Ribbentrop

by Michael Bloch

Skillfully written and meticulously researched, Ribbentrop is the definitive biography of Hitler’s Foreign Minister. Written by one of the preeminent writers of his generation, this superb biography traces the life of Joachim von Ribbentrop, Hitler’s Foreign Minister from 1938 until the end of the Third Reich. At the heart of German power during the war, this strange, sinister, intriguing character was also violently anti–British, encouraging Hitler in a policy that ultimately led to war with Great Britain. Moreover, his grandiose attempts at alliance–building produced a disastrous military coalition with Italy and Japan as well as the infamous Pact with the Soviet Union. It was a career that would end on the gallows at Nuremberg, where he headed the death procession. Written with verve, pace, and the subtle intelligence of a world–class biographer, Ribbentrop is a remarkable portrait of a bizarre, historically neglected figure.

Genres: Biography, Germany, History, World War II

560 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[Olethros · Rating 3 out of 5]

-Vida y suerte de “Brickendrop”.-

Género. Biografía.

Lo que nos cuenta. El libro Ribbentrop (publicación original: Ribbentrop, 1992) es un acercamiento casi psicoanalítico (al menos puede hacer ese ejercicio el lector en base a multitud de cosas que presenta la obra) a la figura de Ulrich Friedrich Willy Joachim Ribbentrop, que llegó a ser ministro de Relaciones Exteriores del Reich.

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[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dense and informative.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book up to the point where I realized what a pointless exercise in biography it is. And no disrespect to Bloch, who has penned a perfectly competent, if unexciting, biography of Joachim Ribbentrop. Bur it becomes grindingly clear reasonably early in the book that the man existed solely to Greek-chorus Adolph along. And in the end, we are reading about a man whose Foreign Ministry maintained relationships with something like eight countries, at least two of which existed only in his dotty worldview. Bloch also is frustrated by the refusal of the surviving family members to help a brother out; Ribbentrop's relationship with his wife and in-laws is described with tantalizing hints but no follow-through. So why should we care about this little nebbish, other than the fact that he helped orchestrate World War II? My favorite image from this book was Ribbentrop squeaking "My name is von Ribbentrop!" over and over to Goering right after the 1944 assassination attempt, when the boys were all sitting around blaming each other for why the war wasn't going their way, and Goering kept slurring him by not using his precious von. These are the people responsible for the deaths of millions? There is a hint at the end of the book that Ribbentrop took 20 minutes to die when hanged at Nuremberg. Good.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joachim Ribbentrop was one of the more pathetic members of the Nazi hierarchy to be executed after the second world war according to this biography by a specialist about the Duke of Windsor. Neither very educated nor very wise, he rose to become German ambassador to Britain before the outset of conflict and died by order of the Nuremberg tribunal in 1946.

One of the more interesting things about Nazism is that Hitler's ascension was indeed a revolution. Not just a change at the top, the National Socialist Workers' Party paralleled and dominated traditional institutions like the armed forces. The regional aristocracies were sidelined. The capitalists, most of them, including some US corporations, just went along. As a result, some very unlikely persons rose to positions of power, Hitler's concerns being more about loyalty than about competence. Ribbentrop was such a one.

[Stephen Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nasty piece of work.

[Sebastian Sandino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es una investigación a profundidad acerca de uno de los hombres más criticados de la historia, Joachim Von Ribbentrop. Es un libro dificil de leer ya que cada página tiene bastante información sustentada por biografías lo que hace un documento muy interesante para entender varios sucesos del nacionalsocialismo, periodo entre guerras, la guerra y los juicios.

[Ken Sampson · Rating 4 out of 5]

[13 Dec 2023] This is a meticulously researched and highly informative account of Ribbentrop. It is detailed, well written and has pace, particularly during the war years. He is very much presented as an egocentric buffoon and without doubt was incompetent at most of his roles. He craved adulation and seems to have a yearning for grandiose approval, particularly at first from the British, but when that proved difficult to obtain from the Nazi regime and in particular from Adolf Hitler.

My minor criticisms are that this biography very much focuses on his war ‘work’ and his family and personal life gets very limited coverage. You learn little about the man and secondly there is minimal analysis of his motivations and philosophy and in some way this, I feel, let’s him dodge responsibility for his actions and for his complicit contributions to the horrific actions of the Nazi regime. Hitler worship and ‘I was only following orders’ is an inadequate explanation for this man’s crimes.

A very informative biography, but written in a classic style, prevalent at the time, but now superseded by a more personal approach.

[Jonathan Fryer · Rating 5 out of 5]

By far the best of Michael Bloch's biographies and historical studies, this magisterial portrait of Hitler's ambassador to England prior to becoming the Third Reich's Foreign Minister, Joachim von Ribbentrop, tells a gripping story of an extraordinary though not especially brilliant man who knew how to charm for his country and close his eyes to the most egregious excesses of its regime. A thoroughly engrossing read.

[Alain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Long. Très long. Trop long.
Pas dénué d'intérêt mais souvent anecdotique et manquant de perspectives synthétiques.

Un mot sur la traduction : c'est de l'anglais, mais cela parle de réalité allemande... Voir écrit "putsch du Beer Hall" pour le coup d'Etat manqué de novembre 1923 peut faire grincer des dents.

[Clayton Brannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read not only on Ribbentrop but all those of the upper echelon of Hitler's followers.