The book begins with general remarks on pogrom. It then describes the first pogrom of all—that of Pharaoh as described in the Book of Exodus. The Birth of the Jewish Nation takes place in pogrom.
The Death of the Nation takes place in the Rome pogrom of A.D. 70. Thereafter there are only Jews of the Dispersion. Both of these pogroms are non-Christian in origin. They are the ways of despots faced with a distinctive and exclusive minority who will not be integrated with the conquering empire. Jewish imputability for the death of Christ is estimated.
The first great Christian pogrom—that of the Crusades—is examined. In the background is the difficulty of Egypt and Rome, made sharper by the Christian unity of Europe. In the foreground is that amalgam of despair and discontent which was the lot of serfdom, and its need for a scapegoat in times of crisis. The Jew was the scapegoat on the pre-logical idea that he was the murderer of Christ or at least the son of the murderer.
Attention is now focused on the well-organised Jewry of Spain—the attempt to integrate it by forced baptism, the failure of that attempt and the resolution of the problem by banishing the Jews.
In England pogrom proceeds at two levels. At the level of the Crown Jews are bought, sold, taxed and treated like cattle. At the popular level they are envied for their money, and the great lie of Europe is invented that they are ritual murderers of Christian boys. The character of Shylock is examined and that of Portia compared with Esther—the Old and New Testament Eves. The cost to Christendom of failing to integrate the Jews is estimated.
Pogrom is now considered in the post-Christian world in which Communists and Nazis form the vanguard. Even here Christian residues operate in their post-Christian perception of the Jew. He is abominable, demonic and the Judas Iscariot of the Party. He is the economic scapegoat in the rival religions of Capitalism and Communism, the Outsider in the heightened cult of German and Russian nationalism, more than ever the Black Shadow of post-Christian man who has forgotten that the Messiah ever came. As the symbol of Capitalism Nazis burn him. As the scapegoat of Communism, Communists liquidate him.
Only in a climate of total Christianity can he hope for any security at all.