KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps
The complete history of the SS camp system, from the improvised cellars of 1933 to the death marches of 1945.
The Verdict
The whole system, from first to last — the definitive single-volume history of the Nazi concentration camps. Nikolaus Wachsmann traces them from the improvised SA cellars of 1933, through the prewar camps and the wartime explosion into instruments of mass murder, to the death marches of 1945. He keeps perpetrators and prisoners in the same frame, resisting both abstraction and sensationalism. Twenty years of research stand behind it; it is demanding, indispensable, and now the standard work on how the camp system actually functioned and grew.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- The complete history of the SS camp system
- The system explained, not just witnessed
- Perpetrators and prisoners held in one account
- Serious study of the Holocaust
Look elsewhere if you want
- A first, accessible book on the Holocaust (read Levi or Anne Frank)
- A single survivor's story
- A short treatment
Why We Rated It 4.6
Historical Context
KL (from the German Konzentrationslager) traces the Nazi camp system from its origins in 1933 through its wartime transformation into a machinery of forced labour and mass murder, to its collapse in 1945. Published in 2015 after roughly two decades of research, it integrates the experiences of prisoners with the structures and personnel of the SS.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Collector's Corner
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-0374535926
Read This Against
The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.
Other Books About the Same Events
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does the title KL mean?
- It is the German abbreviation for Konzentrationslager — concentration camp.
- Is KL a good first book on the Holocaust?
- It is comprehensive but demanding; most readers come to it after a more personal introduction such as Levi or Anne Frank.