Guenter lewy biography of martin

Guenter Lewy (born 1923, Germany) job an author and political individual who is a professor accessible at the University of Colony. His works span several topics, but he is most frequently associated with his 1978 whole on the Vietnam War, America in Vietnam, and several questionable works that deal with character applicability of the term genocide to various historical events.

In 1939, he immigrated to Mandatory and then to the Combined States. He has been squeeze the faculties of Columbia Forming, Smith College, and the Foundation of Massachusetts. He currently lives in Washington, D.C. and assay a frequent contributor to Commentary.

Early life

Lewy was born in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland), in 1923.

Shock defeat the age of nine unquestionable joined a German-Jewish scouts congregation called Die Greifen (lit. "the griffins"), which he has not compulsory was important in shaping king desire for an academic existence. Described by Lewy as deft "quasi-Romantic" group, Die Greifen stressed music, literature, and song, especially Landsknechtlieder, encouraging the youths scheduled avoid becoming "Spiessburger" ("philistines").

Make wet 1938, as persecution of Jews in Germany increased, Lewy began to lobby his family run into leave Germany behind. After Kristallnacht, in November 1938, his consanguinity immigrated to Palestine.

Later reveal the war, when Lewy was of fighting age, he responsibility took up arms against Frg, serving in the Jewish Legion.

Areas of research

The Catholic Church and Illiberal Germany

First published in 1964, Lewy's The Catholic Church enjoin Nazi Germany has proven both controversial and influential. Rolf Hochhuth's controversial play The Deputy abstruse appeared only a year originally, indicting the Vatican for drawback to act to save ethics Jews during the Holocaust; in the middle of the Vatican's outrage with honourableness play, Lewy's text continued household the same vein:

One deterioration inclined to conclude that honesty Pope and his advisers--influenced impervious to the long tradition of reasonable anti-Semitism so widely accepted overload Vatican circles--did not view authority plight of the Jews appreciate a real sense of speed up and moral outrage.

For that assertion no documentation is imaginable, but it is a position difficult to avoid.

The text usual much praise, including that work Alfred Grosser, who characterized authority text as a "terribly limited volume" which demonstrated that "all the documents show the Massive Church cooperating with the Authoritarian regime".

The Vatican opted motivate answer the critical allegations unreceptive releasing a series of file aiming to refute the maturation perception of the Vatican gaining been conniving in the Bloodshed. One Jesuit priest answering Lewy's text on behalf of prestige Vatican suggested that Lewy's judgment were based "not on birth record but on a dictatorial conviction...

This ready acceptance tactic a Nazi-inspired wartime legend not bad a measure of Lewy's unqualifiedness to plumb the motives close Pius XII... There is cack-handed proof, in this book feel sorry anywhere else, that Pius Dozen thought Nazism was a 'bulwark' in defense of Christianity."

In the context of other ordered works examining the legacy get on to the Vatican in the epoch of the Holocaust, Lewy's labour has been described as "exceedingly harsh" but also seminal be proof against well-received.

America in Warfare

Lewy had suggested that consummate America in Vietnam, published encompass 1978, would "clear away nobility cobwebs of mythology that control the correct understanding of what went on -- and what went wrong -- in Vietnam." The text, which argues combat traditional or "orthodox" interpretations salary the war as an nonessential, unjust, and/or unwinnable war charged with disastrous mistakes and general American atrocities, has proven salient for many western scholars cruise share similar views of honourableness conflict.

It predated and feigned other reinterpretations including those disturb Norman Podhoretz, Mark Moyar, celebrated Michael Lind. America in Vietnam thus attracted both criticism beam support of Lewy for relationship to the "revisionist" school put your name down for Vietnam. Lewy argues,

It in your right mind the reasoned conclusion of that study...

that the sense in this area guilt created by the Annam war in the minds disturb many Americans is not meet and that the charges work officially, condoned illegal and grossly immoral conduct are without feeling. Indeed, detailed examination of tract practices reveals that the failure civilian life in Vietnam was less great than in Sphere War II and Korea captain that concern with minimizing dignity ravages of the war was strong.

To measure and be the devastation and loss be incumbent on human life caused by distinct war will be objectionable redo those who repudiate all makeshift to military force as be over instrument of foreign policy existing may be construed as insensitivity. Yet as long as wars do take place at perfect it remains a moral work to seek to reduce goodness agony caused by war, viewpoint the fulfillment of this profit should not be disdained.

Beside oneself hope that this book might help demonstrate that moral creed are not the exclusive title of persons in conscience conflicting to war, and that those who in certain circumstances receive the necessity and ethical absolutely of armed conflict also conduct care about human suffering.

Lewy criticizes what he terms the “war crime industry”, and what earth perceives to be the plane standards of the Western telecommunications, which, he alleged, neglected inhibit report equally on the crimes of Vietnamese communists, giving illustriousness figure of 36,725 political assassinations perpetrated by the VC/NVA amidst 1957 and 1972.

About dignity crimes committed by US joe six-pack, Guenter Lewy asserts that “between January 1965 and March 1973, 201 Army personnel in War were convicted by court-martial unconscious serious offenses against Vietnamese. Textile the period of March 1965 to August 1971, 77 Waiting were convicted of serious crimes against Vietnamese.”

In recalling nobleness 1971 congressional testimony of cruel US veterans who were faultfinding of the war, one make out whom compared US action etch Vietnam to genocide, Lewy suggests that some "witnesses sounded chimpanzee if they had memorized Boreal Vietnamese propaganda."

The book assessment broadly critical of domestic opponents of American participation in interpretation Vietnam War.

In using glory phrases "peace activists" or "peace demonstrations", Lewy often puts extract marks around the word "peace", implying alternative motivations for birth activism. The author alleges efficient possible connection between cases forged sabotage in the Navy careful the anti-war movement:

Between 1965 and 1970, the Navy youthful a growing number of cases of sabotage and arson backward its ships, but no ascertain could be found that antiwar activists had directly participated shut in a sabotage attempt on uncut Navy vessel.

Cases of fragging and avoidance of combat hawthorn well have been instigated horizontal times by antiwar militants, despite the fact that no hard evidence of released subversion was ever discovered.

The passage was praised by Vietnam experienced and current US Senator Jim Webb, Andrew J. Pierre pills Foreign Affairs, and by not too newspapers, including The Economist, which described it as "in multitudinous way the best history slant the war yet to appear".

Critics included historians of honesty "orthodox" school as well monkey polemical critics such as somebody and famous Vietnam War antagonist Noam Chomsky. Chomsky, after heart singled out for criticism stomach-turning Lewy in the book, wrote that "every state has betrayal Guenter Lewys". According to Linguist, Lewy's "concept of the scribble literary works of moral-historical tracts...

is untruth of documents, uncritical regurgitation pointer government claims, and dismissal take possession of annoying facts that contradict them, and [his] concept of ethicalness is such as to accurate virtually any atrocity against civilians once the state has be involved a arise its commands."

Winter Warrior Investigation

America in Vietnam, which appeared seven years after magnanimity Winter Soldier Investigation, became polemical in the context of integrity 2004 US Presidential Election.

Statesmanlike hopeful John Kerry had anachronistic involved with the Winter Champion Investigation; in the context break into the campaign, Lewy's suggestion go off at a tangent the Winter Soldier Investigation was dishonest and politically motivated was frequently cited to impugn Ablutions Kerry's reputation.

Vietnam Veterans Be against the War, the group curst which Kerry had been trim part, alleged that American contention policy and conduct in Annam was resulting in warcrimes utilize committed.

Lewy suggests that say publicly group used "fake witnesses" etch the Winter Soldier hearing notch Detroit, and that its allegations were formally investigated:

The emolument of the investigation, carried leak out by the Naval Investigative Referee, are interesting and revealing. Patronize of the veterans, though selfassured that they would not keep going questioned about the atrocities they might have committed personally, refused to be interviewed.

One possession the active members of rendering VVAW told investigators that authority leadership had directed the inclusive membership not to cooperate narrow military authorities. A black sea who agreed to be interviewed was unable to provide trivialities of the outrages he challenging described at the hearing, nevertheless he called the Vietnam combat "one huge atrocity" and "a racist plot." He admitted range the question of atrocities esoteric not occurred to him dimension he was in Vietnam, add-on that he had been aided in the preparation of dominion testimony by a member guide the Nation of Islam.

On the contrary the most damaging finding consisted of the sworn statements sustenance several veterans, corroborated by witnesses, that they had in naked truth not attended the hearing tab Detroit. One of them challenging never been to Detroit increase twofold all his life. He plain-spoken not know, he stated, who might have used his name.

Government officials today have no measuring tape of any such Naval Inquisitive Service report, although they promote that it could have archaic lost or destroyed.

Lewy subsequent said that he could need recall if he had in reality seen the alleged report atmosphere simply been told of wellfitting contents. "I don't think Lewy is interested in presenting cockamamie of [the Winter Soldier testimony] as truthful," University of Richmond history professor Ernest Bolt low the Chicago Tribune. "He has an angle on the armed conflict as a whole." Bolt oral it is impossible to impart whether Lewy fairly characterized nobility naval investigative report because maladroit thumbs down d other historian had seen stir.

The Nazi Persecution outline the Gypsies

Dignity Introduction is devoted to nobleness long story of violence be against Gypsies before than the Nazis take power, with a tricks focus on the laws adoptive in Bavaria and some block out German Länder in the give up of XIXth century and complicated the beginning of XXth 100, showing the continuity between ethics last year of Weimar State 2 and the first years hold Nazi regime.

In a spell entitled "Roots of Hostility", Guenter Lewy argues that prejudice evolution the main reason of representation persecution against Gypsies before 1933 is prejudice, and that influence Gypsies are not a furious people, but adds that warp bigotry is not always the unique reason; the misbehavior of straight minority among nomadic Gypsies premeditated also to hostility and prejudices.

The book was praised wedge Saul Friedlander, who called mimic "a work of great compassionateness and exemplary scholarship." According abut Holocaust historian Raul Hilberg, "Lewy's account of Nazi measures surface the powerless Gypsies is paramount in the English language." Henriette Asséo, lecturer at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (School of Advanced Studies in Social Sciences, Paris), professional of Gypsy history, wrote saunter Guenter Lewy's book "requires demureness, giving a new, considerable documentation", adding, however, that the denial of "genocide" label can accredit "discussed" Hans Mommsen agreed entirely with Guenter Lewy, including lay into the rejection of "genocide" requirement.

The book has also antediluvian singled out for criticism, singularly by Romani scholars, who consider that it blames the Roma people for their own butchery. Lewy's work has been criticized as a text which "overstates" the differences of the abuse of Jews and the maltreatment of Roma in the Totalitarian era, in a manner significative of "the priorities of recent scholarship, about the way mosey the murder of the Jews has been promoted to blow away so much of the put to flight of the Nazi record take up atrocity".

Were American Indians the Victims of Genocide?

In September 2004, Lewy published potent essay entitled Were American Indians the Victims of Genocide?:

[E]ven if some episodes can nurture considered genocidal—that is, tending deal with genocide—they certainly do not uphold condemning an entire society.

Sulness is personal, and for worthy reason the Genocide Convention provides that only "persons" can rectify charged with the crime, unquestionably even ruling out legal case against governments.

As to whether description American Indian experience resembles representation fate of the Jews foul up the Nazi regime:

No concern how difficult the conditions get it wrong which the Indians labored—obligatory borer, often inadequate food and alexipharmic care, corporal punishment—their experience pierce no comparison with the coincidental of the Jews in description ghettos.

The paper is highly massive of Ward Churchill, particularly give back regards to his attributing honourableness word "genocide" to the strike at the foundations of of American Indian civilization.

Lewy dismissed Churchill's assertion that influence U.S. Army intentionally spread pox among American Indians by allotment infected blankets in 1837 introduce bogus.

The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey

In The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide, Lewy argues that there is insufficient strive of the Young Turk arrangement organizing the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

According to Professor Tessa Hoffmann regard Berlin's Free University, Lewy esoteric conceived of the idea receive writing on the Armenian Killing as early as 2000:

In his book he states ramble the killings were not devastation, because they have not bent proven to have been governmentally organized, and also because “the argument that the deportations complain reality constituted a premeditated promulgation of extermination of the Armenians of Turkey is difficult disturb square with many aspects stomach characteristics of the relocations”, counting the non deportation of Asian communities of cities like Metropolis, Smyrna (Izmir) and Aleppo; depiction fact that “the trek splitting up foot that took so various lives was imposed only speculate the Armenian in eastern final central Anatolia, a part presumption the country that had cack-handed railroad.

Although the one-spur Bagdad railway was overburdened with magnanimity transport of troops and machinery, the deportees from the pander to provinces and Cilicia who confidential the money were allowed be against purchase ticket by rail last were spared at least trying of the tribulations of character deportation process”; the “great tie of variation of variation” exhibitted by the resettlement process, “that depended on factors such since geography and the attitude handle local officials”.

According to Guenter Lewy, “the Ottoman government loved to arrange an orderly occasion, but did not have say publicly means to do so.”

About the number of Armenian chumps, Guenter Lewy argues that stirring “can only be estimated, thanks to no death statistics for that period exist”; calculating the ruin losses of Ottoman Armenians mid 1914 and 1919, Guenter Lewy uses the figure of 1,750,000 individuals for the pre-war social order in the whole Ottoman Reign, figure used by historians passion Charles Dowsett and Malcolm Tie.

Yapp, then estimate the consider of survivors in 1919 put up around 1,108,000, making an standard of several estimations, including high-mindedness tabulation of George Montgomery (American official in the Paris calm conference in charge of Nigh on East) and the figure acquire the Armenian National Council round Constantinople; so, Guenter Lewy estimates the total losses for Earth War I to around 642,000.

Lewy's research on this most recent related topics has been criticized by University of California, Solon professor Keith David Watenpaugh:

[Lewy's] recent writings on feed violence including those on Catalogue Americans, the Roma, and say to the Armenians indicate a solution that the Shoah was goodness unique genocide of the Twentieth century, a position generally spurned by scholars of the Firestorm.

the larger purpose of Lewy's intellectual output ...[is] to gather together a conceptual lattice for Extermination exceptionalism and defend political claims that might be derived thereby.

According to David B. MacDonald, Lewy "actually denies the Asiatic genocide in a manner equivalent to his denial of ethics American Indian and Roma genocides", and "while the sources sand uses are either Turkish distortion pro-Turkish, Lewy insists that 'debate' is ongoing and there has been no resolution".

MacDonald total the score the fac out that sources like Kamuran Gurun and Bernard Lewis "hardly demonstrate the existence of undiluted genuine academic dispute".

According say yes the Intelligence Report journal discovery Southern Poverty Law Center,

"Lewy is one of the wellnigh active members of a lattice of American scholars, influence peddlers and website operators, financed by means of hundreds of thousands of dialect poke each year from the administration of Turkey, who promote description denial of the Armenian genocide — a network so influential think it over it was able last bend to defy both historical fact and enormous political pressure give somebody no option but to convince America's lawmakers and regular its president to reverse long-held policy positions.

But it's cry only Armenians calling the killing a genocide, and there decline no real debate about well-fitting essential details, according to rank vast majority of credible historians. Although Lewy's brand of fire denial is subtler than meander of Holocaust deniers who confirm there were no gas accommodation at Auschwitz, it's no entertaining an attempt to rewrite history."

Mark Potok, the editor of Astuteness Report, wrote that "Despite honourableness efforts of people like Lewy—many of them funded by justness Turkish government—the facts of significance Armenian genocide are quite sufficiently known.

The ruling party racket the day massacred intellectuals, nominal hundreds of thousands of Armenians into what amounted to contract killing marches, and systematically despoiled say publicly victims of their property. Academician Raphael Lemkin coined the locution "genocide" in 1943 with high-mindedness Armenian slaughter in mind.

Unveil 2005, the International Association be totally convinced by Genocide Scholars wrote the Turki foreign minister to remind him that the massacre of Religion Armenians was indeed 'a organized genocide'."

On November 17, 2008, Guenter Lewy filed a misrepresentation suit against the Southern Paucity Law Center, Inc., and writer-editor David Holthouse in the Mutual States District Court for rendering District of Columbia.

On Sept 28, 2010, the case was settled when the SPLC transnational to publish a retraction bear apologize to Lewy, for indicating that he was "a Land agent". In its statement, distinction SPLC stated that it difficult to understand erred in assuming that "any scholar who challenges the Asian genocide narrative necessarily has archaic financially compromised by the authority of Turkey." The settlement inert Lewy included an undisclosed financial payment.

Lewy's council in honourableness case, David Salzman and Physician Fein, lead the Turkish Inhabitant Legal Defense Fund.

About greatness vote of IAGS, Guenter Lewy wrote:

I am less go one better than impressed by the unanimous ballot of the International Association classic Genocide Scholars that the Ethnos case “was one of grandeur major genocides of the up to date era.” The great majority learn these self-proclaimed experts on Seat history have never set plinth in an archive or run-down any other original research act the subject in question.

According to Joseph Albert Kechichian, hand in the International Journal depose Middle East Studies,:

... Lewy has been amply rewarded by Turkish authorities in Ankara and abroad through the propulsion of a massive campaign barter distribute his book free surrounding charge to libraries and other than select groups of diplomats.

Akin to noteworthy, Lewy has been beautiful at a special ceremony attach Ankara with, ironically, the İnsanlığa Karşı İşlenen Suçlar Yüksek Ödülü (High Award for Fighting assimilate Opposition to Crimes Against Humanity)... [by] a well-known organization whose mission includes the systematic disaffirmation of the Armenian genocide read propagandistic and partisan research stand for publications; the organization is advocated and underwritten by the Turki government.

Writing in the International Journal of Middle East Studies, Professor of Political Science Archangel Gunter has argued that honesty fact that Lewy's book was distributed free to libraries does not demonstrate that the intention of the book is in some way illegitimate. Nor does the accomplishment that Lewy was presented revamp an award by the Heart for Eurasian Strategic Studies (ASAM), a Turkish think tank, bear out that he is lying get into is in the service cosy up the Turkish government.

Indeed, acquire many parts of his hardcover, Lewy is highly critical describe the quasi-official Turkish position which speaks of "so-called massacres".

Michael Gunter points out that Lewy's book has been praised coarse many reviewers, including the Footstool military historian Edward J. Erickson in the International Journal give an account of Middle East Studies and descendant the German scholar of reciprocal genocide, Eberhard Jäckel, in picture Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of Stride 23, 2006.

Masaki Kakiszaki matching the University of Utah assesses Lewy's work as follows secure Critical Middle Eastern Studies:

The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey is an important accomplishment bid a political scientist who has worked on comparative studies hold genocidal issues. He not sui generis incomparabl spells out many inconsistencies, inconsequential reasoning, and presentation of imitation historical documents appearing in blue blood the gentry Armenian and Turkish accounts on the other hand also identifies where researchers require to go for further query.

The attack against Lewy's notebook and the controversy created infant Peter Balakian and others who share his views indicate class problem of academic freedom remind you of speech with respect to goings-on associated with the Turkish-Armenian conflicts. There are coordinated efforts in and out of Armenian NGOs and scholars combat silence and suppress different interpretations about the events of 1915.

Fatih Balci (University of Utah) and Arif Argul (Princeton University) praised Guenter Lewy's conclusions:

There could be some mistakes in the history, but park should be more objective board enlighten those mistaken events co-worker the helping of the historians. Guenter Lewy’s book, The Ethnos Massacres in Ottoman Turkey, Uncluttered Disputed Genocide, mainly focuses cult the massacres in Ottoman Fowl, and he strongly stands illustration the way of the truths which he finds from description historical documents.

After all, oversight mentions that trustfully the deaths of Armenians in Ottoman Gallinacean can not be called “genocide”. There were some deaths however they can not be christened as genocide. For calling conflagration, it is needed to take a look at the distinctness of genocide which is mainly accepted to intention to devastation of one group.

To have the result that or say genocide for apartment house event it has to titivate an intention of annihilation. Increase by two the Armenian case the essential aim was not based amount owing the intention of Armenian devastation. The only thing was deporting· the Armenians from some seats only for security purposes, by reason of the Armenians became a open problem for the Turks extensive World War I with righteousness rebellions and armed guerillas sentiment the country.

Canadian historian person in charge journalist Gwynne Dyer supported as well Guenter Lewy's thesis, writing:

“What happened to the Armenians was dreadful, but as Lewy certificate in his new book ‘The Armenian Massacres in Ottoman Turkey: A Disputed Genocide,’ which decision most likely become the ordinary work on the subject, both premeditation and an intention nominate annihilate, two preconditions for destruction, were either absent or console least open to considerable dispute.”

On the other hand, goodness prominent genocide scholar Taner Akçam published a lengthy review designate Lewy's work, criticizing his sound out and lack of familiarity touch the workings of the Seat state.

He also faulted him for basing his arguments turn down questionable premises and making show a preference for use of sources which follow to his own views instruct conclusions.

Uniqueness of nobility Holocaust

In the Journal scrupulous Genocide Research, David Stannard callinged Guenter Lewy

one epitome the last of a vanishing breed: the extreme "uniqueness" champion determined to assert—in the appearance of contrary and increasingly indescribable fact and logic—that, of border the mass killings that take ever occurred in the anecdote of the world, only illustriousness Holocaust, or more precisely glory Shoah, rose to the echelon of true "genocide."

According divulge Lewy (referring to a former version of this entry),

The same canard appears induce the Wikipedia article about soupзon which states that my a variety of publications "promote the singularity announcement the genocide of Jews advance the Holocaust" and in hit reviews of my work.

Lewy comments:

Let me charisma to set the record straight: In none of my facts have I ever asserted description uniqueness or singularity of goodness Holocaust, and indeed I activity not believe that the Genocide is the only instance all but mass killing that deserves standing be classified as an bear down on of genocide.

With Yehuda Bauer I would call the Extermination unprecedented but not unique, on account of the term unique suggests delay something like the Holocaust stare at never happen again. In objective of fact, later in justness twentieth century we witnessed class terrible genocides of Cambodia nearby Rwanda. I would welcome plumb if critics of my pierce would limit themselves to dealings with the substance of inaccurate positions rather than falsely blame to me ulterior motives.

Published works

מקור המאמר:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guenter_Lewy

המאמר מזכיר את האנשים הבאים:Guenter Lewy

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