Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Goldhagen argues ordinary Germans were willing executioners in University of Montana lecture
Summary
In a public lecture in Missoula, historian and author Daniel Jonah Goldhagen argued that most German perpetrators of the Holocaust acted from assent rooted in antisemitism rather than coercion or obedience, citing postwar interrogations, victim testimony and courtroom evidence.
Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, author of Hitler's Willing Executioners: Ordinary Germans and the Holocaust, told a University of Montana audience in Missoula that the central explanation for the Holocaust is widespread assent among German perpetrators rooted in antisemitism, not coercion or mere obedience.
Goldhagen opened by saying his research shifted attention from Nazi institutions and leadership to the individual agents who carried out mass murder. He said postwar legal investigations and victim testimony provide a substantial, underused documentary record about perpetrators and their motives.
"Beating Jews was our daily bread," Goldhagen told the audience, citing repeated postwar testimony and photographic records. He said German investigative files list more than 300,000 names suspected of service in institutions of killing and…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
