When one thinks of the Holocaust, Germans come to mind as being the sole perpetrators. Yes, they were mainly to blame for what happened, but there were actually many others that contributed to that horrific part of history. The author explores how the Jewish took advantage of new opportunities in education and social advancement, which caused resentment with others in Europe. This was a very interesting book and provided new information that I hadn't heard about before.

his is a compulsively readable book that has been finely researched and presented for a general audience of readers. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, for many reasons.

Firstly, when the description of this book says that the author does not try to diminish the role Germany played in the Holocaust and the actions and pograms before it, they mean it. I was afraid upon beginning this book that I might experience some form of historical revisionism within its pages, but that was not the case. Although the author is very straightforward about the roles of other countries in the actions against the Jews during this period, he also does not try to decrease the guilt of the Nazis and other Germans.

I believe when dealing with historical tragedy, it is very important to not become biased by only viewing things from one perspective. This book was very eye-opening and allows the reader to see that there is always more than one side to every story. Between the meticulous research and the interesting writing, this is one of the best books I have read this year. I encourage you to check it out for yourself.

This review is based on a complimentary copy provided by Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

***I was granted an ARC of this via Netgalley from the publisher.***

The Jews have a long history of facing discrimination and abuse in the lands in which they find themselves living in. This came to a head in the 20th century with the Holocaust but still continues to this day. People question how could such a tragedy happen in modern-day Europe and in this book, Europe Against the Jews, 1880-1945, Gotz Aly seeks to explain why. Starting in 1880 and focusing on different areas in Europe, Aly examines just how widespread the antisemitic views were in Europe and how nationalism help fuel it. From Western Europe to Eastern Europe to the Baltic, the reader is shown that some of the laws and attitudes many today would ascribe to the Nazis were in place before their rise and that the Nazis may simply followed their example. This book shows how sinister antisemitic beliefs are and how normal everyday people from all political and social walks of life actively participated and actively benefitted from them. Aly provides a good analysis of the times, why people believed the way they did complete with firsthand accounts from the period. I would recommend this to anyone looking at 20th century Europe and the evolution of antisemitism up until WW2 and its aftermath.

Rating: 4/5 stars. Would recommend to a friend.

Aly has written an important book, one with a challenging thesis. Building upon a massive scholarly literature, the author succeeds by piecing together the holocaust’s European context without losing sight of the fact that German leadership clearly was most culpable. His work tells the story of European complicity in perhaps the largest genocide in human history, with troubling implications for the twenty first century. It wasn’t just Nazi ideology that led to this tragedy, it was also social inequality, xenophobia, economic change, nationalism, and fear - conditions as alive in 2020 as they were in 1920. Despite a slightly wandering narrative, Aly gives the reader an insightful take on this event and historical period.

Thanks NetGalley for the eARC!

I'll pass on this. It's not what I expected, sorry! I review three books a month, and usually only those I can recommend wholeheartedly.