Nicholas Wachsmann

Nicholas Wachsmann, a Professor of Modern European History at Birkbeck University and author of "KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps," shares insights into the grim history of Auschwitz. He discusses the swift dismantling of German democracy post-1933 and the origins of concentration camps. The conversation highlights the transformation of Auschwitz into a site of mass murder, the radicalization of Nazi policies against Jews, and anecdotal accounts of prisoner resilience amid despair. Wachsmann emphasizes the importance of remembering these atrocities to prevent the repetition of history.