Germany and Its Gypsies

This volume examines the plight of gypsies in Germany before, during and since the era of the Third Reich. The book reveals the painful record of the official treatment of the German Gypsies, a people whose future, in the shadow of Auschwitz, remains uncertain. Margalit follows the story from the heightened racism of the 19th century, to the National Socialist genocidal policies that resulted in the murder of most German Gypsies, from the shifting attitudes in the two Germanys in 1945, through reunification and up to the present day. Drawing upon a variety of sources, Margalit considers the pivotal historic events, legal arguments, debates and changing attitudes toward the status of the German Gypsies, aiming to throw light on the issue of ethnic groups and their victimization in society.