Britain, Germany and the Road to the Holocaust : British Attitudes Towards Nazi Atrocities

From the onset of the First World War, over a period of 30 years, Britons were faced with a series of overseas atrocities. They did not turn away. Instead, distant brutality pervaded the national consciousness and tugged at the national conscience. Debate permeated all levels of British society, involving politicians, academics, the clergy, journalists, humanitarians and the public. Atrocities were contested in parliament, in the press, over the airwaves, on the streets and in private. Victims became the focus of national concern and humanitarian action. In fact, mass violence in other lands was very much part of the national story. Britain's preoccupation with far-off violence took root in the nineteenth century, an era peppered with humanitarian crusades. The campaign to abolish the slave trade, William Gladstone's 1870s agitation against the ruthless Ottoman suppression of Bulgarians and the outpouring of indignation on behalf of the Armenians in the 1890s were all seen as part of a much-lauded tradition of compassion for small vulnerable nations and oppressed peoples. Early twentieth-century Britons had fond memories of their nation's involvement in good causes. It was believed, with good reason, that Britain was an eminent, if not the pre-eminent, world power, and that this role carried with it a heavy responsibility. Despite fears of decline, this belief was still strong in the first half of the twentieth century. As Richard Overy points out, in interwar Britain there was a 'widespread contemporary belief that, together with the Empire, Britain was the hub of the Western world ... in much the way that America is regarded, and regards itself, today' . 1 Britons felt their strength imposed upon them a moral burden in an unstable world. Doubtless, arrogance and self-interest played a key role and it was probably the same sense of self-belief that reinforced support for empire. In the 1930s, the British public's emotional response to the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War, including the bombing of Guernica, shaped the mass-politics of the age. Similarly, alleged German atrocities in World War I against the Belgians and the French had led to campaigns in Britain for donations to support the victims. Why then, was the British public seemingly less concerned with the treatment of Jews in Hitler's Germany? Outlining a 'hierarchy of compassion', Russell Wallis seeks to show how and why the Holocaust met initially with such a muted response in Britain. Drawing on primary source material, Wallis shows why the Nuremberg laws were reported without great protest, along with Kristallnacht and the creation of the Prague Ghetto. Even after the reality of the 'Final Solution' was announced by Anthony Eden to the British Parliament in 1942, the Holocaust remained a footnote to the war effort. Britain, Germany and the Road to the Holocaust is a study of the British relationship with Germany in the period, and a dissection of British attitudes towards the genocide in Europe. -- Provided by publisher In the 1930s, the British public's emotional response to the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War, including the bombing of Guernica, shaped the mass-politics of the age. Similarly, alleged German atrocities in World War I against the Belgians and the French had led to campaigns in Britain for donations to support the victims. Why then, was the British public seemingly less concerned with the treatment of Jews in Hitler's Germany? Outlining a 'hierarchy of compassion', Russell Wallis seeks to show how and why the Holocaust met initially with such a muted response in Britain. Drawing on primary source material, Wallis shows why the Nuremberg laws, Kristallnacht and the creation of the Prague Ghetto were reported without great protest. Even after the reality of the 'Final Solution' was revealed to the British Parliament by Anthony Eden in 1942, the Holocaust remained a footnote to the war effort. Britain, Germany and the Road to the Holocaust is a study of the British relationship with Germany in the period, and a dissection of British attitudes towards the genocide in Europe. Cover 1 Title 5 Copyright 6 Contents 7 Acknowledgements 9 Introduction 11 1. The First World War and its Aftermath 19 Germans: ‘Frightfulness’ 19 Armenians: The last burst of indignation 43 Jews in Poland: a legacy of mistrust 56 2. The Rehabilitation of Germany 73 Post-war violence: the atrocity backlash 73 Growth of appeasement 98 Rise of the Nazis: working towards the Germans 104 3. Unlikely Victims 128 The League of Nations: Shanghai and Abyssinia 128 Atrocities in Spain: a moment of unity 158 China: a forgotten campaign 168 4. Jews under German Rule: a Hierarchy of Compassion 181 Escalating terror: The reluctant road to war 181 War: splitting the Germans 212 Conclusion 246 Notes 251 Bibliography 305 Index 325 Introduction -- Chapter One: The First World War and its Aftermath Germans: 'Frightfulness' Armenians: The last burst of indignation Jews in Poland: A legacy of mistrust -- Chapter Two: The Rehabilitation of Germany Post-war violence: The atrocity backlash Growth of appeasement Rise of the Nazis: Working towards the Germans -- Chapter Three: Unlikely Victims The League of Nations: Shanghai and Abyssinia Atrocities in Spain: A moment of unity China: A forgotten campaign -- Chapter Four: Jews under German rule: A hierarchy of compassion Escalating Terror: The reluctant road to war War: Splitting the Germans -- Conclusion