
The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies
Guenter Lewy(Editor)
Oxford University Press Inc
Published on 16. December 1999
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-19-512556-6 (ISBN)
Description
Roaming the countryside in caravans, earning their living as musicians, peddlers, and fortune-tellers, the Gypsies and their elusive way of life represented an affront to Nazi ideas of social order, hard work, and racial purity. They were branded as "asocials", harassed, and eventually herded into concentration camps where many thousands were killed. But until now the story of their persecution has either been overlooked or distorted.
In The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies, Guenter Lewy draws upon thousands of documents--many never before used--from German and Austrian archives to provide the most comprehensive and accurate study available of the fate of the Gypsies under the Nazi regime. Lewy traces the escalating vilification of the Gypsies as the Nazis instigated a widespread crackdown on the "work-shy" and "itinerants". But he shows that Nazi policy towards Gypsies was confused and changeable. At first, local officials persecuted gypsies, and those who behaved in gypsy-like fashion, for allegedly anti-social tendencies. Later, with the rise of race obsession, Gypsies were seen as a threat to German racial purity, though Himmler himself wavered, trying to save those he considered "pure Gypsies" descended from Aryan roots in India. Indeed, Lewy contradicts much existing scholarship in showing that, however much the Gypsies were persecuted, there was no general programme of extermination analogous to the "final solution" for the Jews.
Exploring in heart-rending detail the fates of individual Gypsies and their families, The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies makes an important addition to our understanding both of the history of this mysterious people and of all facets of the Nazi terror.
In The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies, Guenter Lewy draws upon thousands of documents--many never before used--from German and Austrian archives to provide the most comprehensive and accurate study available of the fate of the Gypsies under the Nazi regime. Lewy traces the escalating vilification of the Gypsies as the Nazis instigated a widespread crackdown on the "work-shy" and "itinerants". But he shows that Nazi policy towards Gypsies was confused and changeable. At first, local officials persecuted gypsies, and those who behaved in gypsy-like fashion, for allegedly anti-social tendencies. Later, with the rise of race obsession, Gypsies were seen as a threat to German racial purity, though Himmler himself wavered, trying to save those he considered "pure Gypsies" descended from Aryan roots in India. Indeed, Lewy contradicts much existing scholarship in showing that, however much the Gypsies were persecuted, there was no general programme of extermination analogous to the "final solution" for the Jews.
Exploring in heart-rending detail the fates of individual Gypsies and their families, The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies makes an important addition to our understanding both of the history of this mysterious people and of all facets of the Nazi terror.
Reviews / Votes
Guenter Lewy, Professor Emeritus of Political Science in the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, has made a truly remarkable effort to tell the story of this nearly forgotten chapter in the cruel history of Nazi Germany... His book is a significant, courageous and meticulously documented contribution to the historiography of the Nazi era. * Peter Hylarides, Contemporary Review July 2000 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
20 halftones
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
640 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-512556-6 (9780195125566)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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Guenter Lewy
The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies
Book
06/2001
Oxford University Press Inc
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Guenter Lewy
The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies
E-Book
01/2000
1st Edition
OUP USA
€8.99
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Guenter Lewy
The Nazi Persecution of the Gypsies
E-Book
01/2000
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€10.99
Available for download
Person
Guenter Lewy is Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is the author of many books, including The Catholic Church and Nazi Germany and Religion and Revolution (OUP). He lives in Washington, D.C.
Editor
Professor Emeritus of Political ScienceProfessor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Massachusettes