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Reading Response #2
Accomplices to Extermination:
Municipal Government and the Holocaust in Kharkiv, 1941-42
By Yuri Radchenko
Emma Harlow
201103855
History 364:20 The Holocaust
Dr. Samuel Kalman
Saint Francis Xavier University, March 2, 2015
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This discussion reading, Accomplices to Extermination: Municipal Government
and the Holocaust in Kharkiv, 1941-42 by Yuri Radchenko, was a writing that examined the
collaboration and ghettoization in Ukraine. As acknowledged by Dr. Radchenko there was a
large degree of discretion of the “actual mechanisms of local authorities’ role in the killing and in
the plundering of victims’ property have [has] remained obscure”i leaving the role of local
government in Ukraine “essentially unclear”ii. However, value can still be derived from this
reading even without an exhaustive list of literary facts.
First, Dr. Radchenko sets the historic stage of the atrocity of the ghettoization in the
Ukraine. He then discusses the Judenrat, a council set up by the Kharkiv Municipal Council. This
was a Jewish elder council used to fulfill German command. The creation of the Judenrat
allowed the Nazis to retain total control while giving the illusion of shifting the responsibility of
these heinous crimes into the hands of the elders. “The Nazis look upon them [local government
agencies] as servants not partners.”iii Mr. Radchenko then describes the horrific persecution
against the Jews; stripping them of their civil rights, ostracizing all ages and sexes, and
permitting the murders of Jews with virtual no consequence. This eventually led to the creation
of the Jewish ghetto. The concept of the Jewish race as a dangerous parasite was further
embedded as the Jews mandated to live in the ghetto were “…determined not by religion and
citizenship but by race”.iv
Dr. Radchenko was forthright in exposing any bias that might occur in the writing. He
alerted the reader to the fact that evidence was gathered from witness testimony and primarily
internal documentation of the Kharkiv Municipal Council as well as the State Archives of
Kharkiv Oblast. This gives the reader clear insight that this recount of events would be limited to
the memories of the witnesses, which were often distorted over time or given under physical
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suasion, as well from Government internal records which were likely documented in self-interest
and misrepresented events.
By understanding these limitations one is able to examine micro cases in order to gain a
deeper understanding of the horrors that developed in Ukraine in the mid-twentieth century. By
examining witness testimony in conjunction with numerical data, the reader can better
understand an overall picture of the atrocities while making it easier to empathize on an
individual basis.
In addition to Dr. Radchenko lengthy discussion about the treatment of the Jews in terms
of possession, property, hygiene, nourishment and coerced absence other fundamental basic
needs, there is considerable examination of non-Jewish citizens. As concluded by historian Dan
Goldhagen, the participation in the ostracization and the murder of Jews by ordinary men was
largely motivated by group pressure and the habit of obeying orders rather than of political
conviction. While this conclusion does not ignore deep racial tensions, it observes the average
citizen was primarily motivated to participate in these cynical acts through segmentation and
routinization of tasks, ideological indoctrination, conformity and the opportunity to advance
personal standards of living through social movement. At the time Ukraine was still recovering
from the famine imposed on them by Soviet Union in the 1930’s. This haunting period was still
prevalent in the lives of many and service in municipal councils was seen as a preventative
measure as well a chance to obtain privileges and pursue opportunity.
Regardless of their motive, the Nazis success of this genocide would have been
undoubtedly diminished without the participation of the local workers who spoke local languages
and knew the localities intimately. This is echoed throughout history, with success only being
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possible if one can mobilize the masses whether it be through coercion, fear, self-interest, or
loyalty.
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References
Radchenko, Y. (2013). Accomplices to Extermination: Municipal Government and the Holocaust
in Kharkiv, 1941-1942. Holocaust and Genocide Studies, 443-463.
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Radchenko, Y. (2013). Accomplices to Extermination: Municipal Government and the Holocaust in Kharkiv, 19411942. Holocaust and Genocide Studies, p.444.
ii
Ibid p.443.
iii
Ibid p.457.
iv
Ibid p.450.