Nazi Policy on the Eastern Front, 1941: Total War, Genocide, and Radicalization(08 Rochester Studies in East and Central Europe)

Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 and events on the Eastern Front that same year were pivotal to the history of World War II. It was during this year that the radicalization of Nazi policy -- through both an all-encompassing approach to warfare and the application of genocidal practices -- became most obvious. Germany's military aggression and overtly ideological conduct, culminating in genocide against Soviet Jewry and the decimation of the Soviet population through planned starvation and brutal antipartisan policies, distinguished Operation Barbarossa-the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union-from all previous military campaigns in modern European history. This collection of essays, written by young scholars of seven different nationalities, provides readers with the most current interpretations of Germany's military, economic, racial, and diplomatic policies in 1941. With its breadth and its thematic focus on total war, genocide, and radicalization, this volume fills a considerable gap in English-language literature on Germany's war of annihilation against the Soviet Union and the radicalization of World War II during this critical year. Alex J. Kay is the author of Exploitation, Resettlement, Mass Murder: Political and Economic Planning for German Occupation Policy in the Soviet Union, 1940-1941 and is an independent contractor for the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Research on War Consequences. Jeff Rutherford is assistant professor of history at Wheeling Jesuit University, where he teaches modern European history. David Stahel is the author of Operation Barbarossa and Germany's Defeat in the East and Kiev 1941: Hitler's Battle for Supremacy in the East.

Review :
(. . . ) it is to this new, edited collection's great credit that it succeeds in pushing the boundaries of scholarship in this area so significantly. (. . . ) The scope and quality of this book, and its ability to interrelate such an array of complex topics, is extremely impressive. (. . . ) By any measure, then, this book is a highly valuable addition to the literature on this area. --Ben Shepherd, Glasgow Caledonian University This amazing book is a valuable gift to all those interested in the history of Nazi warfare in the east. . . . It not only updates English-language readers on the most recent developments in German and post-Soviet historiography but also introduces new archival materials and makes important statements bound to produce a powerful impact in various fields. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY The volume contains groundbreaking new contributions and valuable overviews of topics that have already been researched. It also has the special advantage of making primary and secondary sources from other countries, especially Russia and Germany, accessible to the English-speaking world. WAR IN HISTORY The collection is an important contribution to (scholarship on) German wartime policies in Russia. --Alexander Prusin, Associate Professor ofHistory, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology There can be no doubt about the topic's significance. Seventy years after the beginning of "Operation Barbarossa," misconceptions still prevail among the general public as well as among scholars about the nature and consequences of the German attack on the Soviet Union. . . . The editors of the volume attempt to cover a broad spectrum of German policies, decisions, and reactions as they unfold in and beyond what Christopher Browning has called the "fateful months" in the second half of 1941. All contributors to the volume are experts in their own right and represent a group of young scholars that has the potential to shape the future of the field. --Juergen Matthaus, histo This amazing book is a valuable gift to all those interested in the history of Nazi warfare in the east.... It not only updates English-language readers on the most recent developments in German and post-Soviet historiography but also introduces new archival materials and makes important statements bound to produce a powerful impact in various fields. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF HISTORY The volume contains groundbreaking new contributions and valuable overviews of topics that have already been researched. It also has the special advantage of making primary and secondary sources from other countries, especially Russia and Germany, accessible to the English-speaking world. WAR IN HISTORY The collection is an important contribution to (scholarship on) German wartime policies in Russia. --Alexander Prusin, associate professor of history, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology There can be no doubt about the topic's significance. Seventy years after the beginning of "Operation Barbarossa," misconceptions still prevail among the general public as well as among scholars about the nature and consequences of the German attack on the Soviet Union. . . . The editors of the volume attempt to cover a broad spectrum of German policies, decisions, and reactions as they unfold in and beyond what Christopher Browning has called the "fateful months" in the second half of 1941. All contributors to the volume are experts in their own right and represent a group of young scholars that has the potential to shape the future of the field. --Juergen Matthaus, historian A superb collection that materially enhances our understanding of the broader Nazi effort in the East; anyone interested in the Soviet-German conflict or the Holocaust will profit from it. JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY They offer-from different angles-new insights into one overarching theme: the radicalization of Nazi policies in the East in 1941... highly accessible and therefore recommended to the specialist as well as to the The collection is an important contribution to (scholarship on) German wartime policies in Russia. --Alexander Prusin, associate professor of history, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology There can be no doubt about the topic's significance. Seventy years after the beginning of "Operation Barbarossa," misconceptions still prevail among the general public as well as among scholars about the nature and consequences of the German attack on the Soviet Union. . . . The editors of the volume attempt to cover a broad spectrum of German policies, decisions, and reactions as they unfold in and beyond what Christopher Browning has called the "fateful months" in the second half of 1941. All contributors to the volume are experts in their own right and represent a group of young scholars that has the potential to shape the future of the field. --Juergen Matthaus, historian A superb collection that materially enhances our understanding of the broader Nazi effort in the East; anyone interested in the Soviet-German conflict or the Holocaust will profit from it. JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY Ein wichtiges Buch, das den Forschungstrend zu Einzelstudien kennzeichnet. (An important book, which characterises the research trend towards individual studies.) DAS HISTORISCH-POLITISCHE BUCH (...) they offer-from different angles-new insights into one overarching theme: the radicalization of Nazi policies in the East in 1941. The volume is highly accessible and therefore recommended to the specialist as well as to the interested general reader or for classroom use. GERMAN HISTORY "The collection is an important contribution to (scholarship on) German wartime policies in Russia."--Alexander Prusin, associate professor of history, New Mexico Institute of Mining and TechnologyBR> "There can be no doubt about the topic's significance. Seventy years after the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, ' misconceptions still prevail among the general public as well as among scholars about the nature and consequences of the German attack on the Soviet Union. . . . The editors of the volume attempt to cover a broad spectrum of German policies, decisions, and reactions as they unfold in and beyond what Christopher Browning has called the fateful months' in the second half of 1941. All contributors to the volume are experts in their own right and represent a group of young scholars that has the potential to shape the future of the field."--Juergen Matthaus, historian A superb collection that materially enhances our understanding of the broader Nazi effort in the East; anyone interested in the Soviet-German conflict or the Holocaust will profit from it. JOURNAL OF MILITARY HISTORY "Ein wichtiges Buch, das den Forschungstrend zu Einzelstudien kennzeichnet." (An important book, which characterises the research trend towards individual studies.)" DAS HISTORISCH-POLITISCHE BUCH (...) they offer-from different angles-new insights into one overarching theme: the radicalization of Nazi policies in the East in 1941. The volume is highly accessible and therefore recommended to the specialist as well as to the interested general reader or for classroom use. GERMAN HISTORY