German and Italian fascist armies in the Second World War treated the Jews quite differently. Jews who fell into the hands of the German army ended up in concentration camps; none of those taken by the Italians suffered the same fate. Yet the protectors of the Jews were no philo-Semites, nor were they (often) great respecters of human life. Some of those same officers had sanctioned savage atrocities against Ethiopians and Arabs in the years before the war. Jonathan Steinberg uses this remarkable and poignant story to unravel the motives and forces underpinning both Fascism and Nazism. As a renowned historian of both Germany and Italy, he is uniquely placed to answer the underlying question; why?

Reviews

`... a book which deserves the widest readership possible.' - British Jrnl of Holocaust Education

`Dr Steinberg has an important and extraordinary story to tell and he does so with power and clarity. (His) discussion has opened a Pandora's box and his explanations point the way to a much longer quest ... provides strong, almost unreadable evidence for an indictment of the Wehrmacht and their part in these terrible crimes against individuals whom they no longer saw as human beings.' - Financial Times

`The value of Steinberg's book lies in its close examination of what happened in those bad years. And its documentation. - Independent

`... a riveting account of the ways in which the Italians looked after the Jews who came under their occupation, whether Italian or not'. - Jewish Chronicle

`...Steinberg's book is a noble enterprise, bold in conception and suffused with warm human feeling.' - H. Stuart Hughes, London Review of Books

`Closely researched examination of the Italian people's refusal to comply with Hitler's plans for the Holocaust.' - The Independent

`... a fine book [on] one of the most compelling but least explained chapters in the history of the Holocaust ... marked by careful research and thoughtful analysis' - Times Literary Supplement

`This renowned historian is surely the person best fitted to unravel the great mystery' - Centrepiece

`It is an admirable story, accurately told.' - New Statesman

`Mr Steinberg ... has produced a riveting study of the extent of human responsibility in wartime.' - Birmingham Post

`... a fine book [on] one of the most compelling but least explained chapters in the history of the Holocaust ... marked by careful research and thoughtful analysis' - Times Literary Supplement

Book Information
ISBN 9780415290692
Author Jonathan Steinberg
Format Paperback
Page Count 364
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 670g