All You Need To Know ... The Third Reich

Sharples, Caroline

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1911187929 ISBN 13: 9781911187929

Publisher: Connell Publishing, 2018

Between 1933 and 1945, Germany was under the grip of the Third Reich. Headed by Adolf Hitler, this National Socialist state endeavoured to control every aspect of the nation’s political, social, economic, religious and cultural life, and indoctrinate every German citizen in its ideology. This intrinsically racist regime also embarked on an expansionist foreign policy that, at its peak, brought most of continental Europe under Nazi control. The resulting war – and genocide – killed millions of soldiers and civilians and its effects continue to be felt to this day. Nazism, it has been suggested, was “the ultimate embodiment of evil”, and historians have grappled with one fundamental question since 1945: how was any of this possible in a modern, cultured nation in the heart of 20th century Europe? There is no easy way to sum up the Third Reich, but in this short book Caroline Sharples tells the story of Hitler’s rise to power and looks at the arguments which have raged about the Third Reich, in particular the argument about how much power Hitler actually had. Was he, as some believe, an omnipotent leader with clear ideological goals and a clear programme for implementing them? Or was the Third Reich much more confused, with ad hoc decision making and intense power rivalries generating a “cumulative radicalism” which eventually brought it down?

Review:

“The masterstroke of series editor Jolyon Connell lies in his enlistment of experts who maintain their literary verve and sharp opinions in short form.” (Daily Mail)

About the Author:

Caroline Sharples, who has a PhD from the University of Southampton, specialises in modern German history, specifically memories of National Socialism and representations of the Holocaust. Her books include Britain and the Holocaust: Remembering and Remembering and Representing War and Genocide, and West Germans and the Nazi Legacy.