The Social History of the Third Reich, 1933-1945

by Pierre Ayçoberry, Janet Lloyd (Translator)

In this highly praised study hailed by Booklist as “disturbing, brutally honest, and scrupulously fair,” Pierre Ayçoberry, the celebrated author of The Nazi Question ,combines extraordinary mastery of German history with original research for an unparalleled account of life under Hitler’s Third Reich. Ayçoberry uncovers the struggles of individuals and social and professional groups who stood up to the pressures of the Nazi Party and often paid a high price, while he also sheds light on the attempts of others—mainly upper- and middle-class professionals—to salvage or improve their positions by casting their lot with the Fuhrer. In this complex answer to the easy judgments passed by many, Pierre Ayçoberry writes what the Washington Post Book World has called “a subtle book that eschews facile generalizations and sensational accusations, and is full of prudent qualifications and warnings that what was true in one place and one time was not necessarily true twenty miles away or one year later.”

Genres: History, Nonfiction

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[Katherine Addison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Exactly what it says on the tin: a social history of the Third Reich. It didn't tell me anything I hadn't read in other social histories of the Third Reich, and it stood out mostly because the author's intellectual quirks.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sort of like the Bible, in that the best way to read it is in pericopes rather than seeking the narrative flow or analytic thread.

[Kenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not an introductory text for a reader looking for an overview. Assumes you have a working knowledge of political events. Best read after you have done your homework.