The systematic destruction of six million Jews, carried out by the German state under Adolf Hitler during the Second World War, is still almost impossible to comprehend. In this extraordinary book Lucy S. Dawidowicz lays out the facts in a concise, coherent overview of the war against the Jews. She examines how it was possible for a modern state to carry out the systematic murder of a whole people, detailing Hitler's ideology, the rise of anti-Semitism in Germany, anti-Jewish legislation and the annihilation camps. She also discusses how Jews in Germany and Eastern Europe responded to the assault against their rights, their livelihoods and finally their lives. Stark, sober and yet overwhelming, this is an authoritative and essential work of history.

Author Biography

Lucy Dawidowicz (1915-1990) was a Holocaust historian and founder of the Fund for the Translation of Jewish Literature. Her other books include On Equal Terms: Jews in America, 1881-1981, and The Golden Tradition: Jewish Life and Thought in Eastern Europe.