Service Learning

Peter Hayes has been teaching Holocaust studies for decades and Why? grows out of the questions he's encountered from his students. Despite the outpouring of books, films, memorials, museums and courses devoted to the subject, a coherent explanation of why such carnage erupted still eludes people. Numerous myths have sprouted, many to console us that things could have gone differently if only some person or entity had acted more bravely or wisely; others cast new blame on favourite or surprising villains or even on historians. Why? dispels many legends and debunks the most prevalent ones, including the claim that the Holocaust never happened. Hayes brings scholarly wisdom to bear on popular views of the history, challenging some of the most prominent interpretations and arguing that the convergence of multiple forces at a particular moment resulted in this catastrophe.

This collection of essays explores genocide and persecution of the European Jews and others during World War II. Essays include the historical background on the systematic, state-sponsored murder and persecution by the Nazi regime. Topics include race superiority, threats to the German community, and personal narratives by those impacted directly or indirectly by the Holocaust.

Seventy years after it took place, the Holocaust committed against the Jews of Europe during World War II continues to cast a giant shadow over humankind.

Presents a critical and important study of the Holocaust.

A comprehensive history of the Nazi persecution and murder of European Jews, paying detailed attention to an unrivalled range sources.