Jews, antisemitism, and culture in Vienna /

Arranged chronologically along interdisciplinary lines, these 13 original essays are designed to illuminate Viennese anti-Semitism during this century. Synthesizing a mass of social, political, and cultural data as well as past seminal interpretations, the authors have effectively explored the cultural legacies and sociological characteristics supporting Viennese anti-Semitism. They have succeeded in shedding new light on the history of and the archetypes emerging in central European culture. Using quantitative techniques, several authors have also analyzed the origins and composition of the Viennese Jewish community, a challenge generally ignored until now. The first seven chapters deal with pre-1914 Austria; subsequent essays examine anti-Semitism from 1918 to the Holocaust and beyond. Particularly insightful are the essays by Bruce Pauley, indicating that post-1918 Viennese developments were rooted in the pre-1914 Austrian milieu, and the empirical analysis by Bruce Marin, focusing on the continuing anti-Semitic attitudes held by Austrians even after the Holocaust. A valuable addition to college libraries.-D.J. Dietrich, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point