This volume investigates the evolution and intensification of anti-Semitic ideology in Europe between 1870 and 1933, questioning how societal shifts facilitated the rise of systemic prejudice. Leon Poliakov, a noted historian of anti-Semitism, utilizes a rigorous analytical framework to examine the transition from traditional religious bias to modern, racialized propaganda. He argues that the post-emancipation era fostered a climate where perceived Jewish success in financial and intellectual spheres was weaponized to justify political exclusion and social hostility. The text systematically documents the mechanisms by which these narratives were constructed and disseminated across the continent.

Scholars frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the historical trajectory of European anti-Semitism. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a comprehensive and sobering look at the ideological precursors to the Holocaust.