Introduction
A particular attitude towards Jews from other nations has existed for a long time. The rise of the Nazi ideology is linked to the development of racial antisemitism, a radical form of intolerance towards Jews, the largest manifestation of the Holocaust. Many historians have researched and tried to explain this phenomenon because “hatred and fear of Jews were central to Nazi ideology” (Strayer and Nelson, 2018). This essay analyzes two notable works: by Beth A. Griech-Polelle, and by Daniel Goldhagen. It particularly examines how revolutionary the ideas they presented were, whether they were closely related to existing traditions, and how they correlated with current views.
Often, various researchers strive to look at an existing problem in a new way and present a revolutionary idea, but Beth A. Griech-Polelle did not set herself such a task. In her book “Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust: Language, Rhetoric, and the Traditions of Hatred,” the author attempts to provide the reader with information about the phenomenon of antisemitism based on existing documentary evidence. The book explores how the Nazi ideology created the perception of Jews as “radically “other” and threatening” (Strayer and Nelson, 2018). Griech-Polelle mentions that it does not cover all aspects of the Holocaust, but “focuses on the theme of the power of language and how language and rhetoric can result in deadly actions” (Griech-Polelle, 2017, 1). The work is intended for use by students and teachers.
The work of another author, on the contrary, seeks to present and explore a new idea of the development of the Holocaust. In his “highly controversial book” (Strayer and Nelson, 2018), Daniel Goldhagen argues that the most ordinary Germans became “voluntary executioners.” It happened due to the unique and violent “eliminationist antisemitism” developed in previous centuries in German political culture. Goldhagen reexamines “the character and development of antisemitism in Germany during its Nazi period and before” (Goldhagen, 2007, 7). Thus, the author tries to understand the social mechanisms that led to the development and spread of antisemitism. Particular attention is paid precisely to the motivation of people who took part in the Holocaust as executioners.
Revolutionary Ideas on Common Issues
The idea of studying the impact of ideological propaganda through language is not new to researchers of Nazi Germany and antisemitism in general. For example, Viktor Klemperer, in his book “Language of the Third Reich: LTI: Lingua Tertii Imperii,” which was firstly published in 1947, also explores the language of Nazi propaganda through documents. Another topic of Griech-Polelle’s book is the study of creating the image of the enemy and outsider threatening peace and prosperity of German people (Griech-Polelle, 2017, 1-2). Thus, the book is mostly an overview based on the works of colleagues and predecessors. The author tries to create a complete picture of the Holocaust’s origin as possible and describe its features.
The phenomenon of antisemitism has been known since antiquity, but only in Nazi Germany did it acquire an ideological status. In his book, Daniel Goldhagen explains the Holocaust through the unique form of “eliminationist antisemitism,” pushing ordinary people to genocide. The author notes that all existing books are based on the wrong belief that “their sensibilities had remotely approximated our own” (Goldhagen, 2007, 269). Instead, he proposes to view the Nazis as the Aztecs, who believed in the need to placate the gods with human sacrifice (Goldhagen, 2007, 28). Ha analyzed the Germans as abnormal people and believed in absurd things, from an anthropological perspective. Undoubtedly, Goldhagen offered a new, revolutionary perspective on familiar things.
Reconsideration of the Traditional View
As mentioned earlier, the hostile attitude towards Jews as an ethnic group originated in the antique period. In her book, Griech-Polelle uses primary sources to illuminate the topic of how the concept “Us” versus “Them” was created (Griech-Polelle, 2017, 2-3). In the first chapter, the author lists works and central themes of other researchers, noting that for the majority of them, the main question was “How is it possible for ordinary people to become murderers?” (Griech-Polelle, 2017, 1) Thus, the author continues the tradition of researchers depicting the Nazis’ brutality and the tools they used to propagandize violence among ordinary Germans, which is unacceptable for a modern humanistic society.
Griech-Polelle provides an overview of the historically explained development of antisemitism in Germany, in which ordinary people are victims of the nationalist regime and propaganda. On the contrary, Goldhagen offers “a reconsideration, indeed a reconceiving, of the character of German society during its Nazist period” (Goldhagen, 2007, 8). He says that ordinary Germans are not victims of the regime; they were not indifferent to this problem. Furthermore, the author suggests that the majority of Germans were actual antisemites with a great desire to kill Jew people in the most “callous” and “pitiless” manner (Goldhagen, 2007, 440). Thus, Goldhagen did not support the traditional view of Germans being victims of Holocaust propaganda but portrayed them as direct participants.
Variability of Opinions of the Modern World
German people of the period of Nazi Germany, according to Griech-Polelle, were hostage of myths and stereotypes about Jews, forcing them to kill thousands of innocents (textbook, year). Modern humanistic society does not accept violence; it is condemned and punished. The Holocaust phenomenon is now a model of a tragedy on a worldwide scale, but only Hitler, with his “Final Solution” and his regime are the villains in this story (Griech-Polelle, 2017, 228). Griech-Polelle accepts current views, depicting in front of the reader a picture of brutal propaganda, sparing neither the enemy un the person of the Jew, nor the ally in the person of the Germans.
Goldhagen, again, disagrees with the idea of victims of the Nazi regime represented by ordinary citizens. He denies the modern perception of the Holocaust as a consequence of historically determined political factors. The author examines the problem from an anthropological perspective, in which the Germans were on a voluntary, but not imposed delusion. He argued that “eliminationist antisemitism” has been rooted in the German people since the time of Martin Luther (Goldhagen, 2007, 53). Thus, he rejects the fact that Hitler took advantage of the situation by imposing his ideas on German people. Otherwise, like the rest of the Nazis, he was in a delusion that had been forming for centuries.
Conclusion
Various historical events are interpreted by researchers ambiguously. Nevertheless, Holocaust history is rightfully considered one of the most tragic in human history. Most modern people are representatives of a humanistic society and feel sorry for innocent Jews and the Germans who became victims of the Nazi regime. Researchers expressing a different perspective in connection with such delicate topics often become opponents of public opinion. In this case, the reader can get acquainted with the generally accepted history of antisemitism in Griech-Polelle’s book, and then reflect on Goldhagen’s theory. It is undoubtedly useful to explore even unpopular assumptions in order to gain a complete understanding of various historical, political, and anthropological processes.
References
Goldhagen, Daniel. 2007. Hitler’s Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust. Random House, INC.
Griech-Polelle, Beth. 2017. Antisemitism and the Holocaust: Language, Rhetoric and the Traditions of Hatred. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
Klemperer, Viktor. 2006. Language of the Third Reich: LTI: Lingua Tertii Imperii. Continuum.
Strayer, Robert, and Nelson, Eric. 2018. Ways of the World with Sources, Volume 2: A Brief Global History. Bedford.