The Burden of Guilt. A Short History of Germany, 1914-1945. Translated by Herbert Strauss. With an Introduction by Gordon A. Craig. FROM ST. ANTONY"S COLLEGE, OXFORD

by Vogt (H)

This remarkable book, originally published in Germany as a short history for the younger generation, presents an objective, inside look at the Nazi experience. Vogt gives a straightforward account of the history of Germany from 1914 to 1945, reviewing the causes of World War I, the myth of the postwar "stab in the back," the struggle of the weak Weimar Republic, and the transfer of power to Hitler. She then traces Hitler's rush to war, tells of the persecution of the Jews and the setting up of the concentration camps, and, finally, records the collapse of the Third Reich.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I, War

318 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1966

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read many stories about the Holocaust from the point of view of the victims. However, prior to my reading of this book, I barely knew anything about Germany and how come people were saying that they were the war-freakiest race on earth by starting the two world wars. Sure, I was already politically aware when the Berlin Wall feel down but except from the movies and some snippets of his life, I did not know anything about Hitler and his rise to power. This book, The History of Germany, 1914-1945 provided those knowledge in succinct, concise form.

This book starts with the role of Germany in World War I that was triggered by the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife in Bosnia. This event polarized the European countries and Germany was caught between the tension created by her neighboring countries, France and Russia. Territorial expansionism was the key word during those times, e.g., both world wars. However, if this was the main force why there was World War II, it was really not the real deal in World War I and Germany was a passive participant at the earlier part of the war unlike in World War II. However, the defeat of Germany in World War I resulted to the lopsided Treaty of Versailles that became the rallying point for Germans. That unexpressed anger was what Hitler ultimately used to propagate his ambition of using the Aryan race to annihilate the Jews and assert its military supremacy to almost half of the world.

What made me decide to pick and read this book, aside from being short (318 pages with big fonts and many rarely seen photographs) was that the writer was also a German. She, Hannah Vogt, did not try to deny or sugarcoat the role of the German nation. Instead she said that her aim in writing the book was only to present the facts especially to the young people with the hope that they would not commit the same mistake. Hitler and Goebbels would not have done the atrocities and senseless killing if not with the participation of the German people. But their rise to power, especially that of Hitler, was not incidental. It was because of their political structure and greed and not only because of Hitler's political savvy, charisma and eloquence in delivering his well-written speeches.

I learned a lot from this book without spending a lot of time. Now, I can appreciate the German novels or Holocaust-related works that I will soon read or currently reading like Julia Franck's The Blind Side of the Heart (current) and Primo Levi's The Periodic Table.

Thank you for a well-intentioned, informative and unbiased book, Frau Hannah Vogt.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written in 1964 by a German to a German audience with the purpose of helping the German people understand their history that led to the atrocities of World War II, and through understanding to ensure that it never happens again.

I have ready quite a few books about WWII, and this author's interpretation of Hitler, his followers, the Nazi party, and the Holocaust is consistent with what has been written by other non-German authors I have read. And, even though this shorter and less detailed than many history books, it did not feel repetitive and the fact that it was written by a German added a new perspective that was very interesting to me.

This book also had the most comprehensible history about the Weimar Republic that I have ever read. And it is interspersed with many informative photographs. For instance, very early in the book is a great photo of Kaiser Wilhelm II that caught my attention.

I found a hardback copy of this book in a box of books that my mom was giving away to get rid of some old stuff. It looks like it is out of print, at least the English version, but it also looks like used copies are pretty easily available from places that sell used books.

[Steve LaForest]

Date read somewhat approx.