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The Secret Lives of the Nazis: The Hidden History of the Third Reich

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Adolf Hitler and the Nazi leaders conspired to commit some of the most heinous crimes in history for which the surviving members were indicted at the Nuremberg War Crimes trials in 1946. However, both the defendants and those who escaped justice by committing suicide at the end of the war perpetrated countless acts of theft, murder, torture, false imprisonment, abduction and intimidation for which they were never prosecuted. The Secret Lives of the Nazis reveals the murderous private feuds which went on behind closed doors as the Nazi leadership schemed and plotted to eliminate their rivals while accumulating vast personal wealth and priceless possessions at the expense of their victims.

256 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2017

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Paul Roland

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5 stars
22 (21%)
4 stars
38 (37%)
3 stars
36 (35%)
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Tom.
679 reviews12 followers
January 16, 2020
A rather unusual book on Nazi Germany that looks at the duplicity and hypocritical nature of leading Nazi figures who asked the normal German to give everything while they decided to take as much as they could get their hands on. The usual suspects are here, Hitler, Goring, Goebbels, Himmler etc. and their biographies as well as their various and numerous crimes. Some of the information is on rather shaky ground (i.e. was Hitler secretly gay) but there is also some more interesting insights, that it was Goebbels who came up with the term 'iron curtain' and a rather good chapter on how the French view their wine and its relation to WW2.

Not a heavy academic piece of work but you may find yourself surprised at what you learn as long as you treat some of the material presented with a pinch of salt.
Profile Image for Bruno Godinez.
15 reviews1 follower
September 3, 2020
"El fascismo en particular ejerce un fuerte atractivo para los marginados y los inconformes, quienes albergan un ardiente deseo por que aquellos individuos de rasgos similares les otorguen su reconocimiento para, así, lograr dar validez a sus propios valores distorsionados"

La Alemania Nazi es el claro ejemplo de que depositar el poder en un grupo de acomplejados y resentidos psicópatas puede llevar a una gran nación a la destrucción.
El libro no ofrece nada que no se sepa ya acerca del régimen nazi además de que nos plantea la idea, con suposiciones más que con hechos, de que los encargados de darle forma a tan nefasta dictadura no eran más que idiotas que lograron su "grandeza" a través de golpes de suerte y juego sucio en contra de sus rivales políticos, pero independientemente de eso es una lectura básica para comprender las deficiencias internas que afortunadamente afrontó el gobierno de Adolf Hitler, porque de no haber sido así no quiero imaginarme que sería de Europa y el resto del mundo en nuestros días.
159 reviews
January 7, 2020
A very interesting read, but i was hoping for more concentration on the unknown stories of Nazi wives that abused their power (and there were a few examples), the affairs of the Husbands (which there were a few) rather then a shopping-list of all the plundering that took place during the Nazi regime. Which although interesting to read is not hard to find in any history book or text about this period.
Interesting in this was the double standards of the image of the regime and then the real face of it. there were topics in there which could easily be their own books if fleshed out, but it was always quickly concluded.


Also, the book doesn't conclude, it just ends. A paragraph from the author would have been interesting. instead it ended wit one of those shopping-list entries.

Worth a read if this is your first look into reading something about this period, good as a reference for further studies, but overall doesn't have the juice for those that have read and studies this period as an interest.
As suggested, it will stay on my shelf as a reference book on the few stories that were of interest.
Profile Image for Bec.
28 reviews
March 23, 2020
I found this book okay. There were general details about Hitler’s main henchmen and their exploits, but I don’t think there was anything included that isn’t common knowledge in Holocaust study. Quite a lot is based around hearsay, rather than references or testimony.

The depth the author goes into and the information he bases his content around are both quite superficial. It’s quite ‘listy’ and seems to replicate genetic information that can be found in a quick internet search.

There are ‘additional resources’ listed at the back which include Wikipedia and a BBC documentary from 2001. This doesn’t inspire confidence in the quality of the book or the research that has gone into it.

It ended quite abruptly - there was no closing chapter or summation from the author, which left me wondering whether I had a copy with the final pages missing. From other reviews, I see that this was not the case.

An interesting title that was easy enough to read, but I think an investigation into Hitler’s team has far more potential than this book provided.
Profile Image for Wendy.
469 reviews6 followers
August 21, 2018
This book was easy to read and gave good insight into Hitler and his henchmen. A lot of the major Nazi leaders were discussed as well as the reasoning for the extermination of the Jews and other people deemed undesireable for the perfect Aryan race that Hitler and his followers tried to do for twelve years of terror.

Although I found the book interesting I can't help but think a lot of the information is just heresay. There are many inuendoes about the corruptness of various people but no real proof. A lot of the information was really things I didn't already know and was a rehash of other history books. This book however, concentrated purely on the Nazis in charge and their personal lives so it was a different slant from most other books.
Profile Image for Nicki.
237 reviews1 follower
October 29, 2017
Found this very interesting but have always been interested in how these lunatics managed to get away with what they did for so long. Spent a year living and working in Germany trying to figgar that out. Still don't know - well do really. The German are a very proud Nation and hate to lose at anything.
Profile Image for Mike (HistoryBuff).
237 reviews20 followers
February 25, 2018
Very good so far. Almost done. I pick up Murder on the Orient Express, and now I'm into it. Finally finished, very good as I mentioned before. If you in to WWII I definitely recommend it.
Profile Image for Rich.
120 reviews1 follower
June 18, 2018
I really enjoyed this book, gave me more of an insight on some ‘major players’ within Hitlers army and alot more that I did not know
Profile Image for John Mc.
5 reviews1 follower
March 11, 2019
Well put, simple to follow, enjoyable read.
83 reviews
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May 20, 2019
The sheer evil of Nazi Germany never ceases to amaze me. I've read book after book and am still able to be shocked.
Profile Image for Claire Biggs.
146 reviews
January 27, 2020
A fascinating insight into the lives of not just the usual Nazi's but also some of the lesser known Nazi's, the things they did were shocking and all done in the name of the Fuhrer
Profile Image for Jessica Nethers.
4 reviews1 follower
September 12, 2021
3.5 stars - very interesting stories of the different people who served under Hitler. The book ended kind of abruptly, in my opinion, but other than that, it was very informative and intriguing.
Profile Image for Iola.
242 reviews
December 26, 2024
Fairly good, had some info in I didn't know, as in much more detail.
10 reviews1 follower
April 21, 2025
Mucha de la información es dudosa, el resto se centra en el robo de arte y en mencionar los corruptos que eran. Pero no mencionan nada nuevo o diferente.
Profile Image for Flavio Braga.
283 reviews
January 8, 2020
Livro muito interessante que coleta diversos fatos interessantes sobre os principais nomes nazistas antes, durante e após a 2a. Guerra. P. ex. Hitler sobreviveu quando jovem como michê! Tinha origem judia e mandou exterminar toda uma vila onde cresceu para esconder suas origens. Não canso de ler esses textos. Foi um período triste da humanidade e ainda tem gente que idolatra esses monstros e quer que o mundo volte a ficar sob sua influência.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

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