News

Auschwitz and the Holocaust against the crimes of genocide in the twentieth century

This new publication — released in Polish language — is the result of the two national conferences, "Auschwitz and the Holocaust against the crimes of genocide in the twentieth century," which were co-organised in 2010-2011 by the State Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. The aim of the conference was a discussion on the nature and the consequences of genocide crimes in the contemporary world and reflection on the possibilities of education in the context of its prevention.

Alicja Bartuś and Piotr Trojański, who edited the book, emphasise in its introduction the dichotomous character of modernity and its large-scale as an indispensable, yet insufficient, condition for perpetration of a crime on an unprecedented scale in the history of humanity: “Dissemination of the mass media and the emergence of global public opinion gave the world the tools which can be used to promote noble ideas — as well as to spread hateful propaganda. Technological progress set a new path that lead to a general welfare — but also the mass killing.”

Seventeen texts cover a wide spectrum of the genocide problems in different contexts and historical circumstances whose common denominator is the Holocaust — fully focusing on all features and phenomena which make up the term genocide.

The book invites to the discussion over the essence, course and consequences of genocide, showing that the cognition of the mechanism of crime requires an approach that goes beyond a historical approach, which must also include social, legal, philosophical and cultural issues. This multidisciplinary approach is an extremely important element in the cognitive process.

The publication also shows how the world is trying to administer justice to the perpetrators of crimes, emphasising the importance of effective education without which any attempts to prevent further atrocities are doomed to failure