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Jewish Book Council McMillan...focuses in vivid and engaging prose on two critical questions: 'Why Germany?' and 'Why the Jewish People?' Choice [McMillan's] argument that the causes of the catastrophe were multifaceted is well grounded and quite compelling. Equipped with excellent endnotes, the work is well suited for general readers, students, and scholars. Publishers Weekly This thoughtful work examines why the Nazis came to power and how they could engage in murder on such an unprecedented scale. Sir Ian Kershaw, author of Hitler and The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945 Dan McMillan's book is clearly written, well-structured, and rests on good acquaintance with recent research. It offers a thoughtful and intelligent answer for a non-specialist readership to the vital but often strangely ignored question: what caused the Holocaust? It deserves to be widely read. Istvan Deak, Seth Low Professor Emeritus, Columbia University, author of Essays on Hitler's Europe An important and much needed book. In explaining why the Holocaust happened, Dan McMillan explores not only the motives of Hitler and his fanatical followers, but also of the millions of ordinary Germans and other Europeans who shared responsibility for this tragedy. Beautifully written, persuasive, and often very touching, this book should be read by everyone who wants to understand how such a monstrous crime was possible. Robert O. Paxton, Professor Emeritus of History, Columbia University How could a cultivated nation like Germany unleash a murderous frenzy against the Jewish people? Many authors have described the killings. A few authors have warned that explaining is in itself a profanation. But Dan McMillan takes a different course. With eloquence and clarity he sets the Shoah in a broad historical context. McMillan shows how step by step, ideas and institutions came into place in western nations, especially in Germany, that made the killings conceivable, then possible, and even likely, but never inevitable. This book is an impressive achievement. S. Jonathan Wiesen, Southern Illinois University, author of Creating the Nazi Marketplace This is one of those rare books that is accessible to the general reader while offering significant new perspectives to academic specialists. I marveled at the richness and clarity of McMillan's insights, his efficient syntheses of scholarly debates, and the intellectual depth of the questions he poses. His arguments are thoughtful, well informed, and grounded in wide-ranging literature. This book deserves a broad audience. John Cox, Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Human Rights Studies, University of North Carolina Charlotte, author of Circles of Resistance: Jewish, Leftist, and Youth Dissidence in Nazi Germany This is an outstanding book. Dan McMillan has provided a compelling explanation of why the Holocaust happened in prose that is elegant, vivid, engaging, and fully accessible. The first comprehensive essay on the causes of the Holocaust, this admirably concise book offers a remarkable combination of scholarly rigor, new perspectives, and keen insights delivered in a passionate moral voice. McMillan has made a powerful contribution to the way all of us--scholars and laypersons alike--understand the Holocaust.

Sir Ian Kershaw, author of Hitler and The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945 Dan McMillan's book is clearly written, well-structured, and rests on good acquaintance with recent research. It offers a thoughtful and intelligent answer for a non-specialist readership to the vital but often strangely ignored question: what caused the Holocaust? It deserves to be widely read. Istvan Deak, Seth Low Professor Emeritus, Columbia University, author of Essays on Hitler's Europe An important and much needed book. In explaining why the Holocaust happened, Dan McMillan explores not only the motives of Hitler and his fanatical followers, but also of the millions of ordinary Germans and other Europeans who shared responsibility for this tragedy. Beautifully written, persuasive, and often very touching, this book should be read by everyone who wants to understand how such a monstrous crime was possible. Robert O. Paxton, Professor Emeritus of History, Columbia University How could a cultivated nation like Germany unleash a murderous frenzy against the Jewish people? Many authors have described the killings. A few authors have warned that explaining is in itself a profanation. But Dan McMillan takes a different course. With eloquence and clarity he sets the Shoah in a broad historical context. McMillan shows how step by step, ideas and institutions came into place in western nations, especially in Germany, that made the killings conceivable, then possible, and even likely, but never inevitable. This book is an impressive achievement. S. Jonathan Wiesen, Southern Illinois University, author of Creating the Nazi Marketplace This is one of those rare books that is accessible to the general reader while offering significant new perspectives to academic specialists. I marveled at the richness and clarity of McMillan's insights, his efficient syntheses of scholarly debates, and the intellectual depth of the ques

Publishers Weekly This thoughtful work examines why the Nazis came to power and how they could engage in murder on such an unprecedented scale. Sir Ian Kershaw, author of Hitler and The End: The Defiance and Destruction of Hitler's Germany, 1944-1945 Dan McMillan's book is clearly written, well-structured, and rests on good acquaintance with recent research. It offers a thoughtful and intelligent answer for a non-specialist readership to the vital but often strangely ignored question: what caused the Holocaust? It deserves to be widely read. Istvan Deak, Seth Low Professor Emeritus, Columbia University, author of Essays on Hitler's Europe An important and much needed book. In explaining why the Holocaust happened, Dan McMillan explores not only the motives of Hitler and his fanatical followers, but also of the millions of ordinary Germans and other Europeans who shared responsibility for this tragedy. Beautifully written, persuasive, and often very touching, this book should be read by everyone who wants to understand how such a monstrous crime was possible. Robert O. Paxton, Professor Emeritus of History, Columbia University How could a cultivated nation like Germany unleash a murderous frenzy against the Jewish people? Many authors have described the killings. A few authors have warned that explaining is in itself a profanation. But Dan McMillan takes a different course. With eloquence and clarity he sets the Shoah in a broad historical context. McMillan shows how step by step, ideas and institutions came into place in western nations, especially in Germany, that made the killings conceivable, then possible, and even likely, but never inevitable. This book is an impressive achievement. S. Jonathan Wiesen, Southern Illinois University, author of Creating the Nazi Marketplace This is one of those rare books that is accessible to the general reader while offering significant new perspectives to academic specialists. I marveled at the richness and clarity of McMillan's insights, his efficient syntheses of scholarly debates, and the intellectual depth of the questions he poses. His arguments are thoughtful, well informed, and grounded in wide-ranging literature. This book deserves a broad audience. John Cox, Center for Holocaust, Genocide & Human Rights Studies, University of North Carolina Charlotte, author of Circles of Resistance: Jewish, Leftist, and Youth Dissidence in Nazi Germany This is an outstanding book. Dan McMillan has provided a compelling explanation of why the Holocaust happened in prose that is elegant, vivid, engaging, and fully accessible. The first comprehensive essay on the causes of the Holocaust, this admirably concise book offers a remarkable combination of scholarly rigor, new perspectives, and keen insights delivered in a passionate moral voice. McMillan has made a powerful contribution to the way all of us--scholars and laypersons alike--understand the Holocaust.

Author Information

Dan McMillan holds a Ph.D. in German history from Columbia University and a law degree from Fordham University, and has worked as a history professor and a prosecuting attorney. He lives in New York City.

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