Daniel Goldhagen's book on the Holocaust-condemning the German ''elimi
nationist'' mindset toward Jews-has become an international bestseller
and a datum in German-American relations. Pity, because it is a simpl
istic, monocausal, and unhistorical explanation of one of the most com
plex horrors in history. For Goldhagen, as for the Nazis, Hitler is Ge
rmany.