Lazy Germans, lively Jews, and the poison of envy: Götz Aly on the background of the Holocaust. Why the Jews? Why the Germans? Questions that have been raised repeatedly since the Holocaust. The renowned historian Götz Aly provides provocative answers in his new book. He describes the reluctance to modernize and the fear of freedom among many Christian Germans during the 19th and early 20th centuries. In contrast, many German Jews were enthusiastic about urban life and higher education; they knew how to take advantage of societal change. And the sluggish non-Jews increasingly watched them with envy. This is how their national arrogance and a new, ultimately murderous antisemitism could arise. Götz Aly once again succeeds in giving a surprising twist to the interpretation of German history.