Ideology of Death: Why the Holocaust Happened in Germany

A fundamental question facing any commentator on the Nazi era centers on the relationship between "ordinary" Germans and National Socialism. In 'Ideology of Death,' John Weiss contends that any understanding of the Holocaust must begin with the German and Austrian anti-Semitism that predated the emergence of National Socialism and paved the way to power for Hitler. Accounts of the Holocaust that start with Hitler either understate or fail to point out the culture of hatred that was commonplace in Germany and Austria prior to 1914. To substantiate his assertion that Hitler's racism resembled the racism of millions of Germans and Austro-Germans, Weiss outlines the peculiar development of German anti-Semitism that came to play an important role in the development of modern Germany. By the beginning of the twentieth century, virtually every level of German society was infected with an intense hatred for Jews. The pre-1914 anti-Semites spoke the "language of the death camps" and only modern Germany possessed the industrial and political power to act upon this hostility. This text portrays a Germany that was fully enthusiastic in its hatred for Jews, and that was ready, willing, and finally able to engage in an unprecedented slaughter. Readers come away with the sense of the breadth and depth of German and Austrian anti-Semitism. This understanding renders the appeal of Hitler and National Socialism much less mystical and much more intelligible, and it should also prove quite provocative in the ongoing discussions on the origins of National Socialism, its appeal, and the role of "ordinary" Germans in the Third Reich.