David Engel (1) (1951–)

An undramatic set of lectures giving the functionalist side of the holocaust debate; that despite the language in Mein Kampf, no actual master plan of extermination existed and the series of often contradictory initiatives from different levels of government created a confusion of purpose that had a hand in pacifying resistance while the plans switched from mass emigration to extermination as the former became unfeasible. A lot of the blame also falls to the cooperating regimes in the east show more who actively partook in both identifying and killing jews, as well as the 'initiative' taken by groups in the east. The view helps to make sense of cooperationist logic for preventing deaths long into the end stages, but can sound a bit like apologia when he covers the absence of a party platform of hate and a lack of focus on exterminationist rhetoric from the nazis themselves (contributing to the 'we didn't know' defense of post-war germany).
A companion piece to this should be Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, focusing on the exterminations in the east as a product of both nazi and soviet (as well as collaborationist) policies. Half the killing was already done before extermination camps existed, and most of that in the eastern regions. show less