Golden Harvest: Engagierte Geschichte

Abstract

Golden Harvest – Emotional History

Abstract

The author of this text discusses the book Golden Harvest by Jan Tomasz Gross and Irena Grudzińska-Gross and, even though he finds their work valuable, he presents two points of disagreement. Firstly, he criticizes the authors for ignoring the broader context of the war and the German occupation of Poland, which led to anomie. This fact is crucial for an understanding of the situation of the Jews and all the atrocities they endured, including those perpetrated by the “Polish” society. The second objection concerns the subjective way the authors handled the historical sources. According to Machcewicz, both authors chose only those sources which support their thesis. All in all, the review states that since the publication of Neighbors by Jan Tomasz Gross, the topic of the Polish neighbors and their persecution of some of the Jewish population by their Polish neighbors is no longer a taboo subject. What is needed now, though, is substantial, balanced, and unemotional research.

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Bibliographie: Machcewicz, Paweł: Golden Harvest: Engagierte Geschichte, JB historie, 1-2016, S. 296-308. https://doi.org/10.3224/jbh.v8-9i1.25