Mirrors of destruction : war, genocide, and modern identity

Summary: This book examines the relationship between total war, state-organized genocide, and the emergence of modern identity. Omer Bartov demonstrates that, in the twentieth century, there have been intimate links between military conflict, mass murder of civilian populations, and the definition and categorization of groups and individuals. The Holocaust, he argues, can only be understood within the context of the century's predilection to apply systematic and destructive methods to resolve conflicts over identity. His study follows the changing relationships between Jews and non-Jews in France and Germany from the outbreak of World War I to the present. He takes a close look at the glorification of war between 1914-18 and examines the pacifist reaction in interwar France to show how it contributed to a climate of collaboration with dictatorship and mass murder. He also provides detailed analyses of modern apocalyptic visions and pursuits for internal enemies. The book is an important new perspective on some of the most crucial issues of our time.

Record details

ISBN: 6610442592
ISBN: 9786610442591
ISBN: 9781280442599
ISBN: 128044259X
ISBN: 0198023987
ISBN: 9780198023982
ISBN: 9780195077230
ISBN: 0195077237
Physical Description: 1 online resource (viii, 302 pages) : illustrations
remote
Publisher: Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2000.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-287) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	1. Fields of glory -- 2. Grand illusions -- 3. Elusive enemies -- 4. Apocalyptic visions -- Conclusions.
Source of Description Note:	Print version record.