Goldhagen Effect

Stepping back from the immediate controversy surrounding the merits & shortcomings of Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's Hitler's Willing Executioners, this edited volume intervenes in the continuing discussion by exploring aspects of the public's reception to Goldhagen's book--what the authors call the "Goldhagen Effect." The first essay, by Omer Bartov, examines the extent to which the book's reception in the United States, Germany, France, & Israel reflected differing attitudes toward the Holocaust, thereby highlighting the role that the genocide of Jews has come to play in a variety of national contexts. Atina Grossman then analyzes the "Goldhagen Effect" in Germany, looking at Germans' shifting reactions to the American & German editions of the book & the accompanying publicity tour. Grossman considers these responses in the broader context of Germans' ambivalent relationship to their history. Next, Pieter Judson turns his attention to the reception to Hitler's Willing Executioners in Austria, exploring why most Austrians--particularly those on the far right--calmly accepted Goldhagen's conclusions. Finally, Jane Caplan describes some of the ways in which Goldhagen's book resonates with contemporary American sensibilities & suggests why the book experienced such popular success in America. The revised & expanded essays in this volume were originally presented in a symposium organized by Kathleen Canning for the University of Michigan Center for European Studies to discuss the response of academia & the broader intellectual public to Goldhagen's work. The "Goldhagen Effect" will be of interest to historians & others in the humanities & social sciences, as well as to the informed general reader.Eley, Geoff is the author of 'Goldhagen Effect' with ISBN 9780472097524 and ISBN 0472097520.