| Abstract |
"Pogroms: A Documentary History explores the remarkable long history of anti-Jewish violence in the East European borderlands beginning with the pogroms of 1881-1882 in the Russian Empire and concluding in Poland on the eve of World War II. This volume begins with a comprehensive introductory essay on pogroms followed by nine case studies. Organized chronologically, each chapter includes a unique array of archival and published sources, selected and introduced by a scholar expert in the period under investigation. The documents assembled here include eyewitness testimony, oral histories, diary excerpts, literary works, trial records, and press coverage. They also contain memos and field reports authored by army officials, investigative commissions, humanitarian organizations, and government officials. Each chapter explains the origins, timing, and consequences of pogrom violence at various levels of society, as well as the lives, relationships, activities, and interactions of those groups of people that rarely appear in the historical literature. By providing a nuanced analysis of the specific geopolitical context where the violence erupted, each chapter captures the specific nature of the waves of pogroms that broke out in different regions and at different times. Informed by the literature on collective violence and comparative genocide studies, this volume helps reevaluate the complex motivations, policy directives, and reactions of the most powerful decision makers to those officials and their accomplices operating in the provinces. The result is a balanced and accessible guide to the history of anti-Jewish violence"-- Provided by publisher. |
