The Forgotten Holocaust: The Poles Under German Occupation, 1939-1944 is a 1986 book by Richard C. Lukas dealing with the topic of occupation of Poland during World War II, with particular focus on the sufferings of ethnic Poles in occupied Poland in 1939-1945 during the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany and the USSR.^[1] It is Lukas' most famous work.^[2][3] It has received a number of positive reviews^{[4][5][1][6][7]} and a single dissenting critical review which resulted in a series of letters published in the Slavic Review between 1987 and 1991^[8] It had new English editions in 1997 and 2012.^[9][10] It was translated to Polish with editions in 1995 and 2012.^[11]

Subsequent editions contain updates and new content. 1997 edition has a foreword by Norman Davies. The 2012 edition also includes a preface by Lukas and an annotated list of Poles executed by the Germans for attempting to save the Jews.^[5]

Lukas noted that he decided to write the book when he realized that among the thousands of books about The Holocaust in Poland, there wasn't a single position that discussed the suffering of the ethnic Poles.^[12]

Reviews

Gordon A. Craig writing for The New York Review of Books in 1986 referred to the book as an "absorbing account of wartime Poland".^[13]

Norman Davies who wrote in the foreword of the 1997 and 2012 American editions of the book observed that over the years Lukas' work “rendered a valuable service by showing that no one can properly analyze the fate of one ethnic community in occupied Poland without referring to the fates of others.”^[9] Davies also noted that “by expanding the grounds for discussion and by pointing to aspects of the period that were indeed in danger of being forgotten, [the book] rendered a very real service."^[10]

Stephen P. Hoffmann writing in 1987 for the The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society noted that the book "should further establish [Lukas'] reputation as a scholar who has made important contributions to the study of modern Polish history", praising "the sensitivity of the author, who certainly seems to have no hidden agenda of minimizing the sufferings of the Jews".^[14]

John T. Pawlikowski in 2007 wrote that The Forgotten Holocaust is the most comprehensive work covering ethnic Poles under the Nazis, however he criticizes its treatment as "a kind of Bible on the subject" within the Polish-American community. He states that Lukas's "basic error" is treating ethnic Poles and Jews as "coequal victims of the Nazis".^[15]

In 1986 Donald E. Pienkos published a review of the book in the Slavic Review which he later described as "generally praising the book".^[8] A year later David Engel published a more critical review in the same journal, in which he states that while the book purports to counter bias, it is a one-sided rebuke of "Jewish historians". In his 1987 review, he enumerated alleged inaccuracies in the book and viewed it as "not only unreliable but thoroughly tendentious".^[16] This started a discussion published in Slavic Review until 1991, starting with Lukas' reply to Engel that year.^[17] Next year, Pienkos replied to Engel, defending his original review, criticized "Engel's attack upon Lukas's scholarship in his so-called ongoing discussion". Lukas and Engel continued to disagree with regards to the 1987 review with an exchange of several letters, with Slavic Review publishing the final series of letters (including Pienkos' letter from 1988, as well as letters by Shimon Redlich and Jadwiga Maurer [pl]) in the 1991 issue of the journal.^[18][8] Maurer criticized Lukas's focus on Jews' "linguistic deficiency" versus other segments of Polish society and their respective dialects and jargons; and his reliance on selected witness statements, rather than on a rich history of Polish literature featuring Jewish characters.^[8] Redlich accepts Engel's critique that Lukas would've benefited from a deeper familiarity with his source material and Lukas's critique that Jewish historians have been "influenced" by the Holocaust, but writes the ultimate truth lies with the likes of Jan Błoński and Jerzy Turowicz, whose "intellectual integrity and personal courage" allowed them to admit the role of anti-Semitism in Polish society, and its effects on the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust. The polemic series published in the Slavic Review concludes with Lukas comment that "Engel's polemics reveal fault-finding partisanship, and the extraordinarily rancorous tone of his comment strongly suggests personal animosity. Since I have demonstrated that his own scholarship is flawed, one cannot give credence to his sweeping criticisms of my book. Readers interested in the issues discussed in our exchange should read both of our books and draw their own conclusion".^[8]

The Slavic Review also published another review of the book in 1986, by Adam A. Hetnal. Hetnal noted that the book as "the first attempt in the English language to provide a full and impartial evaluation of Poland under Nazi rule". He noted that that "Although Lukas's study is praiseworthy and his assumptions are correct, it does not contain any new revelations for well-informed reader... ". He also criticized the 1986 edition for "sloppy, careless, and hasty editorial work and proofreading" but concluded that "These shortcomings notwithstanding, Lukas deserves praise for his pioneering attempt to examine a neglected and distorted topic with scholarly impartiality".^[19]

George Sanford in 1986 writing for the International Affairs notes that in tackling the subject of the suffering of ethnic Poles, Lukas work is "inevitably polemical", even as it is "strictly objective and academic in tone, presentation and content." He concludes that "There is little dramatically new for specialists in this sound study. But Lukas's argument that Jews and Poles were co-victims should be popularized amongst new generations, so that they can resist extremists, on both sides, who use this issue to drum up support for their respective national fanaticisms."^[4]

Keith Sword reviewing the book in 1986 for the The Slavonic and East European Review called the book a "notable contribution" and wrote that "[Lukas] is to be congratulated... for his own attempt to achieve a fair and balanced view", concluding that "His book must surely become required reading for students of the holocaust and of contemporary Polish history for many years to come".^[20]

In 1998 Ewa Thompson in the Sarmatian Review praised the book for focusing on under research area of history, not generally known to the American public.^[6] Publishing in the same venue in 2014, Farrah Madanay wrote that "Lukas challenges the stereotype of the anti-Semitic Pole who willingly sides with the Nazis, a stereotype that persists in both dominant historical discourse and popular media in the West" and praises the book for "Lukas’s distinct insights into Poland’s specific yet largely understudied Holocaust history."^[5]

Edward D. Wynot, Jr. writing for the The American Historical Review in 1987 noted that "Although his observations and conclusions may not be welcome to some readers, they merit serious consideration by those seeking an objective and balanced treatment of this explosive subject. In sum, Lukas has produced a book destined to have a major impact on future studies of wartime Poland... Lukas has succeeded in fashioning a study that should stand the test of time and close scrutiny".^[7]

Citing the The Forgotten Holocaust, Leo Cooper gave Lukas as an example of a "present-day Polish apologist".^[21]: 71 He states Lukas had attempted to minimize the effect of antisemitism on the treatment of Jews in WWII Poland,^[21]: 103 and cites several example in various areas.^[21]

The Polish edition was also well-received in Poland.^[22][23][24]

See also

• Nazi crimes against the Polish nation

References