From Windhoek to Auschwitz

Forty years prior to Nazi Germany's Holocaust and the war of annihilation in Eastern Europe, German colonial troops committed what is arguably the first genocide of the Twentieth Century in German Southwest Africa, known today as Namibia. There, German troops murdered up to 80000 Herero and 20000 Nama as well as ensuring many more thousands perished in the desert and during their tenure as slave labourers in concentrations camps. During the last decade, a fierce debate has emerged regarding the genocide and its historical meaning within German 20th century history, particularly the extent to which the Herero and Nama genocide can be seen as a precursor to Nazi crimes. "From Windhoek to Auschwitz" examines the relationship between colonialism and the Holocaust and situates Nazi crimes firmly within the global history of mass violence and racist policies. The volume collects key texts about the multi-facetted relationship between (German) colonialism and Nazi policies of conquest and annihilation. It thereby documents the development of an argument that has changed the way we view the Nazi crimes by pointing to continuities and parallels, thereby offering a fresh, postcolonial perspective on the Third Reich.