Book Review: Expaining Hitler: The Search for the Origins of

Rosenbaum's intent is to explain Adolph Hitler’s anti-Semitism and to assess his responsibility for the Holocaust. Could the Holocaust have occurred without him or is it the final product of "faceless abstractions, inexorable forces, or irresistible compulsions that gave him no choice or made his choice irrelevant" (pg. 395)? In addition, there is the question of Hitler's evil. Is he a unique occurrence, a singularity in the universe of Jewish hatred, or does he reveal a capacity possessed by all of us? The exclusive focus on these questions precludes considerations of Hitler as a politician, statesman, or military strategist. Rosenbaum is only interested in understanding his anti-Semitism and responsibility for the Holocaust. How this evil might relate to or reflect other aspects of Hitler's character is not considered. This is not an insignificant biographical decision. How Hitler's wish to destroy the Jews relates or complements his wishes to restore the former glory of Germany or to win a great European war are certainly important questions that one suspects might be highly relevant to any und

Clearly, Rosenbaum’s issue with psychoanalysis is not with the idea of a psychology of human behavior. Historians have always used psychology to understand behavior. One of the books most interesting aspects are the personal details and background Rosenbaum provides to explain how an explainer's own history might generate his views on Hitler. Thus, we learn that Danial Goldhagan's father was a Holocaust historian and held views that were contrary to his son's. Why would Rosenbaum mention this if he did not want the reader to consider the obvious generational conflict? Rosenbaum's objection to psychoanalysis is an objection to a simplistic repetition of oedipal interpretations with no reference to multiple determination and pre-oedipal contributions. There is no idea of psychoanalysis progressing beyond early Freud. This is most evident in his ignorance of contemporary work on the narcissistic personality disorder. Several of the Hitler explainers, Alan Bullock, Berel Lang, and Emil Frackenheim, believe that Hitler is an actor who became so involved with his successful oratory of anti-Semitism that he began to believe and even relish what he said. The enthusiastic response of his audience convinces him of the truth of what he has been saying. This trait is characteristic of the narcissistic personality; considering Hitler from this perspective might offer some new perspectives in understanding his behavior toward the Jews.

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