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The Nazi Mind: 12 Warnings from History
A groundbreaking narrative history of the motivations and mentalities behind the Nazis and their supporters.
How could the Nazis have committed the crimes they did? Why did commandants of concentration and death camps willingly – often enthusiastically – oversee mass murder? How could ordinary Germans have tolerated the removal of the Jews? Author Laurence Rees combines history and the latest research in psychology to help answer some of the most perplexing questions surrounding the Second World War and the Holocaust.
Ultimately, he delves into the darkness to explain how and why these people were capable of committing the worst crime in the history of the world. Rees traces the rise and eventual fall of the Nazis through the lens of ‘12 warnings’ – from talk about ‘them’ and ‘us’ to the escalation of racism – whilst also highlighting signs to look out for in present day leaders.
Rees uses previously unpublished testimony from former Nazis and those who grew up in the Nazi system, and in-depth psychological insights including cutting edge work on obedience, authority and the brain. THE NAZI MIND is a revelatory new way of understanding how so many people committed the most appalling crime of the 20th century.
How could the Nazis have committed the crimes they did? Why did commandants of concentration and death camps willingly – often enthusiastically – oversee mass murder? How could ordinary Germans have tolerated the removal of the Jews? Author Laurence Rees combines history and the latest research in psychology to help answer some of the most perplexing questions surrounding the Second World War and the Holocaust.
Ultimately, he delves into the darkness to explain how and why these people were capable of committing the worst crime in the history of the world. Rees traces the rise and eventual fall of the Nazis through the lens of ‘12 warnings’ – from talk about ‘them’ and ‘us’ to the escalation of racism – whilst also highlighting signs to look out for in present day leaders.
Rees uses previously unpublished testimony from former Nazis and those who grew up in the Nazi system, and in-depth psychological insights including cutting edge work on obedience, authority and the brain. THE NAZI MIND is a revelatory new way of understanding how so many people committed the most appalling crime of the 20th century.
448 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2025
About the author
Laurence Rees
23 books429 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 265 reviews
February 18, 2025
Alternative title: The MAGA Mind
June 17, 2025
I began "The Nazi Mind" expecting a tight focus on individual perpetrators, but although several of the principal architects of the Holocaust get significant attention, Rees is painting with a broader brush. This isn't necessarily a criticism in itself: I found it illuminating to hear from a wide array of voices, and especially to read what some less well known villains, such as camp guards and SS officers, had to say after the war about their own actions and the Nazi project in general. (Suffice it to say that there was a lot of self-justification and sanewashing.)
But the narrative overall follows the rise of the Nazi movement, the political takeover, and the development of the Final Solution. This is obviously all essential background, but Rees doesn't, in my opinion, do enough to -- and I'm using this word deliberately, please bear with me -- humanize the larger history. That is: When I consider MAGA supporters, the authors and exponents of Project 2025, and individuals like Stephen Miller, incomprehension settles over me. I don't know whether it's of practical use (in defeating them) to understand such people's inner worlds, but I'm desperate to understand them anyway. They have obvious affinities with Nazis, some of them are overtly Nazi, and I hoped that Rees's book would supply some deep insights into, well, what goes on in these people's heads. What it does, instead, is more or less recapitulate the history of Germany between about 1920 and 1945. That's all familiar territory, including the economic distress and the drumbeat of antisemitism, as well as the greed, the hunger for power, and, for many, the golden opportunity to inflict suffering.
Where Rees seems to want to supply original insight is in linking cognitive errors (confirmation bias, the sunk cost fallacy, etc.) and neurobiology (the potency of fear; the age at which human brains more or less mature) with the Nazis' success. Here, I'm sorry to say, he really falls down. Not that he's wrong in anything he says, not that he chose his expert interlocutors poorly, but that these passages don't seem to reflect intimacy with the underlying science. The insights are about as deep as a Psychology Today article, and Rees is constantly citing single studies as though they were definitive -- which anyone who reads around in books of popular science, or in well-done science journalism, will know is a rookie mistake.
I have one other criticism, to do with the fact that Rees several times describes the Holocaust as the worst atrocity in human history. In a footnote, he refers to another book of his where he defends this proposition -- the citation is to three pages, which strikes me as insufficient for such a monumental claim, but he doesn't make the case here. I genuinely detest this idea that monstrosities can or should be ranked, as if human cruelty and suffering were aspects of some contest. And I cannot imagine what metric would be suitable anyway. Would it be number of murders as a percentage of the target population? Would long-term extreme physical and emotional suffering inflicted raise a given atrocity's ranking against some other atrocity in which the killing was done speedily, even if the former involved fewer victims? How would you compare the genocide of First Nations peoples against the Holocaust, considering that the settlers were at a kind of disadvantage in wickedness owing to the fact that their weapons weren't as good as the Nazis', and their victims were more widely dispersed in a larger territory, plus there were fewer individuals to be killed in the first place? What a moral nonsense this is.
After all that, I should say that Rees's "twelve lessons" are good ones, even if they're not especially original; so I can recommend this book as a primer on the rise of the Nazis and on Nazi thinking, though there wasn't much in it that was new to me. And it left me with one bitter laugh: Rees's last sentence is "The Nazis were defeated." Yes, but they were also victorious: What was once European Jewry is no more.
3.75 stars, rounded up, and thanks to Public Affairs and NetGalley for the ARC.
But the narrative overall follows the rise of the Nazi movement, the political takeover, and the development of the Final Solution. This is obviously all essential background, but Rees doesn't, in my opinion, do enough to -- and I'm using this word deliberately, please bear with me -- humanize the larger history. That is: When I consider MAGA supporters, the authors and exponents of Project 2025, and individuals like Stephen Miller, incomprehension settles over me. I don't know whether it's of practical use (in defeating them) to understand such people's inner worlds, but I'm desperate to understand them anyway. They have obvious affinities with Nazis, some of them are overtly Nazi, and I hoped that Rees's book would supply some deep insights into, well, what goes on in these people's heads. What it does, instead, is more or less recapitulate the history of Germany between about 1920 and 1945. That's all familiar territory, including the economic distress and the drumbeat of antisemitism, as well as the greed, the hunger for power, and, for many, the golden opportunity to inflict suffering.
Where Rees seems to want to supply original insight is in linking cognitive errors (confirmation bias, the sunk cost fallacy, etc.) and neurobiology (the potency of fear; the age at which human brains more or less mature) with the Nazis' success. Here, I'm sorry to say, he really falls down. Not that he's wrong in anything he says, not that he chose his expert interlocutors poorly, but that these passages don't seem to reflect intimacy with the underlying science. The insights are about as deep as a Psychology Today article, and Rees is constantly citing single studies as though they were definitive -- which anyone who reads around in books of popular science, or in well-done science journalism, will know is a rookie mistake.
I have one other criticism, to do with the fact that Rees several times describes the Holocaust as the worst atrocity in human history. In a footnote, he refers to another book of his where he defends this proposition -- the citation is to three pages, which strikes me as insufficient for such a monumental claim, but he doesn't make the case here. I genuinely detest this idea that monstrosities can or should be ranked, as if human cruelty and suffering were aspects of some contest. And I cannot imagine what metric would be suitable anyway. Would it be number of murders as a percentage of the target population? Would long-term extreme physical and emotional suffering inflicted raise a given atrocity's ranking against some other atrocity in which the killing was done speedily, even if the former involved fewer victims? How would you compare the genocide of First Nations peoples against the Holocaust, considering that the settlers were at a kind of disadvantage in wickedness owing to the fact that their weapons weren't as good as the Nazis', and their victims were more widely dispersed in a larger territory, plus there were fewer individuals to be killed in the first place? What a moral nonsense this is.
After all that, I should say that Rees's "twelve lessons" are good ones, even if they're not especially original; so I can recommend this book as a primer on the rise of the Nazis and on Nazi thinking, though there wasn't much in it that was new to me. And it left me with one bitter laugh: Rees's last sentence is "The Nazis were defeated." Yes, but they were also victorious: What was once European Jewry is no more.
3.75 stars, rounded up, and thanks to Public Affairs and NetGalley for the ARC.
March 6, 2026
This book is more history than psychology. I can’t say that I got a lot of insight into the appeal of fascism. I really wanted to find out why some people buy into the fascist garbage whole heartedly, while others resist. My question was not answered here. However, the book does provide a summary of the Nazi rise, starting with the end of WWI. It also outlines some of the conditions that lure (some) people into fascist regimes, for example: spread conspiracy theories, foster an us v. them mentality, create scapegoats, suppress freedom of speech and freedom of the press, purge opponents, extinguish the rule of law, control judges, escalate racism, stoke fears of the “other”. Does any of that feel a little too close to home?
It was interesting that some of the Nazis actually had qualms about murdering people (and some even said no and weren’t punished, so why didn’t more people just say no), at least face to face. However, they got over their reluctance when the murdering was more remote, like in a gas chamber. They had to experiment a lot to perfect their technique. And when the war was over, very few were punished, or even admitted that they did anything wrong.
This is a good book, even though it doesn’t deliver exactly what the title promises. I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.
It was interesting that some of the Nazis actually had qualms about murdering people (and some even said no and weren’t punished, so why didn’t more people just say no), at least face to face. However, they got over their reluctance when the murdering was more remote, like in a gas chamber. They had to experiment a lot to perfect their technique. And when the war was over, very few were punished, or even admitted that they did anything wrong.
This is a good book, even though it doesn’t deliver exactly what the title promises. I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.
May 5, 2025
Laurence Rees’s The Nazi Mind is an unflinching exploration of one of history’s darkest chapters, offering twelve critical warnings rooted in the psychology and politics that enabled the Nazi regime’s atrocities. For anyone invested in understanding the questions that haunt us about the Holocaust and Nazi violence, this book provides a detailed historical and psychological roadmap. While heavy and, at times, academic in tone, it is a timely reminder of the dangers of unchecked power, groupthink, and “othering.”
Rees tackles complex and chilling questions head-on, such as, "How could the SS commit their crimes?" and "What allowed ordinary Germans to tolerate the atrocities against Jews?" His answers are grounded in historical research and psychological insights. Rees effectively uses testimonies from former Nazis and those shaped by the Nazi system to show how propaganda, obedience, and ideology combined to normalize the unthinkable. The exploration is unsettling, particularly the psychological phenomenon of "killing at a distance," where perpetrators were intentionally distanced from their victims for their own mental preservation.
Rees also sheds light on the commandants of concentration camps, who often displayed not only horrifying efficiency but also enthusiasm in overseeing mass murder only to deny them later. Through this, the reader is led to understand how fanatical loyalty to an “idealized leader” and pervasive fear within the system safeguarded such compliance.
One of the book’s key strengths is its framing of the Nazi regime’s rise and reign through “twelve warnings.” These include an escalation of racism, the exploitation of fear, and the manipulation of institutions to erode human rights. Read the book to learn them all.
While the history and politics of The Nazi Mind are deeply compelling, the writing can feel dry at times, reading more like an academic text. The psychological concepts are accessible but don’t significantly break new ground for those familiar with the subject.
However, for those relatively new to the history of the Third Reich or seeking a deeper grasp of not just what happened, but why, this book is incredibly valuable. Its structure, focusing less on chronological events and more on thematic warnings, helps to contextualize the factors that led to one of humanity’s greatest horrors.
To me, reading about the horrors of the Holocaust is never easy, but as the saying goes, studying history is crucial to avoiding its repetition. The atrocities committed under the Nazi regime remain unparalleled in their scale and cruelty, and books like The Nazi Mind remind us that these events didn’t arise in a vacuum. They were the result of human decisions, manipulations, and beliefs. Revisiting these painful truths is vital for remaining vigilant against similar patterns today.
The Nazi Mind is a thought-provoking combination of history and psychology that will likely stand as a critical resource for anyone questioning how and why such devastation could occur. While it may feel dense and dry, its themes and insights are undeniably relevant and alarming. If you’re interested in the history and politics of World War II, this book will deepen your understanding of how ordinary people can become complicit in extraordinary evil.
We must confront this history—even when it’s uncomfortable—to ensure we don't repeat the same catastrophic mistakes.
Thank you to Netgalley and PublicAffairs for the Advanced Readers Copy of the book. All opinions are my own because I have freedom of speech. Nazi’s would try to control this.
Rees tackles complex and chilling questions head-on, such as, "How could the SS commit their crimes?" and "What allowed ordinary Germans to tolerate the atrocities against Jews?" His answers are grounded in historical research and psychological insights. Rees effectively uses testimonies from former Nazis and those shaped by the Nazi system to show how propaganda, obedience, and ideology combined to normalize the unthinkable. The exploration is unsettling, particularly the psychological phenomenon of "killing at a distance," where perpetrators were intentionally distanced from their victims for their own mental preservation.
Rees also sheds light on the commandants of concentration camps, who often displayed not only horrifying efficiency but also enthusiasm in overseeing mass murder only to deny them later. Through this, the reader is led to understand how fanatical loyalty to an “idealized leader” and pervasive fear within the system safeguarded such compliance.
One of the book’s key strengths is its framing of the Nazi regime’s rise and reign through “twelve warnings.” These include an escalation of racism, the exploitation of fear, and the manipulation of institutions to erode human rights. Read the book to learn them all.
While the history and politics of The Nazi Mind are deeply compelling, the writing can feel dry at times, reading more like an academic text. The psychological concepts are accessible but don’t significantly break new ground for those familiar with the subject.
However, for those relatively new to the history of the Third Reich or seeking a deeper grasp of not just what happened, but why, this book is incredibly valuable. Its structure, focusing less on chronological events and more on thematic warnings, helps to contextualize the factors that led to one of humanity’s greatest horrors.
To me, reading about the horrors of the Holocaust is never easy, but as the saying goes, studying history is crucial to avoiding its repetition. The atrocities committed under the Nazi regime remain unparalleled in their scale and cruelty, and books like The Nazi Mind remind us that these events didn’t arise in a vacuum. They were the result of human decisions, manipulations, and beliefs. Revisiting these painful truths is vital for remaining vigilant against similar patterns today.
The Nazi Mind is a thought-provoking combination of history and psychology that will likely stand as a critical resource for anyone questioning how and why such devastation could occur. While it may feel dense and dry, its themes and insights are undeniably relevant and alarming. If you’re interested in the history and politics of World War II, this book will deepen your understanding of how ordinary people can become complicit in extraordinary evil.
We must confront this history—even when it’s uncomfortable—to ensure we don't repeat the same catastrophic mistakes.
Thank you to Netgalley and PublicAffairs for the Advanced Readers Copy of the book. All opinions are my own because I have freedom of speech. Nazi’s would try to control this.
June 7, 2025
I’ve always struggled with the historical dilemma — how did an entire nation of people allow the atrocities of the Holocaust to happen? I get people will go to extraordinary lengths during desperate times, but this far and by this many people? Rees does an excellent job of placing the reader in postwar Germany and allowing us inside the minds of who it affected most. Not only is The Nazi Mind a history lesson connecting the missing dots, but it’s also a psychological study of what it takes to control a whole society. Rees breaks down the twelve warnings (steps) and it’s impossible not to see the correlation with today’s fractured society. Megalomaniacal tyrants abound and it’s easy to see that we’re only a few missing steps away from a totalitarian society. I’ve seen other reviews complain that The Nazi Mind reads like a textbook. Yes, and no. First, it reads like a scholar who’s studied this topic for many years wrote it. But, it’s not a hard, dry read like others have implied. Rees breathes a realistic breath into a tough subject to cover. I appreciate his approach and recommend others that are interested in doing a deeper dive into the subject to pick it up and give it a go.
February 23, 2025
3,5 stars; obviously inspired by Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century, Rees contributes his two cents on the seductive trappings of totalitarianism; he partly succeeds; the title is somewhat disingenuous; no exploration or insights into "the Nazi mind" are produced; what you get is collection of well-trodden historical vignettes showcasing the ghastly actions of the Nazi regime.
April 18, 2025
I was initially a bit disappointed in this as I felt it didn't do what it said on the tin. I've read a lot about Nazi Germany and felt this was another historical account paying lip service to the 'psychology angle'. However, I felt it began to get in uts stride about a third of the way in and by the end is really interesting. Most disturbing is simply substituting the words Nazi Germany for Trump's America actually works. And as the author finally concludes - the Nazis lost.
December 16, 2025
Rees is a good historian, but this book tries to be two things and succeeds at neither.
For a reader of history, it is a fairly standard introductory book that offers little new about the rise and fall of the Third Reich.
As a psychological attempt to explain the Nazi mentality, it is ridiculously superficial, almost embarrassingly so. Between chapters of conventional historical narrative, Rees inserts short passages about psychological research and conversations with experts. These sections feel banal at this point and barely scratch the surface of what a serious psychological explanation of Nazi mentality would require.
If this book were written for children or for a new generation to learn about WW2, then there’s a value to it. Otherwise, it’s a miss.
For a reader of history, it is a fairly standard introductory book that offers little new about the rise and fall of the Third Reich.
As a psychological attempt to explain the Nazi mentality, it is ridiculously superficial, almost embarrassingly so. Between chapters of conventional historical narrative, Rees inserts short passages about psychological research and conversations with experts. These sections feel banal at this point and barely scratch the surface of what a serious psychological explanation of Nazi mentality would require.
If this book were written for children or for a new generation to learn about WW2, then there’s a value to it. Otherwise, it’s a miss.
March 1, 2025
This was a very lengthy book, with an extensive detail and research. It read like a history textbook for a college class, so the tone was quite dry. For research purposes, this book would be an excellent tool.
Due to the subject matter, there are very graphic, disturbing passages.
The parts that stood out to me:
The sections on Holocaust denial, and very chilling reports on how many Nazis “excused” their war time actions.
Due to the subject matter, there are very graphic, disturbing passages.
The parts that stood out to me:
The sections on Holocaust denial, and very chilling reports on how many Nazis “excused” their war time actions.
February 13, 2025
I don't think this book lives up to its title. Laurence Rees covers many of the same well worn talking points we've seen so many times already.
The writing seemed quite detached. I thought I might learn about the psychology of Fascism or how the past is relevant to the politics of today. This didn't do anything for me.
The writing seemed quite detached. I thought I might learn about the psychology of Fascism or how the past is relevant to the politics of today. This didn't do anything for me.
December 26, 2025
4.25/5 Stars
Format: Audiobook
Spoilers: No
The Nazi Mind: Twelve Warnings from History is a very well written, well researched, and very important book for our modern times. Evaluating the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazi Germany and organizing it into 12 behaviors and warning signs that led to this era and the power obtained by these people, Rees does an excellent job giving us the hard facts of the day, and putting them into the context of the goals of the dictator and their sycophants. One of the things that I love is that this is presented as pure history - it is not written in any kind of accusatory manner, and there is not a political slant to it (although obviously the warning signs are extremely relevant to many countries today with current political leaders and movements). Had the book been written with a directly political slant, I think it would have given some pause as to the facts and relevance. As is, we see clearly what prior dictators and would be dictators, including the perpetrators of one of the world's greatest atrocities, did in order to gain power, and then we can draw our own conclusions based on the facts.
With behaviors like utilizing conspiracy theories, creating an us versus them mentality, stoking fear of the "other," and indoctrinating the young, the fact that those in the past were so successful without all of the social media and technology we have today should be a stark warning for all of us to stay vigilant. As the saying goes, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. We would all do well to read and heed the warnings that are so well presented herein.
Format: Audiobook
Spoilers: No
The Nazi Mind: Twelve Warnings from History is a very well written, well researched, and very important book for our modern times. Evaluating the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazi Germany and organizing it into 12 behaviors and warning signs that led to this era and the power obtained by these people, Rees does an excellent job giving us the hard facts of the day, and putting them into the context of the goals of the dictator and their sycophants. One of the things that I love is that this is presented as pure history - it is not written in any kind of accusatory manner, and there is not a political slant to it (although obviously the warning signs are extremely relevant to many countries today with current political leaders and movements). Had the book been written with a directly political slant, I think it would have given some pause as to the facts and relevance. As is, we see clearly what prior dictators and would be dictators, including the perpetrators of one of the world's greatest atrocities, did in order to gain power, and then we can draw our own conclusions based on the facts.
With behaviors like utilizing conspiracy theories, creating an us versus them mentality, stoking fear of the "other," and indoctrinating the young, the fact that those in the past were so successful without all of the social media and technology we have today should be a stark warning for all of us to stay vigilant. As the saying goes, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. We would all do well to read and heed the warnings that are so well presented herein.
November 25, 2025
Abbandonato. Nonostante l'argomento sia interessante, la scrittura di Rees mi ha fatto pensare piu' ad un testo per un documentario, praticamente un "voice-over".
Praticamente un collage di testi di altri eminenti storici (c'erano note a piu' non posso) e qualche inedito, ma sinceramente non fa per me: ho letto di molto meglio.
Praticamente un collage di testi di altri eminenti storici (c'erano note a piu' non posso) e qualche inedito, ma sinceramente non fa per me: ho letto di molto meglio.
July 2, 2026
2.5 ⭐️
Mención a esto:
Acabado por fin. Esta lectura es como este año. Una eternidad que le tienes asco pero a la vez cariño. No sé, me ha gustado, pero ha sido horrible pasar por él.
Mención a esto:
"Muchos dictadores desprecian a los intelectuales. Temen que los expertos puedan desagiar cualquiera de las creencias que se basan en la fe.
Hitler odiaba por esa razón a los juristas. Creía que los expertos en derecho cuestionaban fríamente sus acciones e interferían en defensa de los débiles."
Acabado por fin. Esta lectura es como este año. Una eternidad que le tienes asco pero a la vez cariño. No sé, me ha gustado, pero ha sido horrible pasar por él.
March 24, 2025
Obviously disturbing, but depressingly important for the times we're living in now. I found the organisation of the book into the 12 different topics, or "warnings", to be informative and effective, even if there were quite a few sections that were only tangentially connected to the relevant topic. Overall, though, an excellent way of looking at the methods used by the Nazis to take over a democratic society, and the lessons we can draw from this. It's scary to see how these same methods are being used in the USA today under Trump and MAGA. We can only hope that the people who need to hear these warnings will read this book, but somehow I doubt that very many MAGAts will do so. Maybe, though, books like this will help some of the craven, opportunistic, self-serving politicians snap out of it and see sense before more irreparable damage is done.
July 12, 2025
World War 2 is a topic that has interested me since I first read 'The Diary Of Anne Frank' for the first time back in eighth grade. Over the years I've read a good amount of books about the topic and I was excited to be approved for this. I enjoyed this. I like how the author talks about more than just Hitler and instead talks about the Nazi party as a whole.This is an interesting read and I think that anyone interested in World War 2 would enjoy this. Special Thank You to Laurence Rees, Public Affairs and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 27, 2025
The historical aspects of this book are interesting and that’s clearly where Rees’s strengths are. The pop-psychology additions are too superficial to add any real knowledge to this field.
December 14, 2025
I guess you can never read too many books about WWII. It’s a really good book with good warnings, but the examples in the last chapter are brutal. A poignant reminder from history with warnings for the future. Also- this is one of the better books I’ve read about the Holocaust. Highly recommend. 4.4 stars
July 29, 2025
A very good analysis of the Nazi regime.
January 18, 2026
"Aquellos que no pueden recordar el pasado están condenados a repetirlo”. Con esto, se puede resumir perfectamente este libro. Una brillante concatenación de pilares que buscan "razonar" (que no justificar) el porqué de la barbarie nazi.
August 22, 2025
I think it is the longest audiobook I've ever listened. The book gives great perspective on the whole history of Nazi movement starting from the Germany loss in WWI. The book is highly educational, and I loved the author's style. The narrator is also great, it was easy to focus on the information.
This book is important for any person living today. Strategies that nazi used almost a century ago are still widely used by people/groups of people who want to manipulate and warp public's opinion. Almost everything nazi "invented" is used in russian psyops today.
This book is important for any person living today. Strategies that nazi used almost a century ago are still widely used by people/groups of people who want to manipulate and warp public's opinion. Almost everything nazi "invented" is used in russian psyops today.
March 23, 2025
As with his previous books, historian Laurence Rees explains the events and atrocities of World War 2 (and particularly the Holocaust) in a level of detail & language that is accessible for laypersons, but without condescension or oversimplification. He explains the complex political machinations at work, underpinned by some basic psychological theory (again, written for non-experts in psychology) which serves as an extremely useful lens for better understanding Nazi Germany.
I found the psychological theory very interesting, though would have appreciated more of it to better differentiate this book from Rees’ others. This is still just as engaging a book as Rees’ previous works, and the separation of chapters into different psychologically-rooted strategies employed by the German Nazi party (rather than just by events) was very insightful. Rees does not need to directly discuss present-day politics to nonetheless effectively draw out the similarities, using his list of Twelve Warnings to stay vigilant against.
This is obviously a book that deals with very heavy & distressing content, and Rees at no point downplays the visceral horror that the Nazis (and others) perpetrated. So please keep in mind the expected sensitive topics - including genocide & murder (including children), fascism, war crimes, concentration camps, rape & GBV, torture, starvation, racism, antisemitism, ableism, homophobia, manipulation, suicide, and so many others - which are described in detail, before reading this book.
I found the psychological theory very interesting, though would have appreciated more of it to better differentiate this book from Rees’ others. This is still just as engaging a book as Rees’ previous works, and the separation of chapters into different psychologically-rooted strategies employed by the German Nazi party (rather than just by events) was very insightful. Rees does not need to directly discuss present-day politics to nonetheless effectively draw out the similarities, using his list of Twelve Warnings to stay vigilant against.
This is obviously a book that deals with very heavy & distressing content, and Rees at no point downplays the visceral horror that the Nazis (and others) perpetrated. So please keep in mind the expected sensitive topics - including genocide & murder (including children), fascism, war crimes, concentration camps, rape & GBV, torture, starvation, racism, antisemitism, ableism, homophobia, manipulation, suicide, and so many others - which are described in detail, before reading this book.
May 11, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley/Hachette for the advanced copy of the audiobook.
This book was a really informative refresher to how the Nazis persuaded civilians with little effort to commit crime against humanity. Listening to this book in 2025 forced to me to think even more critically than I would have in previous years and make comparisons to current events. Certain chapters, especially the early ones, were really dense and not very provocative. Then, there were sections that were fascinating, relevant, and downright terrifying. I actually listened to a couple of chapters several times. I particularly appreciated the psychological analysis of Nazis and Nazi collaborators. As someone from a history undergrad background, I really appreciated the analysis of German women’s participation in atrocities. This is not something that is explored enough in history classes and there’s so much to unpack as to why this and how this happens.
This book was a really informative refresher to how the Nazis persuaded civilians with little effort to commit crime against humanity. Listening to this book in 2025 forced to me to think even more critically than I would have in previous years and make comparisons to current events. Certain chapters, especially the early ones, were really dense and not very provocative. Then, there were sections that were fascinating, relevant, and downright terrifying. I actually listened to a couple of chapters several times. I particularly appreciated the psychological analysis of Nazis and Nazi collaborators. As someone from a history undergrad background, I really appreciated the analysis of German women’s participation in atrocities. This is not something that is explored enough in history classes and there’s so much to unpack as to why this and how this happens.
March 9, 2025
Must read. Although a very small portion of the book, it's refreshing to read an analysis of the Holocaust which is not just focused on the Germans but also on the Poles, Hungarians, Romanians, Lithuanians and Ukrainians who had a big part to play in death squads, pogroms and systematic acts of violence. 10/10
Want to Read
January 7, 2025I learned of this book via this post: https://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2025/...
August 1, 2025
Laurence Reesin "Natsin mieli: 12 varoitusta historiasta" (Tammi, 2025) tarttui mukaan kirjakaupasta vähän niin kuin heräteostoksena, eikä se hassummaksi lukemistoksi osoittautunutkaan. Vuosien varrella olen lukenut oman osani Hitleriä ja kansallissosialistista liikettä käsittelevää kirjallisuutta, mutta harvakseltaan mitään sellaista, jossa historian synkeitä tapahtumia peilataan psykologian kautta.
Lukion oppitunneilta tutut Stanley Milgramin tottelevaisuuskoe ja Stanfordin vankilakoe mainitaan, mutta myös paljon uudempaa tutkimusta on päässyt kirjan kansien väliin. Muun muassa suomalaisen professori Essi Vidingin tutkimuksiin viitataan useampaan otteeseen.
Laurence Rees toteaa kirjassa, etteivät natsien valtaannousuun oleellisesti liittyneet viha, salaliittoteorioiden viljely, rasismi, väkivaltainen nationalismi ja muu sellainen ole kadonneet minnekään, vaan elävät edelleen voimakkaana keskuudessamme. Joskus uutisia lukiessa tuleekin mieleen, emmekö ole oppineet historiasta mitään, kun äärioikeisto nostaa päätään eri puolilla maailmaa. Ehkä emme - tai sitten innokkaimpia oppijoita ovat olleet nykyiset diktaattorit ja kaikenkarvaiset populistit, koska ainakin tätä Joseph Göbbelsin pelikirjasta löytyvää kaavaa käytetään edelleen:
Ihmiset ovat primitiivisempiä kuin kuvittelemmekaan. Sen vuoksi propagandan ydin on jatkuva yksinkertaisuus ja toisto. Vain ne, jotka kykenevät tiivistämään asiat hyvin yksinkertaisiksi hokemiksi ja joilla on rohkeutta toistaa niitä loputtomiin tässä yksinkertaistetussa muodossaan älykköjen vastustuksesta huolimattakin, savuttavan perustavanlaatuista menestystä yleiseen mielipiteeseen vaikuttamisen saralla. (s. 317)
Kaiken kaikkiaan kiinnostava ja tutustumisen arvoinen tietokirja!
Lukion oppitunneilta tutut Stanley Milgramin tottelevaisuuskoe ja Stanfordin vankilakoe mainitaan, mutta myös paljon uudempaa tutkimusta on päässyt kirjan kansien väliin. Muun muassa suomalaisen professori Essi Vidingin tutkimuksiin viitataan useampaan otteeseen.
Laurence Rees toteaa kirjassa, etteivät natsien valtaannousuun oleellisesti liittyneet viha, salaliittoteorioiden viljely, rasismi, väkivaltainen nationalismi ja muu sellainen ole kadonneet minnekään, vaan elävät edelleen voimakkaana keskuudessamme. Joskus uutisia lukiessa tuleekin mieleen, emmekö ole oppineet historiasta mitään, kun äärioikeisto nostaa päätään eri puolilla maailmaa. Ehkä emme - tai sitten innokkaimpia oppijoita ovat olleet nykyiset diktaattorit ja kaikenkarvaiset populistit, koska ainakin tätä Joseph Göbbelsin pelikirjasta löytyvää kaavaa käytetään edelleen:
Ihmiset ovat primitiivisempiä kuin kuvittelemmekaan. Sen vuoksi propagandan ydin on jatkuva yksinkertaisuus ja toisto. Vain ne, jotka kykenevät tiivistämään asiat hyvin yksinkertaisiksi hokemiksi ja joilla on rohkeutta toistaa niitä loputtomiin tässä yksinkertaistetussa muodossaan älykköjen vastustuksesta huolimattakin, savuttavan perustavanlaatuista menestystä yleiseen mielipiteeseen vaikuttamisen saralla. (s. 317)
Kaiken kaikkiaan kiinnostava ja tutustumisen arvoinen tietokirja!
June 29, 2026
4.5 stars rounded up. I thought this was a really novel concept for a history non-fiction, and it did really well to keep me engaged throughout the whole book.
The author tells the story of the Nazi period, and tries to understand how humans could be driven to commit such horrific acts. I thought the most poignant line came at the end, when he had a simple diagnosis: they were human beings.
While I’d have liked the psychological analysis to play a greater role, I learned a lot from the varied first-hand experiences which the author quotes from. This allowed the reader to really understand the personalities behind these awful events. Really highly recommend.
The author tells the story of the Nazi period, and tries to understand how humans could be driven to commit such horrific acts. I thought the most poignant line came at the end, when he had a simple diagnosis: they were human beings.
While I’d have liked the psychological analysis to play a greater role, I learned a lot from the varied first-hand experiences which the author quotes from. This allowed the reader to really understand the personalities behind these awful events. Really highly recommend.
August 4, 2025
Kiinnostava mutta myös (ei niin yllättäen) kauhea, aina kuuntelu ei ollut kovinkaan rattoisaa. En oo ihan varma miks valitsin tällasen kesäkuunneltavaksi... Mutta hyvä koonti natsiliikkeen historiasta psykologisella otteella. Syvensi kaikkea sitä mitä jo tiesi ennestään ja toi uusia yksityiskohtia mukaan matkan varrelle.
February 8, 2026
A very important book that highlights the key manipulation tactics Nazi leaders used to absolutely brainwash the general German public to buying into their ludicrous and sadistic agendas
October 21, 2025
A must read in these current times. A lot to learn from the lens of this truly terrible past.
December 18, 2025
Este trabajo llega en un momento en que el análisis psicológico del nazismo cobra una relevancia inquietante. Rees, con su habitual rigor documental, no se limita a narrar hechos históricos, sino que se adentra en la psique de los perpetradores, víctimas y espectadores para responder a la pregunta que ha obsesionado a generaciones: ¿cómo fue posible que personas ordinarias participaran o toleraran el mayor crimen del siglo XX?
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