Entanglements of the British Empire, the Holocaust and the Perpetration of Extreme Violence

This three-year project takes the starting point that British history cannot be understood in marked contrast to Nazi genocide, but rather provides an important historical context to the violence of fascism in Europe.

It analyses the entanglements of the British Empire and the Holocaust, related to contexts of racial violence and colonial worldviews. The central focus of this project is British troops who fought in colonial contexts during World War II and after.

It analyses what British soldiers knew about the Holocaust throughout World War II and how they discussed, disseminated and processed this information, particularly in relation to racial perspectives.

Drawing on a theoretical framework from studies on mass violence and transimperial history this project examines how these troops understood and rationalised this violence.

These men went on to participate in colonial warfare in the post-war period, and if, and how, they reflected on their actions in the context of Nazi genocide, their experiences in the war, and human rights rhetoric will be examined.

These events are analysed within one analytical framework which assesses these men and their careers within a continuity, rather than treating their WWII and imperial careers as separate phenomena.

This project works towards a more nuanced understanding of the historical contexts of the Holocaust and racism, as well as new knowledge on the entanglements of the British Empire, its World War II campaign and the Holocaust.