̨Íåswag

The course will explore the origins, development and implementation of antisemitism from the birth of Christianity to the Final Solution. The negative depiction of the Jews built into European culture and the transmission and dissemination of hateful stereotypes of " the Jew" across the centuries will be examined using examples drawn from the frequent explosion of anti-Jewish violence to help understand why Jews in Europe were persecuted. The catalysts of 19th Century antisemitism that Hitler was able to exploit will be studied leading to the emergence of Nazi ideology, the creation of the racial state and genocide against the Jews. Finally, more recent examples of Holocaust denial, distortion, conspiracy theories and antisemitism in the Labour party in Britain will be considered in the light of current political developments.