“Revisionist” history is history writing that challenges official or orthodox portrayals of the past. All productive and worthwhile historical writing is “revisionist” in the sense that it takes into account newly available historical evidence and new insights and perspectives.

The most bold and controversial revisionists are those who challenge official or orthodox claims about the treatment of Europe’s Jews during the Second World War. In some countries, “Holocaust denial” is a crime, and persons who express skepticism of Holocaust claims are punished with imprisonment or fines, or are forced into exile.