This book shows us what a terrible confused and conflicted mess germany was after the war. I had been there for three years in the usaf 19691972. Reflecting on the greatest war in human history, one cannot help but think about the terrible conflict as a whole, its leaders, its peoples, and the puzzles still open about its conduct. Feb 06, 2014 learning about world war ii and the holocaust at school. Youtube, youtube channel, video marketing, youtuber, igtv, erika vieira, video, instagram overeaters anonymous electratone guitar effects. Richard bessel suggests that germans suffering at the end of the war helped lay the groundwork for recovery. As stargardts research makes very very clear, the german war was a war supported, even after the wehrmacht began retreating following stalingrad and kursk, by the majority of the german people the volk and by a probably greater majority of their various leaders religious, social, political, and especially in the entertainment industry. Complete histories the rise and fall of the third reich by william l. I am looking to get a bit of a historical perspective on the lives of the normal german family during ww2. The books targeted for burning were those viewed as being subversive or as representing ideologies opposed to nazism. Aug 02, 2004 in england, world war ii also lags behind the great war in the public imagination.
Dec 29, 2008 my wife, reiko, was born in tokyo just after the war and grew up there, moving to the us as an adult after we married. So for several decades after the war, people liked to think of themselves as being the heroes of the war. Added to the millions of german books destroyed worldwide during the antigerman hysteria of world war one, far more german books were destroyed. I seem to remember somebody mentioning a what if fiction book that looked back at wwii after the fact, written as if germany had won wwii.
Evanss the coming of the third reich and the third reich in power. There are a series of historical novels by philip kerr about a detective named bernie gunther who fought in ww1 and lived in berlin between the wars then fought for the ss in ww2. This is a social history of germany in the years following the first world war. The thing that stuck in my mind was that the tone, phrases, attitudes, etc of the book were of the winner writes history slant which would be so odd to us today. Anthony reads top 10 books about hitler and the third reich published on sun 16 nov 2003 19. This book also reports the allied mass murder of the german people after the end of world war ii during which the alliesled by general dwight d. List of books and articles about postwar germany online. The story of world war ii seen through the eyes of regular german citizens. After the battle of britain, the luftwaffe entered a steady decline in the quality of its pilots and its planes, as well as fuel shortage. Weimar germany hyperinflation explained business insider. Buy a cheap copy of germany after the first world war. This book does bring home the hard suffering in 1945 of the average german. Germany after the first world war by richard bessel. Popular post war germany books showing 143 of 43 the black eagle inn paperback by.
Nazi eugenics parenting aryan children german evolution hitler occult ss darwin. She wrote her autobiography and published it last march about her experiences growing up in post war japan as well as contrasting of the japanese and american societies. Oct, 2015 the story of world war ii seen through the eyes of regular german citizens. What happened to germany immediately after world war ii. Frederick taylors compelling book debunks many myths about the. After the war germany was divided into four temporary occupation zones, roughly based on the locations of the allied armies. German science fiction up to 1945 germany has an extensive history of science fiction. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Wwi is famously quite naval, great sea battles or sea actions had wideranging implications for the war. The nazi book burnings were a campaign conducted by the german student union the dst to ceremonially burn books in nazi germany and austria in the 1930s. Part of lists of prisonerofwar camps section in the prisonerofwar camp article this article is a list of prisonerofwar camps in germany and in german occupied territory during any conflict. Jan 01, 1993 after the defeat in the great war, germany floundered for an incredibly dark decade, in which failed revolutions, starvation, suicide, and paramilitary scuffles all played a part.
Nov 15, 2015 the german war takes us into the lives of men and women from all walks of life, as they fought, survived and suffered grunts, tank commanders, staff officers. Decades after nazi armies began their march of conquest and. Dec 22, 2014 the idea that books were intertwined with the values at stake in the war is central to mannings study, which begins with an account of a book burning in berlin in 1933, and describes how these. A social history of germany in the years following the first world war, this book explores germanys defeat and the subsequent demobilization of its armies, events. The undisputed king of alternative histories is the prolific harry turtledove, who has helped guide the genre into mainstream reading. The best alternative histories in literature on abebooks. On may 10, 1934, one year after the book burnings, the germany library of burnt books founded by alfred kantorowicz was opened to assemble copies of the books that had been destroyed. Run, dont walk, to your nearest bookstore or library and get richard j. Germany s defeat and the subsequent demobilization of her armies had devastating social and psychological consequences for the nation, which richard bessel sets out to explore in this book.
Early in the war the victory book campaign collected millions of books in nationwide book drives. Sep 19, 2015 there are a series of historical novels by philip kerr about a detective named bernie gunther who fought in ww1 and lived in berlin between the wars then fought for the ss in ww2. Is there a good book about german life after the first world. Lot time life the third reich 1st printing complete set of 21 wwii books ex.
Causes world war i was immediately precipitated by the assassination of archduke francis ferdinand of austriahungary by a serbian nationalist in 1914. A book examines germanys mass suicides after world war ii. How books became a critical part of the fight to win world war ii. For example, in germany for many years all sorts of groups have claimed that two or three million germans were killed in revenge after the war. World war ii rare first editions, deluxe and collectible editions of books, pamphlets, and ephemera relating to the second world war, 19391945, including its buildup and aftermath. The same as the history books in other western countries. The loss of air and sea domination as the war went on. A nation under arms, 19391945 is a nonfiction book written by historian nicholas stargardt.
What are some good books to read to understand what was. I lived in germany for a few years, they really liked americans and were. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five. It is estimated that over a third of all german books had already been destroyed by bombing in west germany alone, and this does not include those books in the areas taken from germany after the war. Given german barbarity, i shant feign concern for the discomforts suffered by the countrys citizens during world war ii, whose active participation. These are the camps that housed captured members of the enemy armed forces, crews of ships of the merchant marine and the crews of civil aircraft. The reasons for the brutality of this era were threefold.
The first time the holocaust came up in detail was in grade three. Yet 70 years on despite whole libraries of books about the wars origins, course and atrocities we still do not know what germans thought they were fighting for and how they experienced and sustained the war until the bitter end. I really dont know much about books for that period but id like to impart some info. Hand selected, recommended books on hitlers germany chosen by the history place and made available for instant purchase from. After security duty, the division, under operational control of the british second army, drove across the elbe, 1 may, and penetrated to schwerin when the war in europe ended. His southern victory or timeline191 series has the confederates beating the union. The whole country must have been in a state of ptsd for decades. Suddenly at the end of the war everybody in france was a member of the resistance and the idea of collaboration was very conveniently swept under the carpet. The war against germany and italy 3 partly because of this intricate situation, the allies designated an american, lt. These included books written by jewish, pacifist, religious, liberal, anarchist, socialist, communist, and sexologist. Sep 06, 2015 nicholas stargardts the german war comes therefore as something of a reality check, a shock to the system or my system at least. Nicholas stargardts the german war comes therefore as something of a reality check, a shock to the system or my system at least. After the defeat in the great war, germany floundered for an incredibly dark decade, in which failed revolutions, starvation, suicide, and paramilitary scuffles all played a part. There were around 1,000 prisonerof war camps in germany during world war ii.
Centering upon the thoughts and actions of the citizens living inside nazi germany during the second world war, the author argues that the war crimes committed by adolf hitlers domineering state had widespread awareness among regular people. When books went to war is a wwii social history perfect for book lovers. Dr bessel examines the changes brought by the war to germany, and those resulting from the return of the soldiers to civilian. Only when the war was over, with the veil of censorship lifted but the allied blockade continuing, did it become clear to all with eyes to read that germany had already met an economic disaster. This is a list of books about nazi germany, the state that existed in germany during the period from 1933 to 1945, when its government was controlled by adolf hitler and his national socialist german workers party nsdap. The thing that stuck in my mind was that the tone, phrases, attitudes, etc of the book were of the winner writes history slant which would be. Learning about world war ii and the holocaust at school. List of books and articles about world war i online. Located in the center of europe, it borders the netherlands, belgium, luxembourg, and france on the west. The coming of the third reich covers the ascent of hitler and the nazi party from its creation to.
The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five books. Buy germany after the first world war 1st edition by bessel, richard isbn. On the reading list, and one of the best introductory volumes, is the first world war by john keegan. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five books expert. Anthony reads top 10 books about hitler and the third. During the war years book publishers, libraries, and the american public responded to this great conflict by donating millions of free books to us troops across the world. A social history of germany in the years following the first world war, this book explores germany s defeat and the subsequent demobilization of its armies, events. In 1945 there were 8 million nazi party members, more than 10% of the. The german war, by nicholas stargardt the new york times.
The idea that books were intertwined with the values at stake in the war is central to mannings study, which begins with an account of a book burning in. A decade after witnesses of war, his impressive deconstruction. Divided hope germany after the war 194549 germany on. The germans dont hide any of their history from their children,or attempt to excuse it as such.
Jul 21, 2008 i seem to remember somebody mentioning a what if fiction book that looked back at wwii after the fact, written as if germany had won wwii. The coming of america in the european war effort bolstered allied morale and brought in more troops. Shirer this is still the best history of hitlers germany, written by an american journalist who witnessed many important events. Deutschland, officially federal republic of germany, republic 2015 est. Germany s defeat and the subsequent demobilization of her armies had enormous economic, social, and psychological consequences for the nation, and it is these which richard bessel sets out to explore. Leaders on both sides realised that at stake from the very beginning was a complete restructuring of the world order. By wibke bruhns 2008 decades after nazi armies began their march of conquest and genocide, the german children of the war have begun to confront their parents pasts. World war i, 191418, also known as the great war, conflict, chiefly in europe, among most of the great western powers. A fascinating, horrific telling of the last months of the war and what came after. It also includes some important works on the development of nazi imperial ideology, totalitarianism, german society during the era, the formation of anti. What are the best books on germany immediately after world war. Is there a good book about german life after the first. Christoph fischer goodreads author shelved 21 times as postwargermany avg rating 4.
A leading authority on 20thcentury germany combines scholarship and readability in this analysis of year zero, the turning point in the history of the german people. Eisenhower, to command the invasion to capitalize on the relative absence of rancor between french and americans by giving the invasion an american rather than a british complexion. Oct, 2015 given german barbarity, i shant feign concern for the discomforts suffered by the countrys citizens during world war ii, whose active participation and support kept the horrendous conflict alive. I really need to up my great war game, but this is a widely reccd intro book, and prepared me for many discussions and questions about wwi.
Germany was a signatory at the third geneva convention, which established the provisions relative to the treatment of prisoners of war. A nation under arms, 193945 1st edition by stargardt, nicholas isbn. Although these books are fiction, they are without a doubt the best. This slim volume draws on letters purportedly written by soldiers of germanys.
His books include political violence and the rise of nazism, germany after the first world war and nazism and war. Oct 01, 2010 he works on the social and political history of modern germany, the aftermath of the two world wars and the history of policing. In england, world war ii also lags behind the great war in the public imagination. This question is often overshadowed by the liberation of the concentration camps. I have read around the blitz etc but since fleetingly coming across the lives of germans in various books and tv programmes i am intrigued on how they managed to survive or not and how they viewed the allies and russians etc, but essentially a more in depth social history. His days of infamy books have japan occupying hawaii. In this massive but thorough meditation, stargardt european historymagdalen coll. Overall, i think we learned about this time period at least three times. Maximilien aue has reinvented himself, many years after the war, as a middle class family man and factory owner in francethrough the eyes of. The german capital, berlin, was also divided into four sectors. Establishment historians characterize national socialist germany as a uniquely barbaric, vile and criminal regime that was totally responsible for starting world war ii and carrying out some of the most heinous war crimes in world history.