This major reinterpretation of the Holocaust surveys the destruction of the European Jews within the broader context of Nazi violence against other victim groups. Christian Gerlach offers a unique social history of mass violence which reveals why particular groups were persecuted and what it was that connected the fate of these groups and the policies against them. He explores the diverse ideological, political and economic motivations which lay behind the murder of the Jews and charts the changing dynamics of persecution during the course of the war. The book brings together both German actions and those of non-German states and societies, shedding new light on the different groups and vested interests involved and their role in the persecution of non-Jews as well. Ranging across continental Europe, it reveals that popular notions of race were often more important in shaping persecution than scientific racism or Nazi dogma.

Christian Gerlach has published several award-winning books that deal with the persecution and murder of Jews and non-Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe. His works have been published in ten languages. He is also the author of Extremely Violent Societies: Mass Violence in the Twentieth Century World (Cambridge, 2010), which includes case studies from around the world. Further fields of his research include the world hunger problem, international development policies and international organizations. Having taught in Germany, the USA, Singapore and Switzerland, he developed an interest in global history that is also reflected in the transnational and comparative elements of this volume.

1. Introduction; Part I. Persecution by Germans: 2. Before 1933; 3. From enforced emigration to territorial schemes: 1933-41; 4. From mass murder to comprehensive annihilation: 1941-2; 5. Extending mass destruction: 1942-5; 6. Structures and agents of violence; Part II. Logics of Persecution: 7. Racism and anti-Jewish thought; 8. Forced labor, German violence and Jews; 9. Hunger policies and mass murder; 10. The economics of separation, expropriation, crowding and removal; 11. Fighting resistance and the persecution of Jews; Part III. The European Dimension: 12. Legislation against Jews in Europe: a comparison; 13. Divided societies: popular input to the persecution of Jews; 14. Beyond legislation: non-German policies of violence; 15. In the labyrinths of persecution: survival attempts; 16. Conclusion: group destruction in extremely violent societies; Bibliography; Index.