Donald Bloxham's The Final Solution: A Genocide

Bloxham's book ‘The final solution: A genocide’ has brought about much criticism and debate. In this book Bloxham “seeks to situate the mass-murder of European Jewry between 1941 and 1945 within the broader history of European genocide from 1875 to 1945” . In this, he challenges the uniqueness of the holocaust, and presents the argument that the full meaning of the holocaust and final solution can only be completely understood, if it is placed in the larger context of genocide. Bloxham argues that “the history of the holocaust is itself an international history, and international history always has comparative dimensions” . Furthermore, in the forum Bloxham states that the aim of the book was to bring the holocaust into a wider history of genocide and bridge together the holocaust and genocide studies. This analysis will look at each review in order of appearance in the forum, and the comments Bloxham reports back in reaction. However in light of this analysis, not all points that were raised will be able to be commented on, instead this analysis will focus on the key point’s aspect of each review.

To begin, Matthaus suggests that one should not focus on whether the argument for uniqueness is important (to which all reviews seem to suggest), it should focus on whether the book helps us have a better understanding of the holocaust . It should question if it produces new insights, and provides us with the origins and driving forces behind genocide. What is being argued here is that historians should look at whether analysing the holocaust in a way Bloxham does, helps to understand the wider context of national genocides as well as understanding this specific event. By focusing on the books core narrative, the review comments on ...

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... about Bartov in particular and Bergen, but only briefly mentions the other two authors. Although he identifies that he has irritated Bergen and Bartov he stands by the claims made in the book. The idea of western centralism being at the heart of Europe violent interaction with the rest of the world and the second is detailing a list of expulsions after 1945.

Works Cited

J. Fischel, Review: The Final Solution: A Genocide. Available: http://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/the-final-solution-a-genocide. Last accessed 01/04/14.

L. Jones. (2010). Book Review: The Final Solution: A Genocide, by Donald Bloxham. The English Historical Review. cxxv (514), 776-778.

Matthaus, Shaw, Bartov, Bergen and Bloxham. (2011). Review Forum: Donald Bloxham, The Final Solution: A Genocide ( Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009). Journal of Genocide Research. 13 (1-2), 107