The Nazi State and German Society: A Brief History With Documents

by Robert G. Moeller

The Nazi State and German Society invites students to view the history of the twentieth century€™s most infamous totalitarian regime through the voices of people who experienced it. Robert Moeller€™s comprehensive introduction presents an overview of the Nazi regime, from Weimar to the end of the war, explaining the factors that led millions of ordinary Germans to sacrifice individual rights in the interest of collective goals and national security. The effects of Nazi rule on Aryans, Jews, and other "undesirables" are explored, along with a discussion of why so few people organized against the regime. Over 50 documents from a broad range of perspectives €” including speeches, memoirs, letters, diaries, and propaganda posters €” bring this history to life and illustrate the effect of Nazi rule on German society. Document headnotes, a chronology, questions for consideration, and a selected bibliography provide pedagogical support.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, World War II, Textbooks, Cultural, Holocaust

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Some of my friends and acquaintances who know the secret of my diary urge me, in their despair, to stop writing. "Why? For what purpose? Will you live to see it published? Will these words of your reach the ears of future Generations?" - From Chaim Kaplan's Diary, July 26, 1942. Written in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Terrifying and touching. Made up primary source writings including speeches, diaries, resistance pamphlets, song lyrics, letters, and more, this was a very difficult book to read and review. Making intimate the evil of the perpetrators and pain of the victims, these writings expose the darkest hours of history as well as highlighting the strongest forms of hope in a way that a shelf full of expert histories could not.

This is history at its most bare and illuminating - villans are shown in their full cunning and depravity, victims and survivors reveal their pride and resilience, all without the manipulation or embellishment of the historian's pen. This lack of distance from the reader to the reality is a great strength but comes with complications we as recipients must deal with directly, and not look to an intermediating author to answer for us. How do we remember the sympathetic soldier writing letters home to his wife and infant son while he glories in his role in purifying their race? (39) What are we to think when the heros of the resistance reveal their own prejudices even while fighting to cast off a far greater evil? (53) Who can celebrate when the forces liberating cities occupied by the Nazis rape and pillage themselves?(57) Is there honor in a child soldier's naive and manipulated dedication to his homeland?(56) (Please note that these questions only arise when reading the eye witness accounts of citizens and low level soldiers, conscripted and forced into their roles, there is no moral grayness when it comes to the leaders of the Nazi Party, as this collection allows their own words to clearly depict.)

I hesitate to say 'favorites' but the following list of documents left the greatest impression on me, for either their historical significance or personal insight, and I encourage anyone to at least read these portions, if not the whole book.

15. Concordat between the Holy See and the German Reich, July 20, 1933
16. Protestant Church Leaders, Declaration of Independence form the Nazi State, October 21 1934
20. Gabriele Herz, Description of an Early Concentration Camp for Women, 1937
25. Peter Gay, A Jewish Teenager Remembers the 1936 Berlin Olympics, 1998
33. David H. Buffman, Report on Kristallnacht, November 1938
39. Karl Fuchs, A German Soldier's Letters from the Eastern Front, 1941
41. Käthe Ricken, Life Under the Bombs, 1943
44. Rita Bröring, A German Woman's Account of Jewish Deportations, April 23, 1942
45. Herman Friedrich Graebe, Description of a Mass Execution of Jews in Ukraine in 1942, 1945
46. Heinrich Himmler, Speech to SS Officers in Posen, October 4, 1943
49. Ruth Kluger, A Young Girl's "Lucky Accident" at Auschwitz in 1944, 1992
50. Hanna Lévy-Hass, The Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp, 1944-45
58. Gene Currivan, Report on a Visit to a Nazi Concentration Camp Liberated by the U.S. Army, April 18, 1945

"I have written these final pages in Berlin, in our home. It's all a dream. And I am not yet awake." - Gabriel Herz's Memoir, March, 1937, after her release from Moringen, a German women's concentration camp.

[Jesten · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of documents is very enlightening and educational. I recommend if you seek a deeper understanding of how Germany really was preceding and during WWII.

[Jordan Tomasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obviously not an easy read, but gives a lot more insight into WWII than what is taught in American schools. The use of actual documents from the time give a variety of viewpoints and a deeper understanding to the events.

[Ronnie Sharangpani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collection of documents that give insight to life within the regime, including accounts of the Nazi officials.

[Haakmed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting read of primary documents. Worth the read if you are one to appreciate them. I did not like the author's notes as much as the documents themselves so I largely ignored them for anything other than introductions on the people themselves. Overall the book gives insight into life under Nazi controlled Germany if not in a very haphazard order. I do not understand why the documents are ordered the way they are, ranging from the 30's to the 40's then back to the 30's again. Would have liked to see them more in chronological order.

[Nranger7 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good source of documents although the editor seems to be a bit biased, thinks ALL Germans were Nazis. Pretty ridiculous for a historian who should be capable of being objective.