Rating: 
Summary: The Truth Exposed
Review: Daniel Goldhagen's book is very shocking and an eye opener. It shows the discriminatory ideology and treatment of the Jews by Germans during the Nazi regime and how prejudice and racial hatred plagued the nation during Hitler's reign. Mr. Goldhagen's theory expresses the idea that the ideology held about German Jews (and European Jews) was not the result of an over-emphasized fanatical elite bent on total racial segregation (and eventual elimination), but rather a ubiquitous prejudice of Jews held by all segments (class, age, status) of German society. German society willingly complied with governmental prejudice and eventual "eliminationist" treatment of the Jews, rather than out of fear from personal liability for non-compliance with the Nazi racial policies. It explodes the subordinate 'I was just following orders" notion of German rationale in regards to Jewish treatment. Out of his book comes the haunting possibility that nations can devolop mass racial discrimination among all sectors of a society and adopt fanatical ideologies that may lead to the repression and destruction of a race's identity, prosperity, and freedom to live.
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Summary: Overly verbose but penetrating analysis of Christian thought
Review: Dr. Goldhagen carefully documents the underlying and all too pervasive anti-semitic worldview of Christian Europe, particularly Germany and Austria for the millenium preceding the Holocaust and, in quoting directly from the words of the Christian theologians through the centuries shows how the "untermenschen" concept began, was nurtured and flourished. The book is revisionist and, as such, has attracted the fury of the orthodox historians who made their reputations on Cold War apologia for German actions, i.e., "we didn't know, only the SS were involved, etc. The words spoken and photographs taken by the executioners speak volumes and cannot be dismissed. All too much of the prevailing wisdom was based on a perceived need to return Germany to the family of nations as an ally against the USSR. Even the name of Germany's current major political party; The CHRISTIAN Democrats, shows how Jews are still denied full citizenship. Goldhagen shows us how dehumanization leads to murder. Our own skinhead scum follow the same dehumanization thought process. Read this book. It will make you uncomfortable. It should.
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Summary: Israeli Holocaust Historian Opinion (Tom Segev)
Review: Tom Segev, Israeli historian and author ("The Seventh Million:Israelis and the Holocaust" and "The First Israelis") in an article dated 05/15/1998 in the Hebrew Daily "Ha'aretz", wrote this about Goldhagen's book: "... his [Goldhagen's] harshest critics: Ruth Bettina Birn of Canada and Norman J. Finkelstein of Hunter College, University of New York. Both of them have done the unthinkable: They have checked his references, one by one, and reached the conclusion that "Hitler's Willing Executioners" is not worthy of being called an academic text. "... [in his internet site] Goldhagen does not respond to Finkelstein's arguments; he responds to Finkelstein. ".. the criticism against Goldhagen is backed up so well. Historians all over the world, including Israel, agree that he has written a bad book. Few have praised him, and those who did were motivated by public relations and politics."
Rating: 
Summary: Goldhagen Reopens Hidden Scars
Review: I finished reading Hitler's Willing Executioners just about a month ago, and what I had read still holds me in awe. As a Social Science Education Major with an ultimate goal of teaching in college I must say that the book has brought what was, for me, new information and insight not only into the Nazi regime and Germany, but into the dark side of human habit *I refuse to call it human nature because hatred and genocide have to be taught.* The only major problem I had with the book was the fact that it was, in my opinion, overly worded and began to drone on in spots. In fact, this wordiness lost it three points right there. Overall, though, I applaud this insight and view into the Holocaust and the dark side of Man. For Germans and for Americans, the book shatters our notions of a Germany in which a few twisted individuals caused all the misery of World War II. It is, I believe, particulary disturbing to those Americans who would like to deny that the history of their own country has been one of denial of human and civil rights, slavery, and cultural and physical genocide *Just ask the Indians of the United States*. I know it has made me think more solidly on what it is I will be teaching and how to make the incomprehensible horrors of the period comprehensible to the students I will be teaching. Perhaps we'll learn something from books on the darker subjects of human history and seek to minimize the chances of such an event happening again.
Rating: 
Summary: Offers nothing new
Review: Do Germans need to keep being reminded of their tacit approval of the Holocaust? Let's not kick a man when he's already down. I think most Germans realize what they've done and they're trying to put it behind them. As Hans Frank, governor-general of Poland, said before his execution at Nuremberg: "A thousand years will pass and the guilt of Germany still won't be erased."
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Summary: A Unique Look on a controversial subject
Review: Not surprisingly, this controversial new text has provoked a number of critical responses (especially here on Amazon.com -- March 1998); I feel that a brief defence must be mounted. Daniel J Goldhagen did extensive and thorough research on the topic; that is evident from page one. He sets out to, first-and-foremost, disprove the belief that 'ordinary' Germans were oblivious to the Holocaust. While it is true that he is a little repititious and over-emphasises the results, he does prove his point.
He studies Police Battalions to prove that the actual genocide was not just accomplished by SS men and soldiers. He studies the back-grounds of the Battalion members and shows the true minority of Nazi Party members and SS men. In fact, the make-up of the Battalions reflects that of contemporary German society.
The graphic descriptions of some killing 'operations' juxtaposed with off-scene romance of the Battalion members shows how they were so ingrained with anti-Semitism that they did not even realise what they were doing. After the war, one man said, 'Only in later years did one actually become fully cognizant of what had taken place at the time' (page 280). The man went on to say that only later did he realise that it was 'not right'. At times, passages from this book are quite shocking; it is unique in providing such a clear analysis of the killers.
Goldhagen also notes that many of the Battalion memebers were given the choice *not* to kill. Very few took it, and they were not punished, nor reprimanded for it (in quite a few cases, they were even promoted). Clearly, the killing was done by choice. Similarly, in the last days of the 'Thousand-Year' Reich, commanders of 'death marches' refused to let the Jews flee, even though the war was almost lost, and they would have a chance to flee before capitulation. And they continued to mercilessly slaughter their prisoners, even though Heinrich Himmler, himself, had '*expressly forbidden* that any more Jews be killed' (page 356).
Goldhagen's book -- at over 600 pages -- is quite the chez d'oeuvre, one that should be read and studied more than once. His results -- based on meticulous research -- are stunning. Battalion members (the 'ordinary Germans') who did not wish to kill could have simply opted out, yet they did not. Other Germans who did not believe in the racist creed could have assisted in saving the lives of Jews and other persecuted minorities. Goldhagen disproves the common myth that they merely 'did not know'; for example, he notes that most memos concerning slaughter of Jews were not even classified. It is also well known that ashes from bodies fell from the air all around Auschwitz (Oswiecim). Goldhagen's book is controversial for one important reason: people do not want to admit that it's true.
Rating: 
Summary: Blatant sub-text and agenda
Review: Despite what Goldhagen claims, his "findings" that the entire German people were happily involved in the Holocaust is not a new thesis at all. Nor is it true. Essentially, Goldhagen is pushing forward the basic conservative Zionist agenda: all gentiles are inherently anti-semitic ergo the Jewish people need a homeland where they can live without being dependant on gentile largesse or having to trust these people. If this is his view, then of course Goldhagen is allowed to hold it but please, do not dress this up as based on academic empirical evidence that is implicitly racist against the German people. Goldhagen's book is aimed at tapping into anti-German racism that is held by certain quarters. It is a justification for these people to hold blanket prejudices against the Germans: after all, according to Goldhagen, they were all at it. Despite the fact that this is historically wrong, is it ethical for a historian to pander to such prejudice? It is interesting to note that a distinguished historian (incidentally Jewish himself for what its worth) has torn Goldhagen's argument, methodology and conclusions to shreds in ways that leave Goldhagen with very little credibilty and which exposes the agenda that he has and which I have raised. The book is also too long and why on earth have hundreds of endnotes stuffed at the back making it very very difficult to read? Footnotes would have been infinitely preferable.
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Summary: An Important and Deeply Disturbing Book
Review: As a lay reader (not a historian and not a Holocaust scholar), I was fascinated to read the e-mail reviews of this book. Sure Goldhagen had an agenda -- any author does (and many of the reviewers did too), and maybe he exaggerated the novelty of his thesis, but this book is still one of consequence. There is no escaping its central point, that the Holocaust happened BECAUSE of the German citizenry of the early and mid-20th century, not independently of them, and certainly not in spite of them. The author proves this point in numerous convincing ways (it should hardly need "proving" once one thinks about it, but reading some of the reviews, maybe it will forever need proving). I agree that the book is poorly written, but the scholarship is unmistakable. And if Goldhagen hasn't definitively answered the questions "Why did a nation of people willingly assist and advance one of the most heinous crimes known to humanity?" and "Could it happen again?" he certainly provided some answers. Any book that adds to the public's knowledge about how a society could do what this society did, and stimulate people to explore those questions is a book worth writing and a book worth reading.
Rating:
Summary: A great idea for an awful book.
Review: The role of "ordinary Germans" in the Holocaust is not as original a topic as Goldhagen would have readers believe, but it's certainly rich and interesting material. Goldhagen's bloated and obtuse prose is inexcusable, however. With careful editing, this could have been an interesting book.
Rating:
Summary:
A must read for those who think "it can't happen here"
Review:
This book addresses the sociological and psychological phenomena in which "ordinary" citizens act pathological, and goes far to illuminate the hidden truths of human society.
While focusing on the Nazi era, this book does an outstanding job of elucidating the underlying pathology of humans in groups.
This book is well worth the time and money invested.
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