Where Ghosts Walked: Munich's Road to the Third Reich

by David Clay Large

The capital of the Nazi movement was not Berlin but Munich, according to Hitler himself. In examining why, historian David Clay Large begins in Munich four decades before World War I and finds a proto-fascist cultural heritage that proved fertile soil later for Hitler's movement. An engrossing account of the time and place that launched Hitler on the road to power. Munich was the birthplace of Nazism and became the chief cultural shrine of the Third Reich. In exploring the question of why Nazism flourished in the 'Athens of the Isar', David Clay Large has written a compelling account of the cultural roots of the Nazi movement, allowing us to see that the conventional explanations for the movement's rise are not enough. Large's account begins in Munich's 'golden age', four decades before World War I, when the city's artists and writers produced some of the outstanding work of the modernist spirit. He sees a dark side to the city, a protofascist cultural heritage that would tie Adolf Hitler's movement to its soul. Large prowls his volatile world of seamy basement meeting places, finding that attacks on modernity and liberalism flourished, along with virulent anti-Semitism and German nationalism. From the violent experience of the Munich Soviet, through Hitler's failed Beer-Hall Putsch of 1923 and on to his appointment as German chancellor in 1933, Large unfurls a narrative full of insight and implication.

Genres: Germany, World War II, History, War

406 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1996

About the author

David Clay Large is a senior fellow at the Institute of European Studies, University of California, Berkeley, and professor of history at the Fromm Institute, University of San Francisco. He has also taught at Smith College, Yale University, and Montana State University.

Reviews

[Mikey B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written history on Munich from the 1890’s to 1945 (followed by a brief post-war synopsis).

Munich was touted as Germany’s most cosmopolitan art centre – even over Berlin. The author, while explaining some of the Bohemian aspects clarifies that beneath this façade lurked somnolent (and not so somnolent) reactionary tendencies. Anti-Semitism was a part of this along with a negative reaction by many native Munchners to this Bohemian-foreign influx. Part of the anti-foreignism was equivalent to anti-Semitism. As Large demonstrates, Munich being a part of Bavaria had strong nationalistic tendencies and did not like taking orders from the Berlin government. Large also quotes several passages from the diaries of various Munchners including Thomas Mann who was initially in favour of this narrow nationalistic outlook.

Of course Hitler’s rise to power started in Munich following the end of the First World War. There was a brief communist interlude which the Berlin government helped to suppress. As Large explains violence from left-wing forces was always suppressed ruthlessly by the government police forces of Munich. Violence occurring from conservative forces towards Communists, foreign influences (Jews) could easily be overlooked.

Hitler did overstep in the Beer Hall Putsch but he was certainly not ruthlessly suppressed. His trial became an advertisement for National Socialism where the judges viewed him with great sympathy. His jail time allowed for numerous visitors (male and female) and he wrote his political biography (Mein Kampf) with the help of some of his cohorts.

Dachau, a few miles outside of Munich, was built and expanded immediately after the Nazi takeover. It was the first concentration camp to house undesirables – namely any political opponent of the Nazis.

Large describes some of the opponents of the Nazis. For example Johann Elser in November 1939 put a bomb in a Munich pub in an attempt to kill Hitler, but Hitler left earlier for a conference in Berlin. But as Large says these attempts (like the ‘White Rose’ movement during the war) were never supported by the majority of the people of Munich. Although some might denigrate the Nazi Party from time to time they continued to love their Fuhrer even when bombs started to rain down on their city.

Large also shows that protests – such as ones by Catholic or Protestant groups were narrow in scope and only wanted to preserve their interests – such as allowing crucifixes in schools.

The coverage in this book is excellent – it follows the overall historical flow in Munich with examples from various individuals who lived through this horrific epoch.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and comprehensive. By also taking an in-depth view og Munich before and after Nazism the author manages to convincingly illustrate how and why the Bewegung had the city as its motherlode.

[Dan]

good read, though the scope of the text is a little limiting. the pre-war stuff feels pretty comprehensive but everything after the onset feels incomplete.

[Adrian Fingleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is basically an historical account of Munich and how it served as the fertile breeding ground for the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. I had never heard of it until it was recommended by a Munich-living friend when I met him in the city recently. And I certainly found that having walked (with him) around a number of the historic locations mentioned in the book it certainly added a new dimension to the read.

I think this is a very good book in that it chronicles the rise and fall and rise of Munich over an extended period and it particularly focuses on the 19th century and how the events there shaped the city and Bavaria. I guess my own problem is that I struggle to position historic events relative to each other. So I know some pivotal dates, and I have to work around those to create relative events.

Napoleon came to Munich in the first decade of the 1800’s and then I know that around 1870 there was a Franco-German war. I also know that Germany was quite fragmented, more a bunch of states than a nation, but I rather forget most of the other details in the book. Sorry, that’s me and history. But what I do recall is that there was always a lot of angst between the ‘fun loving’ South German city (Munich) and the ‘serious’ Prussian influences of Berlin. The net of it all was that the Catholic South did not have much time for the Jews, were quite intolerant, and in the wake of Germany’s defeat in 1918 there was a succession of so-called ‘Communist Soviets’ in Munich. Eventually these were overthrown but there was a strong labour movement which remained in Munich.

And into this mix walked Adolf Hitler, who managed to turn himself into an effective orator and used the beerhalls of Munich to polish his act. After his failed beer hall putsch of 1923 (I think) he basically got a slap on the wrist and a spell in an open prison. But the net of all the detail (and I do mean detail) in the book is to paint a convincing picture of an unstable, erratic, and yet vibrant city where he managed to leverage his skills, influence and capacity for making powerful sponsor/allies to claw his way to power.

The book chronicles all of this in great detail. It’s still readable, but honestly there are just too many facts for me to be able to absorb them. As for Munich and it’s residents, I think it’s an accurate picture of a city and a population who half-collaborated, half-ignored what was happening and the existence of Dachau on the city margins. I think it’s the definitive modern history of Munich and it’s place in Germany. My reading of it was certainly amplified by my recent visit and places like Konigplatz, Residenz, Schwabing and so on certainly came to life much more in the book as a result. It’s also very good on aspects of Munich like the art scene, the architecture, the psyche of the average citizen etc.

I did get lucky while in Munich and visit a recently-opened museum devoted to the same theme as this book, ie the rise of the National Socialists. It’s on Konigplatz, near the building where the 1938 (so-called) peace concord was signed (i.e. Chamberlain – ‘Peace in our time’). Again, it’s an exhausting exhibition, but very comprehensive, rather like this book. Worth a visit if in Munich, and It’s called, deep breath, the NS-Dokumentationszentrum Munchen.

[Timothy Abbott · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Clay Large's book is one that passes the test of time, a plus for any historical work. This excellent tome, which came at us in 1997 about the origins of Nazism in Munich, still reads with a crisp writing style that makes you want to explore what else Large has to offer.
Munich embraced the Nazis as opposed to Berlin, which hated them. Munich gave us Dachau. It supplied the henchmen for the SD and the SS. It also gave us one of the first near-miss attempts on the young Hitler's life. It gave us the White Rose movement once the Nazis were in control. Large covers all these and more, giving us the onion layers of complex political maneuvering that, peeled back, show the gradual rise of anti-Semitism, persecution of communists and gays, encouraging of bloody riots, dirty dealing and looting that made the Nazis the despicable monsters of living legend. Large delivers 406 pages of brilliant, vibrant writing on his subject matter.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this monster several days ago and haven’t been able to pick up another book since. The author does a tremendous job of bringing to light a grimly dark past. Immensely readable and an important story for anyone who naively thinks, “it couldn’t happen here.

[Paco Crespo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maravilloso trabajo. Entre otras muchas cosas, consta un estupendo relato de la vida cultural de Múnich en su Fin-de-Siécle: Schwabing, el Simplicissimus, el loco Panizza, Fanny von Reventlow... el Café Stephanie!!

[David Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am reading this book for the third time. It covers the history of the Schwabing district of Munich, the development of bohemianism, and the rise of the Third Reich.

This is really a must read for anyone interested, not only in 20th century history, but in art and literary movements.