The History of the Holocaust

3 units

This course deals with the Nazi regime's attempt to annihilate European Jewry. Important points of focus are antisemitism, the Nazi world view, and the examination of pivotal events on the path to the Final Solution. We will also address a number of significant debates in the historical literature about the Holocaust. Was Nazism a political religion? Should we compare the Holocaust to other genocides, or was it a historically unique event? Can or should we consider the Holocaust as an event separate from the Second World War? To what extent did antisemitism factor in the actions and beliefs of perpetrators of violence against Jews? How deep did support for Hitler and the Nazis run among the German populace?