Justifying Genocide
Author | Stefan Ihrig |
---|---|
Publication date | 2016 |
Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler is a 2016 book by Stefan Ihrig which explores how violence against the Ottoman Armenians, from the Hamidian massacres to the Armenian genocide, influenced German views and led to the acceptance of genocide as a legitimate "solution" to "problems posed by an unwelcome minority".[1] It discusses how the topic was debated in Germany after World War I and the influence of these debates and perceptions of history on the Holocaust.
Content
The book expands on Ihrig's previous book, Atatürk in the Nazi Imagination (2014),[2] and is based on examination of contemporary German publications.[3][4] Ihrig writes that his book is about "Germany and its road to the Holocaust",[5][6] and only secondarily about Turks or Armenians. The book covers the period from the 1878 Treaty of San Stefano through World War II;[2] Ihrig argues that the German media took a consistently pro-Turkish line in justifying massacres of Armenians throughout this period.[6]
Ihrig chronicles how the German chancellor,
During the Armenian genocide, Ihrig states that Germany could have known "everything" about the fate of the Armenians as it was ongoing.[6] However, the German press repeated uncritically denial of the genocide by German officials long after the facts were widely known, as well as justification and rationalization of the killings.[3] Although Ihrig rejects the claim (proposed by Vahakn Dadrian) that the genocide resulted from a joint German–Ottoman decision,[6] Ihrig concludes that Germany made the decision to "sacrifice the Armenians as the price of preserving Ottoman goodwill toward Germany".[7]
Ihrig covers the 1921 trial of
Ihrig considers the Armenian genocide to be the "double original sin" of the twentieth century, first because it happened, and second because it went
Reviews
Kirkus Reviews calls the book "A groundbreaking academic study that shows how Germany derived from the Armenian genocide 'a plethora of recipes' to address its own ethnic problems".[14] Hungarian historian Péter Pál Kránitz states that "Ihrig's findings are significant for international scholars of genocide and the Holocaust".[10] Armenian political scientist Vahram Ter-Matevosyan credits Ihrig with challenging "the deep-seated concepts and approaches about the Armenian Genocide discourse".[6] Vahagn Avedian states that Ihrig conducted "meticulous research" and produced "a highly welcomed contribution to the field of genocide studies".[2] Lawrence Douglas considers the book fascinating, highly readable, and convincing.[1]
German historian
Awards
The book received the 2017 Dr. Sona Aronian Book Prize for Excellence in Armenian Studies by the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research.[17]
References
- ^ a b "Justifying Genocide by Stefan Ihrig review: Germany's first taste of genocide". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
- ^ S2CID 159627934.
- ^ a b c d Chorbajian, Levon (11 July 2016). "Review Feature - The Armenian Genocide". E-International Relations. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ Schwanitz, Wolfgang G. (January 2017). "Review of Ihrig, Stefan, Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler". H-Soz-u-Kult, H-Review. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- S2CID 103441727.
- ^ .
- ^ "Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler, by Stefan Ihrig (2016)". notevenpast.org. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
- ^ Ihrig 2016, p. 271.
- ^ Ihrig 2016, p. 273.
- ^ JSTOR 44390829.
- ^ Ihrig 2016, p. 279.
- ^ Ihrig 2016, p. 7.
- ^ Ihrig 2016, p. 349.
- ^ "Justifying Genocide". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
- .
- .
- ^ Contributor, Guest (2017-12-18). "Stefan Ihrig and Abraham Terian Receive NAASR's Aronian Armenian Studies Book Prizes". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
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Further reading
- ISBN 978-0-674-50479-0.
- Tatoyan, Robert. "Stefan Ihrig, Justifying Genocide: Germany and the Armenians from Bismarck to Hitler, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016, ISBN: 978-0674504790; 472 pages" (PDF). International Journal of Armenian Genocide Studies. 3 (1): 88–101.