|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
Legacy of the Holocaust: Prevention, Not Revenge
| Article
# : |
10860 |
|
|
Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
|
| Issue
Date : |
7 / 1986 |
3,018 Words |
| Author
: |
Amos Perlmutter
Amos Perlmutter is professor of political science at
American University and is the author of thirteen books
dealing with the role of the military in politics, strategy
and the Middle East. He is the author of The Life and Times
of Menachem Begin and is the editor of the Journal of
Strategic Studies. |
A declaration that the Holocaust was the systematic extermination and murder of six million European Jews, amounting to the greatest human massacre of modern times, perhaps of all time, is neither new nor bold.
The Holocaust, however, is more than a massive historical statistic. It is an awesome historical fact that sits like an immovable obelisk in our memory and in our consciousness, still raw and hot to the touch. It raises questions not only about the past, but also about the future, questions about the importance of remembering, questions about the prevention of future Holocausts.
Each year, we commemorate the Holocaust, and each year, it seems, something happens to resurrect the deed and the dead. Last year, it was the Bitburg fiasco; this year, it is revelations about the past of Kurt Waldheim.
Each year, we ask ourselves: Isn't it time to forget the past, bury it without becoming possessed and obsessed by it? If we can answer the question of how the Holocaust happened in the first place, then how can we go about preventing another one? What are the conditions that led to the Holocaust?
Historically, the Holocaust, or the "Final Solution of the Jewish Problem," was at the core of Hitler's war. It held precedence over every other war aim, whether that aim was to conquer territory, gain hegemony over Europe, garner spoils of war, or consider strategic matters. At its core, Hitler's war was a racial war: a war to annihilate Jews, Slavs, and Bolsheviks, all of which were synonymous to Hitler. This racial war was conceived and executed by
... (1999 of 17633 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
