In his book, Marrus was able to offer a synthesis such as the Functionalist vs Intentionalist views of the origins of the Holocaust. Marrus wants the Holocaust to be seen as tragedy for humanity, not just Jews. Marrus's book the Holocaust in History is a well-regarded historiographical survey. Furthermore, Marrus and Paxton argued that Vichy was more brutal than other European states occupied by the Germans.
He co-wrote with Robert Paxton a book on Vichy France that shows that the anti-semitism of Vichy was not imposed by the Germans, that at times Vichy was more brutal towards the French Jews than the Germans and the French state played a leading and indispensable role in organizing the deportation of Jews to death camps.
Marrus is an expert on the history of French Jewry and anti-semitism. He is a Professor Emeritus of Holocaust Studies at the University of Toronto. He was born in Toronto and received his BA at the University of Toronto in 1963 and his MA and PhD at the University of California, Berkeley in 19. Michael Robert Marrus, CM FRSC is a Canadian historian of France, the Holocaust and Jewish history.
