Léon Poliakov
Léon Poliakov was a French historian who was born on November 25, 1910, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and died on December 8, 1997. He is best known for his extensive works on the history of anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and the racial theories prevalent in Nazi Germany. Poliakov's family fled the Bolshevik Revolution and eventually settled in France, where he pursued his education and later his career as a historian.
During World War II, Poliakov was interned in a concentration camp in France due to his Jewish heritage. After the war, he worked for the Nuremberg Trials, where he began his research into the Nazi regime and its ideologies. This work led to his lifelong dedication to studying the Holocaust and the history of anti-Semitism. Poliakov wrote more than 30 books, contributing significantly to the understanding and documentation of the Holocaust and racial discrimination.
One of his most notable works is the four-volume 'The History of Anti-Semitism', which remains a fundamental resource for scholars studying the origins and evolution of anti-Semitism. His work has been influential in the field of Holocaust studies and continues to be cited by scholars and historians. Poliakov's contributions have been recognized with several awards, and his books have been translated into multiple languages, reflecting his impact on historical scholarship worldwide.