Life in Nazi Germany during World War II (1939-1945) was characterized by totalitarian control, widespread propaganda, and severe hardships. Under Adolf Hitler's regime, the state exerted pervasive influence over all aspects of daily life, aiming to shape German society according to Nazi ideology. The government's propaganda machine, led by Joseph Goebbels, saturated the media with messages glorifying the Führer, justifying the war, and promoting anti-Semitic and racist ideas.
The war effort required total mobilization of the German population. Men were conscripted into the Wehrmacht, leaving women and older citizens to work in factories, farms, and support roles. The economy shifted to a war footing, with resources and labor directed towards military production. Rationing of food, clothing, and other essentials became a daily reality, leading to shortages and a black market for goods.
Children and youth were indoctrinated through the Hitler Youth and League of German Girls, organizations designed to instill loyalty to the Nazi Party and prepare young people for service to the state. Education emphasized physical fitness, military training, and ideological conformity, while traditional academic subjects were downplayed.
The Nazi regime's persecution of Jews and other minorities intensified during the war. The implementation of the "Final Solution" led to the systematic genocide of six million Jews in concentration and extermination camps. Other targeted groups included Romani people, disabled individuals, political dissidents, and homosexuals, all facing imprisonment, forced labor, or execution.
Bombing raids by the Allies brought the war directly to German cities, causing widespread destruction and civilian casualties. Cities like Hamburg, Berlin, and Dresden suffered devastating air raids, leading to loss of life, homelessness, and further strain on the already struggling populace.
Despite the oppressive environment, some Germans engaged in resistance activities, ranging from covert efforts to aid persecuted individuals to active plots to overthrow Hitler. The most notable resistance was the failed July 20, 1944, assassination attempt on Hitler by a group of army officers.
By the war's end in 1945, Germany lay in ruins, its society shattered by years of totalitarian rule, relentless warfare, and the horrors of the Holocaust. The Nazi regime's fall brought an end to the pervasive fear and control but left a legacy of profound trauma and devastation.
Adolf Hitler and the Nazi epoch : an annotated bibliography of English-language works on the origins, nature, and structure of the Nazi state by
Although bibliographies do exist that concern themselves with the Nazi period in Germany and the Third Reich, no one has yet attempted a complete reference source. With the publication of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Epoch there is finally, a complete, comprehensive reference source designed to identify all English-language works that relate to the Nazis and the Third Reich. Included in this bibliography are monographs, biographies, pamphlets, and journal articles, as well as more general histories of the time period. The material is subdivided by subject and organized into eighteen chapters, making this large bibliography simple to use. The chapter subjects contain a broad range of data. Included are chapters on Adolf Hitler himself, the origins of national socialism, religion and the Nazis, articles about education and academics in Germany, law and government under the Third Reich, the SS and concentration camps, everyday life in Nazi Germany, foreign policy and more. The range of data collected in this one reference location is astounding, and should provide a nearly inexhaustible starting point for those scholars and students interested in the history of one of the most controversial political parties and governments of the twentieth century.
A Concise History of Nazi Germany by
This balanced history offers a concise, readable introduction to Nazi Germany. Combining compelling narrative storytelling with analysis, Joseph W. Bendersky offers an authoritative survey of the major political, economic, and social factors that powered the rise and fall of the Third Reich. His classic treatment provides an invaluable overview of a subject that retains its historical significance and contemporary importance.
German voices : memories of life during Hitler's Third Reich by
What was it like to grow up German during Hitler's Third Reich? In this extraordinary book, Frederic C. Tubach returns to the country of his roots to interview average Germans who, like him, came of age between 1933 and 1945. Tubach sets their recollections and his own memories into a broad historical overview of Nazism--a regime that shaped minds through persuasion (meetings, Nazi Party rallies, the 1936 Olympics, the new mass media of radio and film) and coercion (violence and political suppression). The voices of this long-overlooked population--ordinary people who were neither victims nor perpetrators--reveal the rich complexity of their attitudes and emotions. The book also presents selections from approximately 80,000 unpublished letters (now archived in Berlin) written during the war by civilians and German soldiers. Tubach powerfully provides new insights into Germany's most tragic years, offering a nuanced response to the abiding question of how a nation made the quantum leap from anti-Semitism to systematic genocide.
Hitler and the Nazis a history in documents by
Presents a history of the rise and fall of Hitler and Nazism through original source documents, including Nazi party records and propaganda and documents from witnesses, Holocaust survivors, and individuals who resisted the Nazi regime. Each chapter has a general introduction as well as commentary about the individual documents.The excerpts are drawn from government papers, Nazi propaganda, letters, diaries, articles, reminiscences, and trial and hearings testimony. The text is supplemented with black-and-white period photos, art, and documents, including reproductions that show how the Nazis used propaganda to create a mythical Hitler who became the all-powerful embodiment of the German nation.
Hitler and the Vatican : inside the secret archives that reveal the new story of the Nazis and the Church by
"For years, the policies of the Catholic Church during the rise and terribly destructive rule of the Nazis have been controversial. Pope Pius XII has been attacked as "Hitler's Pope," an anti-Semitic enabler who refused to condemn Nazism, much less urge Catholics to resist the German regime. The Church has been accused of standing by while the Nazis steadily revealed their evil designs. Yet all such arguments have been based only on sketchy evidence. The Vatican has kept its internal workings secret and locked away from scrutiny." "Until now. In February 2003, the Vatican opened its archives for the crucial years of the Nazi consolidation of power, up until 1939. Peter Godman, thanks to his long experience in Vatican sources and his reputation as an impartial, non-Catholic historian of the Church, was one of the first scholars to explore the new documents. The story they tell is revelatory and surprising and forces a major revision of the history of the 1930s. It is a story that reveals the innermost workings of the Vatican, an institution far more fractured than monolithic, one that allowed legalism to trump moral outrage." "Godman's narrative is doubly shocking: At first, the Church planned to condemn Nazism as heretical, and drafted several variations of its charges in the mid-1930s. However, as Mussolini drew close to Hitler, and Pope Pius XI grew more concerned about communism than fascism, the charge was reduced to a denunciation only of bolshevism. The Church abandoned its moral attack on the Nazis and retreated to diplomacy, complaining about treaty violations and delivering weak protests while the horrors of religious persecution mounted. As Godman demonstrates, the policies of Pius XII were all determined by his predecessor, Pius XI. The Church was misled not so much by "Hitler's Pope" as by a tragic miscalculation and a special relationship with the Italian government. Mussolini toyed with the Church, even proposing that Hitler be excommunicated. Yet in the end, when presented with further evidence of Nazi depredations, Pius XI could only comment, "Kindly God, who has allowed all this to happen at present, undoubtedly has His purpose.""--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
In exile: essays, reflections and letters, 1933-1947 by
Personal narratives, German
Récits personnels allemands
Personal narratives -- German
Inside Hitler's Germany : life under the Third Reich by
With photographs and text, Hughes (modern world history, U. College, Northampton, England) and Mann (European history, U. of Surrey and U. College, London) reconstruct life in Germany not just during the war, but also in the early 1930s when Nazism brought economic benefits and genocide was just pol
Landmark Speeches of National Socialism by
"The power which has always started the greatest religious and political avalanches in history rolling has from time immemorial been the magic power of the spoken word, and that alone."--Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf As historians have long noted, public oratory has seldom been as pivotal in generating and sustaining the vitality of a movement as it was during the rise and rule of the National Socialist Party, from 1919 to 1945. Led by the charismatic and indefatigable Hitler, National Socialists conducted one of the most powerful rhetorical campaigns ever recorded. Indeed, the mass addresses, which were broadcast live on radio, taped for re-broadcast, and in many cases filmed for play on theater newsreels throughout the Third Reich, constituted one of the most thorough exploitations of media in history. Because such evil lay at the heart of the National Socialist movement, its overwhelming rhetoric has often been negatively characterized as propaganda. As Randall Bytwerk points out, however, the "propaganda" label was anything but negative in the minds of the leaders of the National Socialist movement. In their view, the clear, simplistic, and even one-sided presentation of information was necessary to mobilize effectively all elements of the German population into the National Socialist program. Gathered here are thirteen key speeches of this historically significant movement, including Hitler's announcement of the party's reestablishment in 1925 following the unsuccessful Beer Hall Putsch, four addresses by Joseph Goebbels, the 1938 Kristallnacht speech by Julius Streicher, and four speeches drafted as models for party leaders' use on various public occasions. The volume concludes with Adolf Hitler's final public address on January 30, 1945, three months before his suicide. Several of these works are presented for the first time in English translation. Bytwerk provides a brief introduction to each speech and allows the reader to trace the development and downfall of the Nazi party. Landmark Speeches of National Socialism is an important volume for students of rhetoric, World War II, Nazi Germany, and the Holocaust.
Nazi-Deutsch/Nazi-German an English lexicon of the language of the Third Reich by
This comprehensive German-English dictionary of the Third Reich language provides clear definitions with background information. It covers the terminology of Nazi ideology, propaganda slogans, military terms, ranks and offices, abbreviations and acronyms, euphemisms and code names, Germanized words, slang, chauvinistic and anti-Semitic vocabulary and racist and sexist slurs.
The Nazi Germany Sourcebook by
The Nazi Germany Sourcebook is an exciting new collection of documents on the origins, rise, course and consequences of National Socialism, the Third Reich, the Second World War, and the Holocaust. Packed full of both official and private papers from the perspectives of perpetrators and victims, these sources offer a revealing insight into why Nazism came into being, its extraordinary popularity in the 1930s, how it affected the lives of people, and what it means to us today. This carefully edited series of 148 documents, drawn from 1850 to 2000, covers the pre-history and aftermath of Nazism: * the ideological roots of Nazism, and the First World War * the Weimar Republic * the consolidation of Nazi power * Hitler's motives, aims and preparation for war * the Second World War * the Holocaust * the Cold War and recent historical debates. The Nazi Germany Sourcebook focuses on key areas of study, helping students to understand and critically evaluate this extraordinary historical episode:
The Nazi state by
Fundamentals of Nazi politics -- Structure of the national government -- State and local government -- Nazi party -- Law and justice -- Propaganda and public opinion -- Control of art and literature -- Education -- Training for leadership -- Religion -- Economy of permanent war -- Position of labor -- Foreign policy and the new order.
The Nazi State and German society : a brief history with documents by
Explaining the factors that led millions of ordinary Germans to sacrifice individual rights in the interest of collective goals and national security, Nazi State and German Society explores the most infamous totalitarian regime of the twentieth century.
The Nazi Years: A Documentary History by
National socialism -- History -- Sources
Anti-Nazi movement -- History -- Sources
National socialism
Germany -- Politics and government -- 1933-1945
The rise and fall of the Third Reich : a history of Nazi Germany by
Since its publication in 1960, William L. Shirer's monumental study of Hitler's German Empire has been widely acclaimed as the definitive record of this century's blackest hours. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich offers an unparalleled and thrillingly told examination of how Adolf Hitler nearly succeeded in conquering the world. With millions of copies in print around the globe, it has attained the status of a vital and enduring classic.
Signal, Hitler's wartime Picture Magazine by
World War, 1939-1945
Guerre mondiale, 1939-1945 -- Ouvrages illustrés
The social history of the Third Reich : 1933-1945 by
Attempts to explain the behaviour of ordinary Germans during the Nazi era have failed to rise above the level of polemic. This book, from the author of The Nazi Question, provides a balanced account of all aspects of German life under Hitler.
The Third Reich by
The Third Reich is a succinct, comprehensive examination of the major debates surrounding this crucial period in modern German history. The character and operation of the Nazi state, and of its global consequences, have been discussed and disputed since 1933. David G. Williamson's Seminar Studies text, now in its fifth edition, provides students with a lucid introduction to the Third Reich and highlights the relevant research, scholarship and controversies. The new edition has been expanded to give increased coverage to such topics as: ethnic cleansing in Poland and Russia, the role of the Wehrmacht, the Holocaust, attitudes of ordinary Germans to the Third Reich, the German opposition, Nazi foreign policy and the German economy. Accompanied by a wide range of primary sources, a timeline, maps and a glossary, The Third Reich remains the best available introduction to this short-lived but enormously impactful period in world history.
The Third Reich Sourcebook (ebook) by
""This book is a collection of documents, mostly translated from the German, that covers the entire Third Reich, from the beginnings of National Socialism in Munich in 1919, through the rise of Nazism in the 1930s, and ultimately the defeat of the Third Reich. It is wide-ranging, covering the core doctrine of anti-Semitism, education, German youth, women and marriage, science, health, the Church, literature, visual arts, music, the body, industry, sports, and the resistance"-- Provided by publisher."
Under the map of Germany : nationalism and propaganda, 1918-1945 by
At the close of the First World War, propaganda mapping played a crucial role in the creation of a consensus about German national territory. Under the Map of Germany provides a detailed and vivid analysis of the history and techniques of nationalist mapping in inter-war Germany. Using extensive archival documentation - including many previously undiscovered maps - the author charts the development of new concepts of national territory and the establishment of an effective propaganda mapping network. His research demonstrates that a consensus about the extent of the Greater German nation was not created by skillful Nazi propagandists, but by the collaborate efforts of respected scholars and nationalist activists during the Weimar Republic. Challenging the belief that national self-determination is a just cause, Under the Map of Germany reveals that national territories are not tangible entities that can be clearly delimited, but are artificial constructs open to a wide range of interpretations.
Voices from the Third Reich by
A major historical document, this book contains interviews with more than 150 Germans who witnessed, participated in, or resisted the rise of Adolph Hitler. The testimony comes from well-known figures like Manfred Rommel and Helmut Kohl; former soldiers and ordinary civilians; and victims of the criminal policies of the Nazi regime. Haunting and extraordinary tales of horror, courage, grim determination, and moral confusion fill these pages. Voices from the Third Reich takes the material of epic history and presents it in the form of the individual human experiences of men, women, and children subjected to the pressures of total war in a fascist state. Preface by Helmut Schmidt
Voices in the Dark by
Germany, in the final years of the Third Reich. Hermann Karnau is a sound engineer obsessed with recording the human voice in all its variations--the rantings of leaders, the roar of crowds, the rasp of throats constricted in fear--and indifferent to everything else. Employed by the Nazis, his assignments take him to Party rallies, to the Eastern Front, and into the household of Joseph Goebbels. There he meets Helga, the eldest daughter: bright, good-natured, and just beginning to suspect the horror that surrounds her... Based on an acclaimed novel by Marcel Beyer, Voices in the Dark is the first fictional graphic novel by Ulli Lust, whose award-winning graphic memoir Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life appeared in English in 2013. It is the story of an unlikely friendship and of a childhood betrayed, a grim parable of naïveté and evil, and a vivid, unsettling masterpiece. This NYRC edition is a trade paperback and features full color throughout and new English hand-lettering.
What I Saw by
The Joseph Roth revival has finally gone mainstream with the thunderous reception for What I Saw, a book that has become a classic with five hardcover printings. Glowingly reviewed, What I Saw introduces a new generation to the genius of this tortured author with its "nonstop brilliance, irresistible charm and continuing relevance" (Jeffrey Eugenides, New York Times Book Review). As if anticipating Christopher Isherwood, the book re-creates the tragicomic world of 1920s Berlin as seen by its greatest journalistic eyewitness. In 1920, Joseph Roth, the most renowned German correspondent of his age, arrived in Berlin, the capital of the Weimar Republic. He produced a series of impressionistic and political essays that influenced an entire generation of writers, including Thomas Mann and the young Christopher Isherwood. Translated and collected here for the first time, these pieces record the violent social and political paroxysms that constantly threatened to undo the fragile democracy that was the Weimar Republic. Roth, like no other German writer of his time, ventured beyond Berlin's official veneer to the heart of the city, chronicling the lives of its forgotten inhabitants: the war cripples, the Jewish immigrants from the Pale, the criminals, the bathhouse denizens, and the nameless dead who filled the morgues. Warning early on of the dangers posed by the Nazis, Roth evoked a landscape of moral bankruptcy and debauched beauty--a memorable portrait of a city and a time of commingled hope and chaos. What I Saw, like no other existing work, records the violent social and political paroxysms that compromised and ultimately destroyed the precarious democracy that was the Weimar Republic.
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