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The Nazis: A Warning from History
Britský dokumentarista přibližuje historický vzestup, mocensko-politický rozmach a pád nacistické třetí říše. Zrod nacistické ideologie, vznik a význam nacistického hnutí v německé společnosti, Hitlerovo jmenování kancléřem, konstituování nacistického režimu, expanzivní zahraniční politika nacistů a druhá světová válka. Rees se však nezabývá historií válečného konfliktu, ale snaží se postihnout podstatu nacismu - cílem je odhalit kořeny počínání nacistů a jejich spřízněnců. Populárně-naučný výklad režiséra televizních pořadů BBC.
Hardcover
First published September 11, 1997
About the author
Laurence Rees
31 books329 followersIn addition to writing, Rees has also produced films about World War II for the BBC.
In New York in January 2009, Laurence was presented with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by ‘History Makers’, the worldwide congress of History and Current Affairs programme makers
In 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (DUniv) by The Open University(UK).
In New York in January 2009, Laurence was presented with the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by ‘History Makers’, the worldwide congress of History and Current Affairs programme makers
In 2011 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (DUniv) by The Open University(UK).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
January 13, 2022
In the words of Karl Jaspers "That which has happened is a warning. To forget it is guilt. It must be continually remembered. It was possible for this to happen, and it remains possible for it to happen again at any minute. Only in knowledge can it be prevented". This is an exceptional book companion to the exceptional TV series, that pulls no punches and exposes the Nazis for the inhumane butchers they were, and also how callous, inefficient, dysfunctional etc. they were. The book destroys myths about how efficient they were at anything but killing and causing destruction. A collection of historical facts, with a huge array of verified sources and interviews that everyone should read and understand the truth about the Nazis, how they operated, how they killed and how they truly saw themselves as the Ubermensch. 11 out of 12, Five Star read.
NAZI death squad in the Ukraine
2012 read
NAZI death squad in the Ukraine
2012 read
June 3, 2020
I have read very many books about World War II in Europe, some scholarly, some not. This, while not a scholarly study, is the most readable volume on the topic I have encountered. Originally composed to accompany a multi-part BBC documentary on the topic, it was expanded with more material on the war in the East, with the USSR, for this edition. A relatively recent publication, author Rees and his aides had access to records which only became available after the end of the cold war. Similarly, they were able to interview over one hundred persons, military and civilian, from both sides, persons whose accounts evocatively flesh out the historical narrative and the opinions of the author as regards such questions as:
--Why was Hitler so popular?
--Why was Stalin so popular?
--Why did the Germans go on fighting when defeat was inevitable?
--How did the Germans apprehend and rationalize their 'eugenic' policies?
--How do surviving Nazis view their actions during the war today?
--Why was Hitler so popular?
--Why was Stalin so popular?
--Why did the Germans go on fighting when defeat was inevitable?
--How did the Germans apprehend and rationalize their 'eugenic' policies?
--How do surviving Nazis view their actions during the war today?
May 15, 2020
"There was another dimension to their support for the Third Reich that wasn’t ‘rational’ at all. Instead, it was emotional and based on faith... Hitler scarcely ever mentioned anything so dull as ‘policies’. Instead he offered a leadership couched in visions and dreams... Many people... like being told they are ‘superior’ to others merely by virtue of their birth, and that recent catastrophic events in their country’s history were nothing to do with them, but the result of some shady ‘international conspiracy’."
I am incredibly surprised that so few people know about this book.
I'm no stranger to WW2. It was taught repeatedly during school years, not to mention being a topic that has been covered time and again by documentaries, books, films, and drama series. Although no expert, I have a good sense of what happened where and when. And while this book sketches out the familiar timeline, it is primarily concerned with the WHY. This is a deep dive, drawing from intensive eyewitness interviews among other sources, into the whys behind why the Nazis did what they did, and why people not part of the leadership supported them.
Those interviewed appear to fall into three groups: the deeply ashamed who were horrified at their own complicity; the completely unrepentant, shocking in their vitriol; and those who denied or downplayed it, even though they clearly did remember their part.
This book made me feel sick at times. I had to put it down for a while because of queasiness. And I wasn't unaware of the horrors of WW2 going in. But some specific incidents - thoroughly detailed by people who were actually there - were so grisly that it turned my stomach. At the same time, the book is extremely compelling. The author asked the hard questions, and it is incredibly important that we hear the answers. Given that over 20 years have passed since publication, it's unlikely the opportunity exists any more to examine such candid and grilling interviews from those who witnessed the war atrocities and ethnic cleansings of WW2.
What was truly chilling for me was the parallels in the modern day. Among the testimonies are included descriptions of feeling good about the Nazi regime because they promoted a sense of self-pride at the cost of scapegoatism, and accounts of fairytales attributing actual magic to Jews and conspiracy theories that were literally impossible. I've seen people today expressing similar views about other groups - sometimes, desperately sadly, the same groups who are still on the receiving end of utterly ignorant fear, hatred, and greed. For some people, if they were benefitting, then it wasn't their problem; and some went further, opportunistically denouncing neighbours who weren't even part of derided groups, purely in hopes of being given seized wealth.
Hitler's modus operandi has stark similarities with current figures in power: he didn't have much interest in detailed policy, he made broad promises and told his subordinates to work out the logistics, in fact spending of most of his day in leisure and sports. He also encouraged those subordinates to fight among themselves, so that if something went wrong he could deny he ever had a part in it, get rid of the architect, and allow his rival to have a go. Intelligent solutions were not considered important, loyalty was, so Hitler often favoured those who strove to express the most radical views in his presence and the most extreme schemes, regardless of whether those proposals were logisticaly impossible. Interviewees who worked as part of the regime's government testified that no one took Mein Kampf seriously, thinking that these demands and ideas were just crazy dreams never intended literally. Those such as Ribbentrop who would parrot Hitler's ideas back at him slightly rephrased found that Hitler praised their excellent judgment. Hitler openly stated that he was prepared to say absolutely anything to get what he wanted, and then go back on it:
As Hitler acknowledged when he spoke to the commanding generals of the German Army Groups in the summer of 1942, he was prepared to say whatever he felt any situation demanded: ‘Were it not for the psychological effect, I would go as far as I could; I would say, “Let’s set up a fully independent Ukraine.” I would say it without blinking and then not do it anyway...’
Ultimately this led to a cannibalisation of the German people as the war began to go against them and Hitler became increasingly furious about how the German people had 'failed' him. Ethnic Germans in Poland who'd been moved to better land (taken from Poles and Jews) but complained of feeling homesick were sent to concentration camps. Military commanders who objected to suicidal orders were relieved of their posts for weakness in not believing that their troops would prevail. Beleaguered Nazi soldiers freezing at Stalingrad were punished if they got frostbite because they were 'sabotaging the war effort'. Finally, in a spectacular tantrum, the order was given to destroy everything in Germany that might be of use to the Allies or Soviets:
Hitler summed up his feelings at a military situation conference on 18 April when he said, ‘If the German people lose the war, then they will have proved themselves unworthy of me.’
It almost boggles the mind how these people were able to dehumanise others in their minds, how they were able to think nothing of anticipating 30 million deaths as a result of the proposed Eastern campaign policies and give it the go ahead, to give children human excrement to eat when they weren't being shot. There seems to have been a complete inability to recognise that anyone outside of one's self, or one's group, has the same agency and capacity to dream and think and hope and fear. It's disgusting.
"Hitler... saw his mission to make [the peoples of Eastern Europe] less civilized than even he thought they already were. Their level of education was to be, as he described it, ‘just enough to understand our highway signs so that they won’t get themselves run over by our vehicles’... Hitler looked across the Atlantic to the violent colonization of the American West for a practical lesson in how to deal with the population of the German-occupied territories: ‘There’s only one duty: to Germanize this country by the immigration of Germans, and to look upon the natives as Redskins.’"
More people should read this book.
May 27, 2013
There was a period of my life when I studiously avoided history books about World War Two, there were so many, enough to fill a library and each year there seem to be even more books. I don’t know why I picked this book up, it was probably on sale somewhere and I seem to recall it was part of a special, three books for £5 or something like that and it’s stayed on my bookshelf until the other night when I actually sat down and started reading it.
The Nazi horror that affected millions is part of common knowledge and yet we are forever haunted by the facts surrounding it. In particular the fact that it was an intelligent white nation committing the most barbaric acts of the twentieth century against Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, homosexuals. The question that has always nagged at me is why? How could it happen? Why wasn’t it stopped? And could it happen again?
Laurence Rees has attempted to answer that question amongst others with this companion book to the BBC series of the same name. He charts the growth of the Nazi party from the chaos of the Armistice right through the twenties and thirties and Hitler’s rise to power. He takes a more objective view of the atrocities but doesn’t hold back his disgust at the crimes. He does however attempt to explain why Hitler was so loved and adored. He wasn’t a particularly intelligent man, nor did the Nazi party have much of a policy platform. Hitler seemed content to seize power and then delegate his subordinates to do the dirty work. He did have the gift of the gab and one is reminded of the power of the press and propaganda. It was the latter which probably contributed more to the Nazis rise to power than anything else.
Rees does show us that the Nazi machine was not the methodical model of efficiency that we’ve been taught to believe. On the contrary it was remarkably disorganised from the very beginning, it was only later on during the invasion of France that we seem some kind of organisation. According to the book the Final Solution came about gradually and although there is no smoking gun by his admission he is adamant that those at the top knew what was expected of them.
Rees does cover the dreadful atrocities in Eastern Europe, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. It wasn’t just about the Jews, the Russians and in fact Slavic peoples in general were earmarked for extermination. The enormous German successes were due to Stalin’s ruthless purges of the Russian officers in the thirties, leaving few experienced officers behind.
His coverage of the war has to be singled out as being remarkably biased towards the East and for that Rees is to be commended because he’s highlighted what the vast majority of historians have glossed over in their attempt to make it a British/American victory when in fact the Russians broke the back of the Nazi war machine. Two weeks after the D Day landings the Red Army pulverised one hundred and sixty five divisions compared to the Allies’ thirty in France. Thus he has gone a long way to righting the balance.
Ultimately he gives us no detailed answer to why? But the answer is already suggested in the subtitle, A Warning From History. Taken in that context the book makes for sobering reading because the Nazi Party never came to power with the slogan ‘let’s kill all the Jews.’ No one would have voted for such a party. No, it came to power with the promise to make Germany great again and to rebuild the economy. Even the most hideous regimes start with a good idea and in that I think we have the answer to why? It happens when a population is lulled into apathy or blind obedience and the checks and balances against tyranny are removed. What happened in Germany between 1933 and 1945 could happen anywhere to any nation no matter how civilised or uncivilised and that’s why we should read this book. With the rhetoric on the War on Terror and some of the more idiotic comments coming out of Whitehall and the White House, the banking crisis that saw rich crooks get away with theft, a rise of extremist attacks against Muslims and non-Muslims, calls to limit immigration, suspension of habeas corpus, detention without trial I can’t help but wonder and make comparisons. The example of Nazi Germany serves as a barometer, it’s not to be used lightly as it was in 1991 in the lead up to the first Gulf War to justify yet another war. The picture that Rees unveils for us is ultimately terrifying because it could very well happen again, if we let some unprincipled leader get away with it.
The Nazi horror that affected millions is part of common knowledge and yet we are forever haunted by the facts surrounding it. In particular the fact that it was an intelligent white nation committing the most barbaric acts of the twentieth century against Jews, Gypsies, Slavs, homosexuals. The question that has always nagged at me is why? How could it happen? Why wasn’t it stopped? And could it happen again?
Laurence Rees has attempted to answer that question amongst others with this companion book to the BBC series of the same name. He charts the growth of the Nazi party from the chaos of the Armistice right through the twenties and thirties and Hitler’s rise to power. He takes a more objective view of the atrocities but doesn’t hold back his disgust at the crimes. He does however attempt to explain why Hitler was so loved and adored. He wasn’t a particularly intelligent man, nor did the Nazi party have much of a policy platform. Hitler seemed content to seize power and then delegate his subordinates to do the dirty work. He did have the gift of the gab and one is reminded of the power of the press and propaganda. It was the latter which probably contributed more to the Nazis rise to power than anything else.
Rees does show us that the Nazi machine was not the methodical model of efficiency that we’ve been taught to believe. On the contrary it was remarkably disorganised from the very beginning, it was only later on during the invasion of France that we seem some kind of organisation. According to the book the Final Solution came about gradually and although there is no smoking gun by his admission he is adamant that those at the top knew what was expected of them.
Rees does cover the dreadful atrocities in Eastern Europe, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. It wasn’t just about the Jews, the Russians and in fact Slavic peoples in general were earmarked for extermination. The enormous German successes were due to Stalin’s ruthless purges of the Russian officers in the thirties, leaving few experienced officers behind.
His coverage of the war has to be singled out as being remarkably biased towards the East and for that Rees is to be commended because he’s highlighted what the vast majority of historians have glossed over in their attempt to make it a British/American victory when in fact the Russians broke the back of the Nazi war machine. Two weeks after the D Day landings the Red Army pulverised one hundred and sixty five divisions compared to the Allies’ thirty in France. Thus he has gone a long way to righting the balance.
Ultimately he gives us no detailed answer to why? But the answer is already suggested in the subtitle, A Warning From History. Taken in that context the book makes for sobering reading because the Nazi Party never came to power with the slogan ‘let’s kill all the Jews.’ No one would have voted for such a party. No, it came to power with the promise to make Germany great again and to rebuild the economy. Even the most hideous regimes start with a good idea and in that I think we have the answer to why? It happens when a population is lulled into apathy or blind obedience and the checks and balances against tyranny are removed. What happened in Germany between 1933 and 1945 could happen anywhere to any nation no matter how civilised or uncivilised and that’s why we should read this book. With the rhetoric on the War on Terror and some of the more idiotic comments coming out of Whitehall and the White House, the banking crisis that saw rich crooks get away with theft, a rise of extremist attacks against Muslims and non-Muslims, calls to limit immigration, suspension of habeas corpus, detention without trial I can’t help but wonder and make comparisons. The example of Nazi Germany serves as a barometer, it’s not to be used lightly as it was in 1991 in the lead up to the first Gulf War to justify yet another war. The picture that Rees unveils for us is ultimately terrifying because it could very well happen again, if we let some unprincipled leader get away with it.
May 3, 2019
There are some aspects of human nature which we find it difficult to concede exist in us. At the slightest opportunity they well up from the depths and overflow, making us hugely embarrassed. In the next instant, we are ashamed of it all, and wonder at the very fact that such a thing had happened at all. This analogy on the personal level can be extended to international politics in the case of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party that ruled Germany for twelve dreadful years in which the most heinous atrocities were committed by the German regime against fellow human beings. Hitler was instrumental in goading Europe into a global war which ended up killing about fifty million people. In areas controlled by the Nazis, six million Jews were exterminated in gas chambers and torture rooms – for absolutely no fault of theirs! Even with hindsight, it is extremely troublesome to imagine that such a grave crime could’ve been committed in such a civilized country as Germany. Of course, there are apologists who suggest that the Nazis constituted less than five per cent of the population and that it was unfair to put the blame for the deeds of such a small minority on the entire populace. At first glance, this argument is plausible, since the coercive measures of the Nazi autocratic administration brooked no discontent or disobedience from its subjects and forced them to toe the party line. This was the general consensus which possessed a corollary – it saved the analysts from explaining why such a devilish project went uncontested for so long. Laurence Rees approaches the issue from a different perspective. This book examines the culpability of the German public from first-hand accounts obtained from memoirs, notes and diaries surviving from that era. The analysis is not at all rosy for Germany as it clearly established that all the horrendous acts the Nazis had committed were performed with active connivance of the public, if not outright encouragement. The author is a writer, as well as a film producer who had made many films on World War 2 for the BBC. This book is a byproduct of his television series on the War. A large number of survivors of the Nazi rule in Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine and Russia have been interviewed for the research related to this book.
As noted by the author, the book aims to penetrate as deeply as possible on the essential nature of Nazism. The Nazis had no ideology other than misconceived notions of racial superiority and the belief that the Jews were to blame for all troubles Germany was facing as a result of losing World War 1. Lack of a coherent plan of action was compensated by chaos in Nazi administration. Officials played within the broad policy guidelines dictated by Hitler, coming up with ingenious ways of achieving the targets. This initiative was called ‘Working towards the Fuehrer’ and demonstrates the complicity of ordinary people. Much freedom of action and overlap of jurisdiction was guaranteed in this way, often ending up with turf war between officials when the fuehrer himself intervened as the arbiter. It was simply not sufficient to follow orders, they had to be anticipated. When it came to repressive measures, subordinate officials competed among themselves to invent inhuman measures to be forced on the hapless Jews and other conquered people.
Rees is immensely successful in bringing out the shocking details of how the Nazis mowed down their enemies. We know that they treated Jews as sub-human, but it is revealing to learn that they extended this policy to all Slav people in the countries they conquered in the east. Even though they were not exterminated in large numbers in concentration camps, Hitler wanted them to remain as slaves to the German people. The intelligentsia among them were isolated and killed off in a bid to control the rudderless society. University professors were brutally murdered. The war against Soviet Union was especially bloody since Hitler wanted it to be a ‘racial war of annihilation’ against a ‘sub-human people’. Out of 5.7 million Soviet soldiers taken prisoners, 3.3 million died of disease and starvation. Rees mentions that the treatment meted out to British and American POWs captured on the western front was radically different, as they belonged to the ‘superior’ race to which the Germans themselves belonged. The British POWs were housed in relative comfort while the Soviets were corralled in open fields and enclosed with barbed wire. Recently, we saw Iranian hardliners appreciating Hitler for killing Jews apparently to express their anger against Israel’s supposedly ruthless putting down of Palestinian uprisings. These ignorant zealots are woefully unaware of the Nazi racial policy that placed the Asians even lower than the Jews or Slavs! The book also notes the meeting between the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Hitler in which the former expressed his approval for the racial program of the Reich.
Being closely associated with visual media, Rees’ verbatim accounts of the killing fields send a chill down the readers’ spines. The description of the Treblinka camp in occupied Poland is very instructive. People were directly herded to gas chambers. Women’s heads were shaved before they were killed and the hair was used to stuff mattresses! Nazis designed mechanized extermination plants to wipe out racially inferior people. German engineers carried out the leadership’s plans with characteristic efficiency. Carbon monoxide was used as the killer vapour in gas chambers, which was derived from the exhaust smoke of the combustion engine of a battle tank. But if the engine was just allowed to run idle, the quantity of smoke produced would be very low and unable to kill many people. So, to fully load the engine to produce more smoke, they coupled a power generator whose output was used to provide electricity to the camp. While the innocent were suffocating in closed chambers with no ventilation, the German soldiers enjoyed the comforts provided by the same machine! This plainly illustrates the sad fact that sophistication and culture is no bar to atrocity. Rees ruefully remarks that ‘indeed they can be an aid, for once the intelligent mind devises a justification, and there is no limit to the consequent brutality’ (p.161). The conquered people sometimes sided with the Nazis to persecute Jews as seen in the streets of Kaunos in Lithuania. The local public was persuaded to lynch their Jewish neighbours with wooden clubs. Before killing them, the tormentors extracted a written letter from their victims asking their surviving family members to send them money and clothes as if they were still alive. These letters were then used by the killers to steal from their victims’ families.
The book is an eye opener to the modern world who settles for accommodation with extremist elements in the political and religious domains. When a person claims that only his political ideology is viable, or that his religious belief is the only true faith, we must stop and take note of a potentially disastrous train of events germinating. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria came close to replicating the Nazi pogrom in terms of intolerance and cruelty. We saw them killing followers of other religions indiscriminately, often by devising clever technical innovations. We also spotted them selling chained women as sex slaves in the open market, bargaining with potential buyers. It is by sheer luck that their rule could be brought down with military power before its tentacles could spread far and wide. Even then, they appear in the news again and again by shooting down unarmed shoppers or by ploughing a heavily laden fast moving truck into the midst of a crowd of people enjoying their vacation. So, what does the example of Nazis really teach us? Precious little, if what is on display is fully accounted for. The author does not offer his insights in this regard and stops content with explaining what had happened. It is left to the reader to learn the lesson and not repeat the mistakes.
The book is amenable to easy reading, though macabre portraits of torture, death and suffering are painted with words. Many monochrome plates are included that reflect the horror of Nazi domination. This book is a very fine example of good journalism, with the facts reproduced in as faithful a fashion to the original, but the author’s analysis is sorely missing.
The book is highly recommended.
As noted by the author, the book aims to penetrate as deeply as possible on the essential nature of Nazism. The Nazis had no ideology other than misconceived notions of racial superiority and the belief that the Jews were to blame for all troubles Germany was facing as a result of losing World War 1. Lack of a coherent plan of action was compensated by chaos in Nazi administration. Officials played within the broad policy guidelines dictated by Hitler, coming up with ingenious ways of achieving the targets. This initiative was called ‘Working towards the Fuehrer’ and demonstrates the complicity of ordinary people. Much freedom of action and overlap of jurisdiction was guaranteed in this way, often ending up with turf war between officials when the fuehrer himself intervened as the arbiter. It was simply not sufficient to follow orders, they had to be anticipated. When it came to repressive measures, subordinate officials competed among themselves to invent inhuman measures to be forced on the hapless Jews and other conquered people.
Rees is immensely successful in bringing out the shocking details of how the Nazis mowed down their enemies. We know that they treated Jews as sub-human, but it is revealing to learn that they extended this policy to all Slav people in the countries they conquered in the east. Even though they were not exterminated in large numbers in concentration camps, Hitler wanted them to remain as slaves to the German people. The intelligentsia among them were isolated and killed off in a bid to control the rudderless society. University professors were brutally murdered. The war against Soviet Union was especially bloody since Hitler wanted it to be a ‘racial war of annihilation’ against a ‘sub-human people’. Out of 5.7 million Soviet soldiers taken prisoners, 3.3 million died of disease and starvation. Rees mentions that the treatment meted out to British and American POWs captured on the western front was radically different, as they belonged to the ‘superior’ race to which the Germans themselves belonged. The British POWs were housed in relative comfort while the Soviets were corralled in open fields and enclosed with barbed wire. Recently, we saw Iranian hardliners appreciating Hitler for killing Jews apparently to express their anger against Israel’s supposedly ruthless putting down of Palestinian uprisings. These ignorant zealots are woefully unaware of the Nazi racial policy that placed the Asians even lower than the Jews or Slavs! The book also notes the meeting between the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and Hitler in which the former expressed his approval for the racial program of the Reich.
Being closely associated with visual media, Rees’ verbatim accounts of the killing fields send a chill down the readers’ spines. The description of the Treblinka camp in occupied Poland is very instructive. People were directly herded to gas chambers. Women’s heads were shaved before they were killed and the hair was used to stuff mattresses! Nazis designed mechanized extermination plants to wipe out racially inferior people. German engineers carried out the leadership’s plans with characteristic efficiency. Carbon monoxide was used as the killer vapour in gas chambers, which was derived from the exhaust smoke of the combustion engine of a battle tank. But if the engine was just allowed to run idle, the quantity of smoke produced would be very low and unable to kill many people. So, to fully load the engine to produce more smoke, they coupled a power generator whose output was used to provide electricity to the camp. While the innocent were suffocating in closed chambers with no ventilation, the German soldiers enjoyed the comforts provided by the same machine! This plainly illustrates the sad fact that sophistication and culture is no bar to atrocity. Rees ruefully remarks that ‘indeed they can be an aid, for once the intelligent mind devises a justification, and there is no limit to the consequent brutality’ (p.161). The conquered people sometimes sided with the Nazis to persecute Jews as seen in the streets of Kaunos in Lithuania. The local public was persuaded to lynch their Jewish neighbours with wooden clubs. Before killing them, the tormentors extracted a written letter from their victims asking their surviving family members to send them money and clothes as if they were still alive. These letters were then used by the killers to steal from their victims’ families.
The book is an eye opener to the modern world who settles for accommodation with extremist elements in the political and religious domains. When a person claims that only his political ideology is viable, or that his religious belief is the only true faith, we must stop and take note of a potentially disastrous train of events germinating. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria came close to replicating the Nazi pogrom in terms of intolerance and cruelty. We saw them killing followers of other religions indiscriminately, often by devising clever technical innovations. We also spotted them selling chained women as sex slaves in the open market, bargaining with potential buyers. It is by sheer luck that their rule could be brought down with military power before its tentacles could spread far and wide. Even then, they appear in the news again and again by shooting down unarmed shoppers or by ploughing a heavily laden fast moving truck into the midst of a crowd of people enjoying their vacation. So, what does the example of Nazis really teach us? Precious little, if what is on display is fully accounted for. The author does not offer his insights in this regard and stops content with explaining what had happened. It is left to the reader to learn the lesson and not repeat the mistakes.
The book is amenable to easy reading, though macabre portraits of torture, death and suffering are painted with words. Many monochrome plates are included that reflect the horror of Nazi domination. This book is a very fine example of good journalism, with the facts reproduced in as faithful a fashion to the original, but the author’s analysis is sorely missing.
The book is highly recommended.
June 6, 2020
Prednostne ma zaujima socialno-ekonomicky rozmer Nemecka v case Hitlerovho vzostupu a naslednej krutovlady, a tato kniha je v informovani o tychto aspektoch zatial najlepsia, aku som cital. Podobne ako Americania v Hitlerlande, aj tato kniha sa opiera o zachovane uradne zaznamy, osobne denniky alebo priamo o rozhovory s prezivsimi. Opiera sa rovnako o nemecke, ruske alebo zidovske zdroje, co garantuje celkovu doveryhodnost a nestrannost.
Doteraz som mal dost zhovievavu predstavu o vtedajsich obycajnych nemcoch. Tato kniha ale poukazuje na viacero skutocnosti, ktore pre nich nevyznievaju prilis priaznivo. Nejde o to, ze sa nacistom nepostavili na odpor, co je pri sposobe, akym sa nacisti vyrovnavali s kritikou, uplne pochopitelne. Viac ma zarazilo, ze mnohi z nich aktivne vyuzivali vzniknutu situaciu vo svoj prospech, najma pri zaberani zidovskych bytov a podnikov, alebo pri osidlovani dobytych uzemi na vychode.
Kniha venuje podstatnu cast vychodnemu frontu, co ocenujem. Vychodny front bol pre vysledok vojny rozhodujuci, napriek tomu mu je venovanej ovela menej pozornosti v popkulture ako zapadnemu frontu. Tato cast je v kontraste s knihou Bojoval som v Stalingrade, co ale nie je velmi prekvapujuce, kedze Bojoval som v Stalingrade napisal cech narodeny v Nemecku a je to fikcia tvariaca sa ako prerozpravanie pribehov nemeckeho vojaka bojujuceho proti sovietom. Skutocnost bola ovela tvrdsia, obzvlast napriklad na Ukrajine. Ukrajinske dejiny vo mne vyvolavaju niekolko otazok. Napriklad, keby sme po prvej svetovej vojne neboli sucastou CeskoSlovenska, ale samostatnym statom, aky by bol nas osud pocas druhej svetovej vojny? Povazovali by nas nemci za sice podradny, ale este stale ako tak civilizovany narod, rovnako ako cechov? Alebo by nas povazovali za rovnaku haved ako ukrajincov a rusov? Dostali by sme vobec sancu kolaborovat s nacistami?
Zaujimavy bol nacisticky sposob vladnutia, tzv "pristup smerom k vodcovi". Tento sposob daval kazdemu velky priestor pre sebarealizaciu, co ale Hitlera nijakym sposobom z nicoho nevyvinuje. V zapadnom Polsku vdaka tomu, ze ho spravoval menej radikalny a krvilacny nacista, vela miestnych ziskalo status "nemeckych obcanov tretej kategorie", cim sa vyhli nasilnemu vystahovaniu. Na druhu stranu, realizovat sa mohli aj naruseni jedinci. Cim radikalnejsie riesenia, tym viac bol vodca poteseny a mierumilovnejsi nacisti sa rychlo dockali odvolania zo svojich pozicii.
Dalsia vec, ktoru som si vdaka knihe uvedomil je, ze kym po vojne niekolko nacistov celilo trestnopravnym nasledkom svojich cinov, a niektori sa aj dockali spravodlivych trestov, na sovietskej strane nebol sudeny nikto. Napriek tomu, ze sovieti sa s nacistami predbiehali v brutalite smerom k zajatcom a civilistom, pricom podla mnohych boli sovieti horsi. Naopak, sovietski dostojnici, ktori padli do zajatia, sa po vojne dockali mnohorocnej sikany zo strany krajiny, pre ktoru riskovali svoje zivoty.
Rozhodne si este pozriem serial, ktory vznikol paralelne s knihou a nesie rovnaky nazov, a pozriem si dalsiu tvorbu od autora Laurence Rees.
Doteraz som mal dost zhovievavu predstavu o vtedajsich obycajnych nemcoch. Tato kniha ale poukazuje na viacero skutocnosti, ktore pre nich nevyznievaju prilis priaznivo. Nejde o to, ze sa nacistom nepostavili na odpor, co je pri sposobe, akym sa nacisti vyrovnavali s kritikou, uplne pochopitelne. Viac ma zarazilo, ze mnohi z nich aktivne vyuzivali vzniknutu situaciu vo svoj prospech, najma pri zaberani zidovskych bytov a podnikov, alebo pri osidlovani dobytych uzemi na vychode.
Kniha venuje podstatnu cast vychodnemu frontu, co ocenujem. Vychodny front bol pre vysledok vojny rozhodujuci, napriek tomu mu je venovanej ovela menej pozornosti v popkulture ako zapadnemu frontu. Tato cast je v kontraste s knihou Bojoval som v Stalingrade, co ale nie je velmi prekvapujuce, kedze Bojoval som v Stalingrade napisal cech narodeny v Nemecku a je to fikcia tvariaca sa ako prerozpravanie pribehov nemeckeho vojaka bojujuceho proti sovietom. Skutocnost bola ovela tvrdsia, obzvlast napriklad na Ukrajine. Ukrajinske dejiny vo mne vyvolavaju niekolko otazok. Napriklad, keby sme po prvej svetovej vojne neboli sucastou CeskoSlovenska, ale samostatnym statom, aky by bol nas osud pocas druhej svetovej vojny? Povazovali by nas nemci za sice podradny, ale este stale ako tak civilizovany narod, rovnako ako cechov? Alebo by nas povazovali za rovnaku haved ako ukrajincov a rusov? Dostali by sme vobec sancu kolaborovat s nacistami?
Zaujimavy bol nacisticky sposob vladnutia, tzv "pristup smerom k vodcovi". Tento sposob daval kazdemu velky priestor pre sebarealizaciu, co ale Hitlera nijakym sposobom z nicoho nevyvinuje. V zapadnom Polsku vdaka tomu, ze ho spravoval menej radikalny a krvilacny nacista, vela miestnych ziskalo status "nemeckych obcanov tretej kategorie", cim sa vyhli nasilnemu vystahovaniu. Na druhu stranu, realizovat sa mohli aj naruseni jedinci. Cim radikalnejsie riesenia, tym viac bol vodca poteseny a mierumilovnejsi nacisti sa rychlo dockali odvolania zo svojich pozicii.
Dalsia vec, ktoru som si vdaka knihe uvedomil je, ze kym po vojne niekolko nacistov celilo trestnopravnym nasledkom svojich cinov, a niektori sa aj dockali spravodlivych trestov, na sovietskej strane nebol sudeny nikto. Napriek tomu, ze sovieti sa s nacistami predbiehali v brutalite smerom k zajatcom a civilistom, pricom podla mnohych boli sovieti horsi. Naopak, sovietski dostojnici, ktori padli do zajatia, sa po vojne dockali mnohorocnej sikany zo strany krajiny, pre ktoru riskovali svoje zivoty.
Rozhodne si este pozriem serial, ktory vznikol paralelne s knihou a nesie rovnaky nazov, a pozriem si dalsiu tvorbu od autora Laurence Rees.
March 21, 2013
"Reading another Nazi book are you?! I'm starting to think that you've got some kind of secret fetish!" is what someone once said when they discovered I was reading this book. I'd been trying to read this book for over two years now and hadn't got round to it. They were right and wrong about some things, however. While I do not have a fetish for Nazis or Nazism in general, I certainly do have a zest for learning about one of the most awful periods in the history of the human race. And an even that it still raw for so many.
Laurence Rees wrote this book over a number of years and gained valuable insight from eyewitnesses that have been available to him following the fall of the Soviet Union. reunification of Germany. The split being a result of the Western powers dividing up Germany after the war. This book goes back to the first world war and the chaos that engulfed Germany in those proceeding years. The simmering resentment that the Treaty of Versailles was seen as a way of enslaving the Germanic population for their sins over the first world war In just over ten years following the end of this, the Nazi Party would be in power.
However, their rise was not in that most Germanic of traits; efficient. Instead it was chaotic and shambolic as they ran out of funds initially. And they would be seen to scapegoat a certain ethnic background that became known for having money; the Jewish people.
In the thirties and as the country was balancing between one way of authoritarian influence between the National Socialists and Communists, the rise of Adolf Hitler and his cult-like status as he became chancellor of Germany, became telling as he set about ruling with an iron fist and crushing dissent.
One of the most telling pieces from this book is the way that the Nazi influence was brought about in Eastern Europe, in particular Lithuania. They were being persuaded by propaganda, and believing that the Soviet Union's annexation of their country would become permanent. As the Germans invaded in 1941, they exerted more control over the Lithuanian population. But they were complicit in a near-destruction of an entire race of people.
As the tides changed, the Nazis retreated. And not so much going through a scorched-earth policy, but more a scorching of those deemed as an enemy to the Germanic way of life, as the destruction of Jews et al increased intensely.
A haunting and shameful part of human history. And one that must never be forgotten so that we can't pander to right-wing extremism.
Laurence Rees wrote this book over a number of years and gained valuable insight from eyewitnesses that have been available to him following the fall of the Soviet Union. reunification of Germany. The split being a result of the Western powers dividing up Germany after the war. This book goes back to the first world war and the chaos that engulfed Germany in those proceeding years. The simmering resentment that the Treaty of Versailles was seen as a way of enslaving the Germanic population for their sins over the first world war In just over ten years following the end of this, the Nazi Party would be in power.
However, their rise was not in that most Germanic of traits; efficient. Instead it was chaotic and shambolic as they ran out of funds initially. And they would be seen to scapegoat a certain ethnic background that became known for having money; the Jewish people.
In the thirties and as the country was balancing between one way of authoritarian influence between the National Socialists and Communists, the rise of Adolf Hitler and his cult-like status as he became chancellor of Germany, became telling as he set about ruling with an iron fist and crushing dissent.
One of the most telling pieces from this book is the way that the Nazi influence was brought about in Eastern Europe, in particular Lithuania. They were being persuaded by propaganda, and believing that the Soviet Union's annexation of their country would become permanent. As the Germans invaded in 1941, they exerted more control over the Lithuanian population. But they were complicit in a near-destruction of an entire race of people.
As the tides changed, the Nazis retreated. And not so much going through a scorched-earth policy, but more a scorching of those deemed as an enemy to the Germanic way of life, as the destruction of Jews et al increased intensely.
A haunting and shameful part of human history. And one that must never be forgotten so that we can't pander to right-wing extremism.
April 1, 2017
2.5 stars, low [History].
A passable work of history with a sociological implication.
There were 3 good elements to the book: 1) His use of interviews, 2) The description of Treblinka, and 3) His last chapter, "Reaping the Whirlwind," about the anti-Bolshevist ideology and other elements which led the Germans to fight to the last. I would have added as fourth his special bent for the book, a look at sociology to form a "warning from history." Unfortunately, I think he failed in this.
Bad points were several (in no particular order): 1) He favors polemic statements (fine in a political book) but rarely presents either an ordered explanation as to why, or footnotes. 2) His sources did not seem very diverse. 3) When not recounting material from his interviews, he speculates a lot and gives tepid, sophomoric presentations of other historians' positions. 4) There is no discernible order to the book, other than a slightly chronological one--which doesn't jibe with his seeming goal of not being just another history sequence. 5) [My main objection]: Rees spends a lot of pages (and several pictures) on the cruelties of the Nazis, but he doesn't follow it to its logical conclusions. He says on p186, "It is impossible to understand how human beings could do this." He then proceeds to ignore that very question for the rest of that chapter. Instead of talking about sociology, he spends pages conjecturing on why the escalated killing orders came about in 1941 Lithuania, or tries to analyze communiques between Himmler and others to discover a flash point in their parlance. The question of whether Hitler was anti-Semitic during or after Vienna, or whether or not a specific even triggered the Holocaust, does not answer the fundamental question that both Rees and so many people in the 1940s tried to answer: "why?"
Don't look to this book for the answer. The only answer I could discern came in the last several pages, and is preposterous if Rees meant it as such: that it was "exciting." Since there are probably 100 books on the Nazis, this mediocre work need not be one that you read on the topic. I don't have another of the same bent to recommend to you, but I imagine there's a better one out there.
A passable work of history with a sociological implication.
There were 3 good elements to the book: 1) His use of interviews, 2) The description of Treblinka, and 3) His last chapter, "Reaping the Whirlwind," about the anti-Bolshevist ideology and other elements which led the Germans to fight to the last. I would have added as fourth his special bent for the book, a look at sociology to form a "warning from history." Unfortunately, I think he failed in this.
Bad points were several (in no particular order): 1) He favors polemic statements (fine in a political book) but rarely presents either an ordered explanation as to why, or footnotes. 2) His sources did not seem very diverse. 3) When not recounting material from his interviews, he speculates a lot and gives tepid, sophomoric presentations of other historians' positions. 4) There is no discernible order to the book, other than a slightly chronological one--which doesn't jibe with his seeming goal of not being just another history sequence. 5) [My main objection]: Rees spends a lot of pages (and several pictures) on the cruelties of the Nazis, but he doesn't follow it to its logical conclusions. He says on p186, "It is impossible to understand how human beings could do this." He then proceeds to ignore that very question for the rest of that chapter. Instead of talking about sociology, he spends pages conjecturing on why the escalated killing orders came about in 1941 Lithuania, or tries to analyze communiques between Himmler and others to discover a flash point in their parlance. The question of whether Hitler was anti-Semitic during or after Vienna, or whether or not a specific even triggered the Holocaust, does not answer the fundamental question that both Rees and so many people in the 1940s tried to answer: "why?"
Don't look to this book for the answer. The only answer I could discern came in the last several pages, and is preposterous if Rees meant it as such: that it was "exciting." Since there are probably 100 books on the Nazis, this mediocre work need not be one that you read on the topic. I don't have another of the same bent to recommend to you, but I imagine there's a better one out there.
November 11, 2017
It is difficult today to understand how a civilised country could plunge to the depth of the Nazi regime. Laurence Rees has produced a brilliant work in bringing into focus what the Nazis were and why they did what they did.
In the aftermath of Germany’s humiliating defeat in 1918, a blame culture, Hitler’s charisma and embracing the Darwinian theory of natural selection where the strong triumph and the weak die, the Nazis released the darkest side of human nature plunging the world into a second world war.
The Western Allies would endeavor to uphold values in the struggle against the Nazis to help the weak, bring back compassion, mutual understanding and freedom. In the East crushing the Nazis would not result in freedom under Communist rule.
This book is not for the faint hearted and as Laurence Rees states it is a warning to humanity.
In the aftermath of Germany’s humiliating defeat in 1918, a blame culture, Hitler’s charisma and embracing the Darwinian theory of natural selection where the strong triumph and the weak die, the Nazis released the darkest side of human nature plunging the world into a second world war.
The Western Allies would endeavor to uphold values in the struggle against the Nazis to help the weak, bring back compassion, mutual understanding and freedom. In the East crushing the Nazis would not result in freedom under Communist rule.
This book is not for the faint hearted and as Laurence Rees states it is a warning to humanity.
August 23, 2019
This is a terrifying true book. It is meticulously researched and all too familiar sounding nowadays.
July 15, 2008
The collection of interviews is priceless. The amount of detail and personal viewpoints of very different hues, makes the book a fascinating picture of the WW2.
Unfortunately, the author descends to making harsh personal judgements on the people who he interviews, sometimes making the interview questions tactless and rude. These passages of author's personal emotional reaction to the veterans' or former-Nazis' answers, and a stubborn search for the 'feeling of guilt or remorse', which made many people cut the interviews short or respond in anger - could easily ruin the reading for me. Fortunately, they are not very frequent.
The rest of the material, factual or based on the impressions of witnesses, is outstanding.
Unfortunately, the author descends to making harsh personal judgements on the people who he interviews, sometimes making the interview questions tactless and rude. These passages of author's personal emotional reaction to the veterans' or former-Nazis' answers, and a stubborn search for the 'feeling of guilt or remorse', which made many people cut the interviews short or respond in anger - could easily ruin the reading for me. Fortunately, they are not very frequent.
The rest of the material, factual or based on the impressions of witnesses, is outstanding.
May 15, 2014
Because there was an abundance of good and evil in World War II, history since then looks on those days like Lord of the Rings. But real life, real people are more interesting than that. It is Mr Rees' gift to present to us the history of that war that's ignored. He doesn't do it by drowning us in detail. He doesn't do it by a tidal wave of after-the-fact analysis. He does it by simply paying attention to what happened day-to-day. We all know Poland was invaded in September 1939. What do we know what was going on in November 1939? You might be fascinated. Rees is also the kind of historian who balances--beautifully, I'd say--book history with eyewitness accounts. I really can't say enough good things about the guy.
May 25, 2021
This book is an eye opener towards the thinking pattern of the German society, it's people and their mindsets about the situation and what they thought they wanted at that time. Most of us consider Hitler as cruel person who injected cruelty to all the other great Germans and converted them to Nazi, to hate Jews and to genocide Jews people in Europe but Hitler just used the already existed condition and the mindsets of the German people to make his evil plans in to real actions. Hitler made German people believe that they are superior and they deserver better and the world is just about powerful one thriving against the powerless one. Many Germans used this as an excuse to do whatever they did even though some of them felt guilty about what they did.
This book shows us so many weak points of Hitler when it comes to govern and how inadequate he is when governing, how careless and how poor in making right decisions at the right moments. He didn't cared how his orders carried out by the officials and it gave enormous powers to those officials under him to kill millions of innocent Jews in Poland and many other areas. This book not only gives us a real picture of Hitler but the truth about many officials worked under him and how many people worshiped Hitler for his cruel way and how little stood against. It explains how the mindsets of the German people slowly converted from fellow Germans to worthless Jews towards Jews community.
The reasons behind German soldiers to continuously fight even though they knew that they are going to get defeated were beautifully explained here and the growth of that rationale was something we cannot purely understand by just sitting on a chair thinking.
This is not about the cruel behavior of Nazi Germany but the mindset of it and how it affected on the actions and how those actions affected on innocent.
This book shows us so many weak points of Hitler when it comes to govern and how inadequate he is when governing, how careless and how poor in making right decisions at the right moments. He didn't cared how his orders carried out by the officials and it gave enormous powers to those officials under him to kill millions of innocent Jews in Poland and many other areas. This book not only gives us a real picture of Hitler but the truth about many officials worked under him and how many people worshiped Hitler for his cruel way and how little stood against. It explains how the mindsets of the German people slowly converted from fellow Germans to worthless Jews towards Jews community.
The reasons behind German soldiers to continuously fight even though they knew that they are going to get defeated were beautifully explained here and the growth of that rationale was something we cannot purely understand by just sitting on a chair thinking.
This is not about the cruel behavior of Nazi Germany but the mindset of it and how it affected on the actions and how those actions affected on innocent.
April 8, 2018
4-5 stars.. great book
May 2, 2020
Excellent. passed on from my father because of lockdown.
With the help of historical materials; the book tried to let individuals explain their reasoning.
I still don’t understand how the Nazis could happen.
Though this book does share individual stories.
With the help of historical materials; the book tried to let individuals explain their reasoning.
I still don’t understand how the Nazis could happen.
Though this book does share individual stories.
May 25, 2015
As we approach the end of the 21st century, it is important that we learn all that we can from those who have lived through the horrors of this current century while they are still alive. In the case of the Holocaust, those who lived through it - victims, victimizers and bystanders - are dying out and taking their memories and ideas with them. It is timely then, that Laurence Rees of the world-renowned BBC has both produced the television series The Nazis and has authored this companion book The Nazis: A Warning from History. Unlike facile histories of the era that dismiss the Holocaust as an anomalous tragedy that was solely the fault of one man (Adolph Hitler) and which will probably never recur, this book warns readers that the policies and attitudes that led to the concentration camps and the commission of wartime atrocities were the result of complicity on the part of Germany's advisors, politicians, workers and civilians. This thesis is adeptly proven through Rees' use of dozens of photographs (including color ones), analyses from respected historians and academics and testimony from surviving Jews, Nazi soldiers, Hitler Youth, Poles, activists and civilians. The endnotes and annotated bibliography lead the readers to other sources where they can learn even more.
One of the frightening themes that runs through Rees' work is the idea that the Germans chose to reject democracy. This idea may seem absurd to today's youth because we are brought up to believe that the democratic system is the only rational ideology and that those who enjoy freedom could never give it up for a repressive dictatorship. However, in the case of Depression-era Germany, the loss of faith in the status quo, the distrust of Jews (which had already been passed down through the generations) and the growing sense of shame felt by citizens combined to make the Germans anxious about the new democratic system that had just been put into place: "...by 1932, the majority of the German people, in supporting either the Communists or the Nazis, were voting for political parties openly committed to the overthrow of German democracy." (pg 42). Rees shows how, bit by bit, the German people let Hitler tear away at anything that would cause them to reject his ways: "There were no cabinet meetings, no national assemblies, no party senate, no forums in which Germans could legitimately come together to question...A system had evolved which protected Hitler not just from being constitutionally removed from office, but from coherent criticism of any sort." (pg. 210) Just as abhorrent is the suggestion by surviving Nazis that it was their specific horrible circumstances, which could befall any of us or any country, and not personal defects or national character that led Germany to become such a fascist nation. One German angrily said to the interviewer, "It's easy for you, isn't it? You've never been tested." (pg. 235).
Overall, I would highly recommend this book for academic library history collections, Holocaust collections in Jewish and special libraries and the history collections of public libraries.
One of the frightening themes that runs through Rees' work is the idea that the Germans chose to reject democracy. This idea may seem absurd to today's youth because we are brought up to believe that the democratic system is the only rational ideology and that those who enjoy freedom could never give it up for a repressive dictatorship. However, in the case of Depression-era Germany, the loss of faith in the status quo, the distrust of Jews (which had already been passed down through the generations) and the growing sense of shame felt by citizens combined to make the Germans anxious about the new democratic system that had just been put into place: "...by 1932, the majority of the German people, in supporting either the Communists or the Nazis, were voting for political parties openly committed to the overthrow of German democracy." (pg 42). Rees shows how, bit by bit, the German people let Hitler tear away at anything that would cause them to reject his ways: "There were no cabinet meetings, no national assemblies, no party senate, no forums in which Germans could legitimately come together to question...A system had evolved which protected Hitler not just from being constitutionally removed from office, but from coherent criticism of any sort." (pg. 210) Just as abhorrent is the suggestion by surviving Nazis that it was their specific horrible circumstances, which could befall any of us or any country, and not personal defects or national character that led Germany to become such a fascist nation. One German angrily said to the interviewer, "It's easy for you, isn't it? You've never been tested." (pg. 235).
Overall, I would highly recommend this book for academic library history collections, Holocaust collections in Jewish and special libraries and the history collections of public libraries.
January 15, 2010
Wow - I learned a decent amount from this book. There are a few very graphic pictures in here which I wasn't expecting, only because the books I've read as yet haven't had any. I doubt there was one page where I didn't learn something new, whether it was small or large, there was always something.
Rees didn't seem to be an unbiased as I felt he should be on a few details. I'm sure there are plenty of others who would feel he was unbiased. Most of the time, IMO, he was, but a few minor parts bothered me when they seemed like srtictly his opinion. I didn't read this for Rees' opinion.
But, in the end, it a fantastic look at Nazi Germany. The pictures and personal stories will stay with you for a long, long time.
Rees didn't seem to be an unbiased as I felt he should be on a few details. I'm sure there are plenty of others who would feel he was unbiased. Most of the time, IMO, he was, but a few minor parts bothered me when they seemed like srtictly his opinion. I didn't read this for Rees' opinion.
But, in the end, it a fantastic look at Nazi Germany. The pictures and personal stories will stay with you for a long, long time.
March 29, 2010
I read this book as a bit of research for one of the books I'm writing. The Holocaust has always interested me, and I'm also teaching Night right now. It was a pretty thorough look at the Nazi party from it's inception in the 1920's to it's end at the end of WWII. It also took a look at how policy came about and how it was implemented all through Europe, not only Germany. It was based on a BBC documentary, and the author took time to hunt down survivors as well as the actual former Nazi's who inflicted some of the torture and atrocities. It was also supplemented with authentic photographs, which enhanced the experience of the book. Overall, it was a good read to help expand my knowledge on the subject.
February 24, 2019
Like all of Lawrence Rees’ books on the World War-II/Holocaust, The Nazis: A Warning from History makes for absorbing reading.
As it is primarily based on an award-winning Television documentary series, it relies heavily on eye witness accounts.
That in itself sets it apart from the vast majority of World War-II/Holocaust literature.
Looking at the tumultuous events of the 30s and 40s of the last century through the eyes of the people who actually participated in – or at least watched – them makes for fascinating reading.
Written with Rees’ trademark lucidity and argued cogently, The Nazis is a valuable addition to the World War-II study.
As it is primarily based on an award-winning Television documentary series, it relies heavily on eye witness accounts.
That in itself sets it apart from the vast majority of World War-II/Holocaust literature.
Looking at the tumultuous events of the 30s and 40s of the last century through the eyes of the people who actually participated in – or at least watched – them makes for fascinating reading.
Written with Rees’ trademark lucidity and argued cogently, The Nazis is a valuable addition to the World War-II study.
August 31, 2020
Horrific Documentary about Hitler’s Rule
If you’re studying about Hitler’s abysmal WWII leadership from 1941-1945, this author’s academic study of how so many others still “idolized” him is an informative read. Lesson #1: Anti-Semitism was rampant in Europe. Hitler was just one of millions in post-WWI who blamed the Jews (and the Bolsheviks) for losing the war. Lesson #2: Hitler allowed other senior military officers to fill in the blanks with critical strategies, like invading West (?) and what to do with the Jews. This set free brutal conduct within all levels of the Nazi party. Lesson #3: He exemplifies exactly what you’d expect from a certifiably crazy but charismatic dictator. Chaos and confusion reigned until he killed himself in April 1945.
If you’re studying about Hitler’s abysmal WWII leadership from 1941-1945, this author’s academic study of how so many others still “idolized” him is an informative read. Lesson #1: Anti-Semitism was rampant in Europe. Hitler was just one of millions in post-WWI who blamed the Jews (and the Bolsheviks) for losing the war. Lesson #2: Hitler allowed other senior military officers to fill in the blanks with critical strategies, like invading West (?) and what to do with the Jews. This set free brutal conduct within all levels of the Nazi party. Lesson #3: He exemplifies exactly what you’d expect from a certifiably crazy but charismatic dictator. Chaos and confusion reigned until he killed himself in April 1945.
December 10, 2008
This book gave eye-witness accounts of various aspects of the rise and fall of the Nazi's. The most interesting part for me was the war on the Eastern front, about which I knew little, especially the tactical errors made by Stalin in the beginning of that struggle. For me, it was frightening to learn how amoral the Nazi leaders were, how many sadists came to the fore during the Nazi occupation of the Baltic and Ukranian regions, how ordinary "law abiding" people turned a blind eye to the killing and betrayal of innocent people of all faiths and backgrounds, how war dehumanized so many--not just the Germans.
June 30, 2017
Laurence Rees says in 'The Nazis: A Warning from History' p101:
'I thought more than once from talking to these people that their travels through Nazism had been like a rocket ride. They had started on the journey because they wanted an exciting new experience. Then, when the rocket went up through the clouds, they grew uneasy. 'That was fun, but now it's time to return' they would have said. But the rocket did not return. It went on and on into the dark, a bleak and horrible place. 'But I only asked for a rocket ride,' they said at the end of the whole horrific journey. 'I never wanted to go into the dark.' But the rocket was always going into the dark if they had only looked ahead.'
'I thought more than once from talking to these people that their travels through Nazism had been like a rocket ride. They had started on the journey because they wanted an exciting new experience. Then, when the rocket went up through the clouds, they grew uneasy. 'That was fun, but now it's time to return' they would have said. But the rocket did not return. It went on and on into the dark, a bleak and horrible place. 'But I only asked for a rocket ride,' they said at the end of the whole horrific journey. 'I never wanted to go into the dark.' But the rocket was always going into the dark if they had only looked ahead.'
September 4, 2018
This book is frightening...but I pushed through it. It is well worth the read. To read the responses of former Nazi soldiers ...the lack of empathy...it really was frightening. This book is very informative. I recommend this book to anyone wants to better understand how something so heinous could not only come to fruition...but how it could go on for so long.
December 19, 2018
In my opinion, anything by Laurence Rees is top notch. This one is no exception. It's not quite as detailed as some other of his other works, but it covers the entire Nazi period including events leading up to their rise and eventual fall. A good chunk of the book is spent on Russia and Stalingrad in particular. I found it very interesting & would read again.
September 14, 2019
Andy's Review
Downloaded this as I have seen the television series several times. I am really pleased with my purchase, as this e-book goes into greater detail than the television series could, hence the 5 star rating.
Downloaded this as I have seen the television series several times. I am really pleased with my purchase, as this e-book goes into greater detail than the television series could, hence the 5 star rating.
February 21, 2020
"That which has happened is a warning. To forget it is guilt. It must be continually remembered. It was possible for this to happen, and it remains possible for it to happen at any minute. Only in knowledge can it be prevented".
June 22, 2020
This is a top read on the History of the Nazis.
Rees gives us a reflective history of the Nazis' failures during WW2. It is concise, picking up on crucial moments of the Eastern campaign, rather than labouring through the entire historical data. Highly recommended.
Rees gives us a reflective history of the Nazis' failures during WW2. It is concise, picking up on crucial moments of the Eastern campaign, rather than labouring through the entire historical data. Highly recommended.
August 6, 2020
Must read
This book is a must read. It is very educational and it has so many interviews from people involved in the war. It’s not a light read and it may take you a while to finish it but everyone should know what has been happening during WWII.
This book is a must read. It is very educational and it has so many interviews from people involved in the war. It’s not a light read and it may take you a while to finish it but everyone should know what has been happening during WWII.
July 20, 2024
This one was shocking and illuminating, just when you think you knew the story of this time in history well, you learn a whole lot more. How did it ever come to this? I will simply quote some excerpts from the breadth of this book and let them speak for themselves.
Incredible as it may seem to us today, by 1932 the majority of the German people, in supporting either the Communists or the Nazis, were voting for political parties openly committed to the overthrow of German democracy. Most of them, having seen what democracy had delivered, felt that it was time not just for another party to be given a chance, but for another system.
Academic research shows that Erna Kranz is not unusual in her rosy view of the regime during this period. Over 40 per cent of Germans questioned in a research project after the war said they remembered the 1930s as ‘good times’. As this survey was conducted in 1951, when the Germans knew the full reality of the wartime extermination camps, it is a telling statistic.
Only around 10 per cent of political crimes committed between 1933 and 1945 were actually discovered by the Gestapo; another 10 per cent of cases were passed on to the Gestapo by the regular police or the Nazi Party. This means that around 80 per cent of all political crime was discovered by ordinary citizens who turned the information over to the police or the Gestapo.
In the most famous act of resistance in the history of the Third Reich, a bomb placed by Count von Stauffenberg had exploded in an attempt to assassinate Hitler. Had the conference been held, as usual, in Hitler’s command bunker with its concrete walls, instead of in the wooden hut to which it had been rescheduled, Hitler would probably have died in the explosion. As it was, the wooden walls of the hut exploded outwards and dissipated the force of the blast, allowing Hitler to escape with minor wounds. Countless books have been written about the incident. Many, especially those written in the immediate post-war years, point to the 20 July plot as a glorious, albeit doomed, episode in German history. But that was not how it was perceived at the time. A study of letters sent back from frontline troops in the weeks immediately after the bomb plot shows a very different reaction. The censor’s report, based on an examination of 45,000 letters, concludes: ‘The treachery of the conspiratorial clique is rejected by all as the greatest crime against the German people.’1 Obviously, knowing that letters were to be censored, it would have been foolhardy for any soldier to record anti-Hitler sentiments in his correspondence, but equally there was no obligation to condemn the bomb plot either. The letters point to an overwhelming feeling of betrayal. After all, the German officers who had conspired against Hitler had broken their oath.
Incredible as it may seem to us today, by 1932 the majority of the German people, in supporting either the Communists or the Nazis, were voting for political parties openly committed to the overthrow of German democracy. Most of them, having seen what democracy had delivered, felt that it was time not just for another party to be given a chance, but for another system.
Academic research shows that Erna Kranz is not unusual in her rosy view of the regime during this period. Over 40 per cent of Germans questioned in a research project after the war said they remembered the 1930s as ‘good times’. As this survey was conducted in 1951, when the Germans knew the full reality of the wartime extermination camps, it is a telling statistic.
Only around 10 per cent of political crimes committed between 1933 and 1945 were actually discovered by the Gestapo; another 10 per cent of cases were passed on to the Gestapo by the regular police or the Nazi Party. This means that around 80 per cent of all political crime was discovered by ordinary citizens who turned the information over to the police or the Gestapo.
In the most famous act of resistance in the history of the Third Reich, a bomb placed by Count von Stauffenberg had exploded in an attempt to assassinate Hitler. Had the conference been held, as usual, in Hitler’s command bunker with its concrete walls, instead of in the wooden hut to which it had been rescheduled, Hitler would probably have died in the explosion. As it was, the wooden walls of the hut exploded outwards and dissipated the force of the blast, allowing Hitler to escape with minor wounds. Countless books have been written about the incident. Many, especially those written in the immediate post-war years, point to the 20 July plot as a glorious, albeit doomed, episode in German history. But that was not how it was perceived at the time. A study of letters sent back from frontline troops in the weeks immediately after the bomb plot shows a very different reaction. The censor’s report, based on an examination of 45,000 letters, concludes: ‘The treachery of the conspiratorial clique is rejected by all as the greatest crime against the German people.’1 Obviously, knowing that letters were to be censored, it would have been foolhardy for any soldier to record anti-Hitler sentiments in his correspondence, but equally there was no obligation to condemn the bomb plot either. The letters point to an overwhelming feeling of betrayal. After all, the German officers who had conspired against Hitler had broken their oath.
February 27, 2022
A companion piece to a BBC documentary series that now I will need to watch, this book fleshes out the story of the rise and fall of German Nazism through the recollections of several of its eyewitnesses. It is the third book I have read recently on the subject, and what makes it stand out from the others is the actual testimonials...people in many localities, and on many sides of the situation. Most of them ordinary, a few of them out of the ordinary. Some did monstrous things...some were in the backrooms where monstrous things were being planned and ordered...others were victims...others were victors. I am led to understand that these accounts are from interviews that can be watched in the documentary. Which is why I must watch this documentary.
The witness accounts bring those not-so-long-ago events back in vivid detail, and considering recent global developments, caused in me a shock of recognition. To those who say, "Never again"...perhaps it could happen again. Perhaps it could be happening again right now.
The witness accounts bring those not-so-long-ago events back in vivid detail, and considering recent global developments, caused in me a shock of recognition. To those who say, "Never again"...perhaps it could happen again. Perhaps it could be happening again right now.
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