The Holocaust in History

Ashley Thomson is a full librarian at Laurentian University and co-editor or co-author of nine books, most recently Margaret Atwood: A Reference Guide, 1988-2005.

The Holocaust in History is a reissue of a book originally published in
1987 to wide acclaim. Marrus, a former professor of history at the
University of Toronto, focuses on nine different areas: “The Holocaust
in Perspective” (was it unique?); “The Final Solution” (when did
mass murder become the answer?); “Germany’s Allies, Vanquished
States and Collaborationist Governments” (to what degree were they
involved in implementing the “final solution”?); “Public Opinion
in Europe” (how much did people know?); “The Victims” (were Jews
complicit?); “Jewish Resistance” (what was possible?);
“Bystanders” (could they, including the Catholic Church, have done
more?); and “The End of the Holocaust” (could it have been
hastened?).

Marrus analyzes and makes judgments about competing historical
interpretations. For example, in his discussion of the “final
solution,” he identifies two schools of thought: intentionalists, who
believe that the mass murder of Jews was premeditated; and
functionalists, who argue that the Nazis considered other options, such
as emigration, before settling on a strategy of mass murder. Marrus
makes a persuasive case for the latter interpretation.

As a reissue, the book unfortunately does not incorporate information
that has come to light since its original publication (East Germany, the
former Soviet Union, and even the Vatican have allowed historians
greater access to their archives). That said, The Holocaust in History
is gracefully written and well organized; all in all, an outstanding
piece of historiography.