ABSTRACT

The story of the Third Reich comprises predictable elements that are expected to appear in a certain sequence and in preexisting clusters that are almost automatic. Such automation means that the appearance of elements in a given story singles it out as a “story of the Third Reich and the Holocaust.” Concentration camps, terror, persecution of minorities, torture and molestation of innocent human beings, executions, transports by freight trains and trucks-all are perceived as being part of this story.