Vanuit haar hoofdkwartier in de Prinz Albrecht Straße voerde de Gestapo, de geheime politie van het Derde Rijk, jarenlang een meedogenloos bewind van terreur en geweld, waarvan honderdduizenden onschuldige burgers, joden en verzetsleden het slachtoffer werden. Onder de ijzeren leiding van Heinrich Himmler groeide deze organisatie, die instond voor de interne veiligheid en de uitroeiing van ieder verzet, tot een van de belangrijkste pijlers van de nazi-maatschappij uit.
Met dit boek schetst Rupert Butler een gedetailleerd portret van de Geheime Staatspolizei, van het prille begin in 1933 tot de Duitse overgave in 1945 en de processen van Nürnberg. Hoe ontwikkelde deze organisatie zich doorheen de jaren en wat was precies haar invloed in het Derde Rijk? Op welke manier was de Gestapo georganiseerd en welke rol speelden individuen als Göring, Heidrich en Himmler? Welke methoden en instrumenten werden door de Gestapo gebruikt en wat was haar aandeel in de deportatie van de Joden? Gebaseerd op officiële documenten uit de Gestapo-archieven en tal van ooggetuigenverslagen biedt dit boek op deze en andere vragen een duidelijk antwoord. Dit unieke document over de beruchtste politiemacht uit de geschiedenis is in beeld gebracht met meer dan 120 authentieke foto's.
"The Gestapo: A History of Hitler's Secret Police" by Rupert Butler is a challenging yet informative exploration into one of the darkest chapters of history. My rating for this book is three out of five stars, reflecting the difficulty of the content and its substantial informational value.
Butler delves into the history of the Gestapo with meticulous detail, providing a comprehensive overview of Hitler's secret police force. The depth of research is evident throughout the book, offering readers a wealth of information about the organization's origins, operations, and impact on individuals and communities during the Nazi era.
However, the challenging nature of the content, detailing the atrocities committed by the Gestapo, can make the book difficult to read. Butler doesn't shy away from the brutality and human suffering inflicted by this notorious secret police force, making it an emotionally heavy and, at times, distressing read.
Despite its challenging nature, the book's informative value cannot be overlooked. It serves as an essential resource for those seeking a thorough understanding of the Gestapo's role in implementing Hitler's regime and the widespread terror it instilled.
In conclusion, "The Gestapo" by Rupert Butler is a hard-hitting and informative read that provides valuable insights into a dark period of history. While the challenging content may make it a difficult book to navigate emotionally, its wealth of information contributes significantly to the understanding of the Gestapo's impact during Hitler's reign.
Highlights-- the book enlightens us to where the underground resistance was strong, such as Poland , France and Russia and where it failed, Norway. Tells how arrogant Gestapo leader Hedrich thought no one would dare attack him, till the resistance did. A lot of rounding up, torturing, harassing and killing enemies of the state and particularlyJews. While full of revealing, interesting and unique situations, I'm more fixated on the warring parts of world war two than the policing and keeping order albeit in murderously disgusting ways. Some of what the Gestapo did is just hard to read. Tells how the Nazi party was an avenue to success for Germans at the time of unemployment, runaway inflation and political turmoil. The Nazis perfected the art of fake news, called propaganda, turning their citizens against others. Talks about Night of the Long Knives, which was akin to the Republican leaders one night deciding to kill all the Democratic leaders. Touches on the Night of th Broken Glass--an attack on Jews and their businesses. also the Anschluss---Austria forced reunification with Germany. A good historical account of the Nazi police bullies and their evil ways including Himmlers obsession and culpability to the Jewish "final solution".
Insuficient de coerentă încât să lămurească hăţişul instituţional al poliţiei politice şi serviciilor de spionaj germane. E, mai mult, o prezentare comprimată a represiunii naţional-socialiste şi a tentativelor de asasinare a lui Adolf Hitler. Dacă n-ai auzit de Kaltenbrunner, Muller sau alţi oameni importanţi din RSHA, merge. O carte de popularizare, fără subtilităţi de interpretare.
O livro narra, de certa forma, a história das principais organizações do governo nazista que sedimentaram o poder de Hitler no aparato estatal da Alemanha. Destaca bem as principais figuras como Himmler, Heyderich, Eichmann, Göring entre outros que foram responsáveis pelas atrocidades cometidas durante todo o governo de Hitler e como chegaram as suas posições, de onde vieram e porque faziam o que faziam.
No entanto, o livro me pareceu um tanto sem rumo. Por diversas vezes ele joga uma informação, um nome, um título, uma instituição e não da um contexto maior para explicar aquilo. Nesse sentido, ele não segue uma lógica no discorrer dos capítulos (quero dizer, nem cronológica, nem regional, nem temática), então em certas partes, apesar de ser um assunto interessante e evidentemente bem pesquisado, se torna um tanto maçante de ler.
É bem ilustrado, tem quadros para explicar melhor algumas coisas, mas achei meio enfadonho. Tanto que havia começado a ler anos atrás e abandonei, mas como não gosto de abandonar livros, resolvi recomeçar.
O conteúdo em si é interessante, tem bastante informação sobre a Gestapo, a SS, também sobre o alto comando nazista. Porém, a ordem das coisas é um pouco confusa, às vezes ao descrever uma organização ou pessoa o autor vai até lá na frente, tipo 1942, para depois voltar pra 1933. Então, não achei que as ideias ficaram bem encadeadas. Não sei se a culpa dessa (des)organização é do autor, ou da editora do Brasil, que pode ter mexido um pouco nas coisas ao dividir o livro em dois volumes.
Enfim, é preciso ter um pouco de paciência para ler este livro.
Mooi en duidelijk boek dat een overzicht over de Gestapo en anderen geeft. Het is geen topper misschien ook omdat ik al redelijk veel literatuur van deze aard heb gelezen. Toch komen er een aantal nieuwe zaken naar voor welke mijn kennis dan weer verbreden. Terug naar de Bib ermee en niet echt op de lijst om te kopen.