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Chapter Six - Conclusion

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2009

William I. Brustein
Affiliation:
University of Pittsburgh
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Summary

This book has focused on a number of issues regarding anti-Semitism in Europe before the Holocaust. I have examined the rise of European anti-Semitism through the lens of the religious, economic, racial, and political roots of anti-Semitism. These four roots of anti-Semitism appear to have been instrumental in the formation of anti-Jewish narratives emerging between 1879 and 1939. The four anti-Jewish narratives gained credence from the effects of declining economic well-being, increased Jewish immigration, growth of leftist support, and identification of Jews with the leadership of the political left. However, popular support for anti-Semitism varied temporally and spatially. Anti-Semitism, as measured by acts and attitudes, reached its highest points between the two world wars, particularly in Germany and Romania. Anti-Semitic levels in both Great Britain and France were significantly lower than those in Germany and Romania. The case of France may come as a surprise to many, in light of France's Dreyfus Affair experience and the oft-cited writings of many of France's rightist intellectuals. The conventional wisdom would have it that France, notably during the mid-1930s, with the circulation of the popular slogan vaut mieux Hitler que Blum (better Hitler than Blum), was a hotbed of anti-Semitism. The empirical data do not support this contention, however, at least as it may apply to the French middle and lower classes. Italy remained relatively untouched by anti-Semitism, at least until 1936.

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Roots of Hate
Anti-Semitism in Europe before the Holocaust
, pp. 337 - 354
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2003

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  • Conclusion
  • William I. Brustein, University of Pittsburgh
  • Book: Roots of Hate
  • Online publication: 28 June 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499425.007
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  • Conclusion
  • William I. Brustein, University of Pittsburgh
  • Book: Roots of Hate
  • Online publication: 28 June 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499425.007
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Conclusion
  • William I. Brustein, University of Pittsburgh
  • Book: Roots of Hate
  • Online publication: 28 June 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511499425.007
Available formats
×