive two volume history, from which this version is condensed. This is an incredibly important work. Any student of the Holocaust, anyone interested in the history of Hungary, or anyone who enjoys reading history in general will find this well written and astonishing work a worthwhile read. The story of the Holocaust in Hungary is surprisingly not very often told, and Braham's work characterizes it in detail. One wonders both how this massive crime happened, and also how it did not happen earlier in the war. And therein lies the paradox of Hungary and Hungarian Jewry.

[Matty]

Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust referenced this book for many interesting details, incl munka tabor

[Paulo Reimann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shockingly real!