This volume presents a thorough historical study of the events beyond the customary discussions of German policies, decisions, and measures that led to this most deliberate and sustained acts of modern genocides. Saul Friedlander, the author, focuses on the centrality of ideological-cultural factors as the prime movers of Nazi policies in regard to the Jews. He discusses the circumstances and institutional dynamics that helped shape Hitler's maniacal plan to exterminate all of the Jews. He also discusses the evolution and nature of World War II as it relates to the Jewish question. The author describes in extreme details the atrocities perpetrated against the Jews. Finally, Friedlander provides insight into the psychological nature of the Holocaust by providing entries from personal diaries of both Holocaust survivors and non-survivors throughout his work. Because of these diary entries, this volume often reads like a novel.
