A National Socialist People? in Yad Vashem Studies, Volume 36:2

A National Socialist People?: Michael Wildt, Volksgemeinschaft als Selbstermächtigung Gewalt gegen Juden in der deutschen Provinz 1919 bis 1939

This review article of Michael Wildt’s path-breaking book, Volksgemeinschaft als Selbstermächtigung, considers Wildt’s major argument—namely that ordinary Germans during the Third Reich created a genuine Volksgemeinschaft through their participation in violence against Jews. Wildt also argues that major antisemitic measures, including the Nuremberg Laws and Kristallnacht pogrom in November 1938, occurred in reaction to pressure from “below.” A series of questions is raised about the quality of Wildt’s evidence and the extent to which the argument convinces.