The Murderous Paradise: German Nationalism and the Holocaust

(Hardback)

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Where did the idea to eliminate European Jewry originate This guide explores the origins of German hopes for the elimination of Europe's Jews, tracing the history of this idea from it's Biblical roots and expression throughout German history. Even a cursory glance at National Socialist propaganda reveals the Nazi belief that a utopian Germany would rise from the ashes of Europe's Jews. In tracing the idealogical roots of the "Final Solution", the author investigates how German nationalism came to incorporate aspirations to a perfect nation and why such expectations were intimatly connected with the desire for an end to all Jews. The aggressive nationalism and anti-semitism of the National Socialists were not solely the products of Hitler's fanaticism. Rather, themes of national redemption and the elimination of the Jews are present throughout recent German history and have their origins in the Bible as well as the earliest German patriotic writings of the twelfth century. By tracking these ideas back through their various sources, the author places the Holocaust within its historical and cultural context.

Reviews

[t]o a significant degree this book is novel, both in its comprehensiveness and its explanatory power. All levels.-Choice
"to a significant degree this book is novel, both in its comprehensiveness and its explanatory power. All levels."-Choice
"[t]o a significant degree this book is novel, both in its comprehensiveness and its explanatory power. All levels."-Choice

Author Bio

PIERRE JAMES has taught at a number of universities in Australia and Germany, including the University of South Australia and the Philipps University of Marburg./e He has published on a diverse range of topics concerning the Holocaust, the contemporary extreme right, racism, and the history of anti-Semitism.