Toward the Final Solution: A History of European Racism
by George L. Mosse introduction by Christopher R. Browning
University of Wisconsin Press, 2020 Paper: 978-0-299-33034-7 | eISBN: 978-0-299-33033-0 Library of Congress Classification HT1521.M63 2020 Dewey Decimal Classification 305.80094
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
ABOUT THIS BOOK Originally published in 1978, Toward the Final Solution was one of the first in-depth studies of the evolution of racism in Europe, from the Age of Enlightenment through the Holocaust and Hitler’s Final Solution. George L. Mosse details how antisemitism and dangerous prejudices have long existed in the European cultural tradition, revealing an appalling and complex history. With the global renewal of extreme, right-wing nationalism, this instrumental work remains as important as ever for understanding how bigotry impacts political, cultural, and intellectual life. This edition of Mosse’s classic book includes a new critical introduction by Christopher R. Browning, author of Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY George L. Mosse (1918–99) was a legendary scholar, teacher, and mentor. A refugee from Nazi Germany, he joined the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1955, where he was both influential and popular. Mosse was an early leader in the study of modern European cultural and intellectual history, the study of fascism, and the history of sexuality and masculinity. Over his career he authored more than two dozen books.
REVIEWS
“Mosse claims once again his place in modern historiography as the foremost explicator and demythologizer of ideas which have inflamed and energized men’s minds and worked irreversible evil in human history. . . . Mosse has produced a strikingly original work whose conceptual brilliance and analytic keenness will surely make it the indispensable work on European racism.”—Commentary
“This is a grim book, and I wish it weren’t such a necessary one. . . . Mosse tells the story well.”—Boston Globe
“Mosse has done more than any other historian to trace racism to its intellectual and social roots. . . . A brilliant study.”—Publishers Weekly
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
A Critical Introduction by Christopher R. Browning
Prologue: Affirmations and New Dimensions
Introduction: The Meaning of Race
Part I: The Beginning
1. Eighteenth-Century Foundations
2. From Science to Art: The Birth of Stereotypes
3. Nation, Language, and History
4. From Gobineau to de Lapouge
Part II: The Penetration
5. Britain Lends a Hand
6. The Science of Race
7. The Mystery of Race
8. The Jews: Myth and Counter-Myth
9. Infected Christianity
10. The Rise of National Socialism
Part III: The Execution
11. War and Revolution
12. From Theory to Practice
13. Racism and Mass Murder
14. A Conclusion That Does Not Conclude
Notes
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
Toward the Final Solution: A History of European Racism
by George L. Mosse introduction by Christopher R. Browning
University of Wisconsin Press, 2020 Paper: 978-0-299-33034-7 eISBN: 978-0-299-33033-0
Originally published in 1978, Toward the Final Solution was one of the first in-depth studies of the evolution of racism in Europe, from the Age of Enlightenment through the Holocaust and Hitler’s Final Solution. George L. Mosse details how antisemitism and dangerous prejudices have long existed in the European cultural tradition, revealing an appalling and complex history. With the global renewal of extreme, right-wing nationalism, this instrumental work remains as important as ever for understanding how bigotry impacts political, cultural, and intellectual life. This edition of Mosse’s classic book includes a new critical introduction by Christopher R. Browning, author of Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland.
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY George L. Mosse (1918–99) was a legendary scholar, teacher, and mentor. A refugee from Nazi Germany, he joined the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1955, where he was both influential and popular. Mosse was an early leader in the study of modern European cultural and intellectual history, the study of fascism, and the history of sexuality and masculinity. Over his career he authored more than two dozen books.
REVIEWS
“Mosse claims once again his place in modern historiography as the foremost explicator and demythologizer of ideas which have inflamed and energized men’s minds and worked irreversible evil in human history. . . . Mosse has produced a strikingly original work whose conceptual brilliance and analytic keenness will surely make it the indispensable work on European racism.”—Commentary
“This is a grim book, and I wish it weren’t such a necessary one. . . . Mosse tells the story well.”—Boston Globe
“Mosse has done more than any other historian to trace racism to its intellectual and social roots. . . . A brilliant study.”—Publishers Weekly
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
A Critical Introduction by Christopher R. Browning
Prologue: Affirmations and New Dimensions
Introduction: The Meaning of Race
Part I: The Beginning
1. Eighteenth-Century Foundations
2. From Science to Art: The Birth of Stereotypes
3. Nation, Language, and History
4. From Gobineau to de Lapouge
Part II: The Penetration
5. Britain Lends a Hand
6. The Science of Race
7. The Mystery of Race
8. The Jews: Myth and Counter-Myth
9. Infected Christianity
10. The Rise of National Socialism
Part III: The Execution
11. War and Revolution
12. From Theory to Practice
13. Racism and Mass Murder
14. A Conclusion That Does Not Conclude
Notes
Index
REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE
If you are a student who cannot use this book in printed form, BiblioVault may be able to supply you
with an electronic file for alternative access.
Please have the accessibility coordinator at your school fill out this form.
It can take 2-3 weeks for requests to be filled.
ABOUT THIS BOOK | AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY | REVIEWS | TOC | REQUEST ACCESSIBLE FILE