Martin Gilbert – History and the Jews, the Second World War and the Holocaust
Martin Gilbert – History and the Jews, the Second World War and the Holocaust

Summary/Abstract: This article explores the methodology and contributions of Sir Martin Gilbert, one of the few historians of the twentieth century to integrate the Jewish experience into the broader historical narratives of the Second World War and the Holocaust. Gilbert’s unique approach, characterised by meticulous research, the extensive use of primary documents, and personal testimonies, sought to highlight the intertwined fates of Jews and the nations embroiled in the war. His work emphasised that the Jewish story, often sidelined in traditional war histories, is an integral part of the larger narrative. Through examples drawn from Gilbert’s seminal works, including Kristallnacht: Prelude to Destruction and The Second World War: A Complete History, this study examines how he documented the plight of European Jewry alongside the strategic and political challenges faced by leaders like Winston Churchill. Key topics include Gilbert’s mapping of synagogue destruction during Kristallnacht, Britain’s Kindertransport initiative, Churchill’s resistance to anti-Jewish immigration policies, and the Allied Declaration of December 1942. As Lady Esther Gilbert reflects, Martin Gilbert’s portrayal of Jewish resistance and defiance, such as Adolf Liebeskind’s doomed attack on German forces in Cracow, ensures that these acts are remembered as more than just “three lines in the history books”. By weaving the Jewish experience into the broader context of global conflict, Gilbert reshaped historical discourse, ensuring that the Holocaust was understood not as a separate tragedy, but as a fundamental part of the twentieth-century story.

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