In the Midst of Civilized Europe

The Pogroms of 1918-1921 and the Onset of the Holocaust

De: Jeffrey Veidlinger

Narrado por: Leighton Pugh

From an award-winning historian, the first full depiction of the wave of anti-Jewish pogroms that followed the Russian Revolution and how they laid the groundwork for the Holocaust

Between 1918 and 1921, over a hundred thousand Jews were murdered in Ukraine by peasants, townsmen, and soldiers who blamed the Jews for the turmoil of the Russian Revolution. In hundreds of separate incidents, ordinary people robbed their Jewish neighbors with impunity, burned down their houses, ripped apart their Torah scrolls, sexually assaulted them, and killed them. Largely forgotten today, these pogroms - ethnic riots - dominated headlines and international affairs in their time. Aid workers warned that six million Jews were in danger of complete extermination. Twenty years later, these dire predictions would come true.

Drawing upon long-neglected archival materials, including thousands of newly discovered witness testimonies, trial records, and official orders, acclaimed historian Jeffrey Veidlinger shows for the first time how this wave of genocidal violence created the conditions for the Holocaust. Through stories of survivors, perpetrators, aid workers, and governmental officials, he explains how so many different groups of people came to the same conclusion: that killing Jews was an acceptable response to their various problems. In riveting prose, In the Midst of Civilized Europe repositions the pogroms as a defining moment of the 20th century.

A Macmillan Audio production from Metropolitan Books

©2021 Jeffrey Veidlinger (P)2021 Macmillan Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Revelatory.... Veidlinger’s crisp prose and extensive research makes the scale of the tragedy immediate and devastating. This is a vital addition to understanding how the Holocaust happened." (Publishers Weekly)

“The mass killings of Jews in 1918–21 are a bridge between local pogroms and the extermination of the Holocaust. No history of that Jewish catastrophe comes close to the virtuosity of research, clarity of prose, and power of analysis of this extraordinary book. As the horror of events yields to empathetic understanding, the reader is grateful to Veidlinger for reminding us what history can do.” (Timothy Snyder, author of Bloodlands)

"A work of singular importance: a meticulous, original and deeply affecting historical account, one that provides new insights into the conditions that catalyzed mass-murder on an industrial scale." (Philippe Sands, author of East West Street)

Important and informative… Could have been cut by 1/3

The history of the pogroms in the east is vital for understanding the Holocaust. The accounts in this book are harrowing. I also appreciate the author establishing that some pogroms were instigated by neighbors in the community, others by outside forces, and usually some combination of the two. He also does establish how fluid control of various cities were during the chaos of the Russian Civil War. Interestingly, I found him to be harsher toward the Poles than others—not sure if this is the accurate conclusion but I appreciated a different opinion there.

That said, the depth that the author went into for individual pogroms was unnecessary. So many of the details of the actual violence was so redundant that they all started to run together for me, and I found myself zoning out…a lot. Which I hated, given that these are pretty remarkable and heartbreaking events. I also thought that the proportion of the book spent going into the minutiae of individual pogroms to the time spent on his overall thesis (ie establishing the role of Poles and Ukrainians in the Holocaust and connecting this to these pogroms) was oddly high. He kind of races through the latter, particularly at the end.

Glad I listened…but could have been reduced by a lot and not lost any of the message.

Very Dense and Informative

This is a very intricate work. Jeffrey Veidlinger had written one incredibly detailed workbook full of necessary history. One thing that should be required before reading this book is an exact knowledge of the region, and a knowledge of the areas following the Russian Revolution (namely the Ukraine abc Poland). This book is very specific about locations and specific pogroms. I found myself needing a map and extra background knowledge because though most have heard of the pogroms, most haven’t heard of them in this much specific detail. It’s easy to get a bit confused.

But it’s amazing in scope and breadth of knowledge. And the pogroms were shockingly violent. Leighton Pugh’s narration is perfect as always.