Why did ordinary Germans vote for Hitler? In this dramatically
plotted book, organized around crucial turning points in 1914,
1918, and 1933, Peter Fritzsche explains why the Nazis were so
popular and what was behind the political choice made by the German
people.
Rejecting the view that Germans voted for the Nazis simply
because they hated the Jews, or had been humiliated in World War I,
or had been ruined by the Great Depression, Fritzsche makes the
controversial argument that Nazism was part of a larger process of
democratization and political invigoration that began with the
outbreak of World War I.
The twenty-year period beginning in 1914 was characterized by
the steady advance of a broad populist revolution that was animated
by war, drew strength from the Revolution of 1918, menaced the
Weimar Republic, and finally culminated in the rise of the Nazis.
Better than anyone else, the Nazis twisted together ideas from the
political Left and Right, crossing nationalism with social reform,
anti-Semitism with democracy, fear of the future with hope for a
new beginning. This radical rebelliousness destroyed old
authoritarian structures as much as it attacked liberal
principles.
The outcome of this dramatic social revolution was a
surprisingly popular regime that drew on public support to realize
its horrible racial goals. Within a generation, Germans had grown
increasingly self-reliant and sovereign, while intensely
nationalistic and chauvinistic. They had recast the nation, but put
it on the road to war and genocide.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!