"And just so with the Holocaust: any explanation that hinges on the psychological characteristics of people is a nonstarter, because the Holocaust was the product of a complex ensemble of social relations. Without conducive social structure and technology (e.g., bureaucratic organization, mass transportation, recordkeeping), the Holocaust would have been impossible, Hitler's vicious hatred notwithstanding."
Just so. Also, let's not forget that what the Germans were able to do in eastern europe would not have been possible without the assistance of the locals. Where that assistance was not forthcoming, they had a much harder time.
Joanna