Citizens and soldiers, 19391945 nicholas stargardt. The second world war was a german war like no other. Nicholas stargardts the german war comes therefore as something of a reality check, a shock to the system or my system at least. A groundbreaking history of what drove the germans to fight and keep fighting for a lost cause in world war iiin the german war, acclaimed historian nicholas stargardt draws on an extraordinary range of firsthand testimony personal diaries, court records, and military correspondence to explore how the german people experienced the second world war. Quoting letters and diaries written by ordinary germans through the war, the book offers a glimpse of how everyday citizens interpreted the goingson. Wendy lower times literary supplement superbly researched and clearly written, the german war is an important and significant book dominic green spectator for the first time, the wartime chronology of german sentiment, of popular hopes and fears, realism and fantasy, becomes truly visible. The nazi regime, having started the conflict, turned it into the most horrific war in european history, resorting to genocidal methods well before building the first gas chambers. Lot time life the third reich 1st printing complete set of 21 wwii books ex. A decade after witnesses of war, his impressive deconstruction. Eric lichtblaus new book, the nazi next door, tells the story. The war was lost and yet 60 year old men and 14 year old boys took up arms and sacrificed themselves for the homeland while the. Ive finished nicholas stargardts, the german war it took me a little longer than id have liked, but ive finished stargardts masterful tome, the german war. A nation under arms, 19391945 offers wide insights into the german experience from the viewpoint of soldiers and civilians in the late thirties and during the war time, using a wide range of source materials, among them many letters and diaries. A nation under arms, 19391945 ebook written by nicholas stargardt.
To write like this requires a rare sensitivity and psychological. When the germans began an official genocidal campaign to destroy jews, the zeitgeist, the underlying exculpating factor was simply that. He details how a cultured nation went insane, how ordinary soldiers became mass killers, and how the churches of germany looked the other way as the innocent were murdered. There is a tendency to blame everything on the nazis rather than on germany or germans the official line in germany now is that the german people themselves were the first victims of the nazis. Its a phenomenal work using methods of the new social history, and applied to the nazi regime it produces some pretty astounding revelations. When war broke out in september 1939, it was deeply unpopular in germany. Due to the hundreds of thousands of german immigrants who lived in the country, argentina maintained close ties with germany and remained neutral for much of world war ii. Often regarded as the archetypical militarist state, imperial germany in fact witnessed a major controversy over the issue, as the arms race and the militaryindustrial complex displaced more traditional concerns about. The story of world war ii seen through the eyes of regular german citizens. Historian nicholas stargardt should be applauded for answering those questions in the german war. Nicholas stargardts explanation of the german wartime mentality goes beyond.
The same as the history books in other western countries. In the german war, acclaimed historian nicholas stargardt draws on an extraordinary range of firsthand testimony personal diaries, court. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A nation under arms, 19391945 is a nonfiction book written by historian nicholas stargardt. Its easy to think of the second world war as an episode involving wily generals, scheming madmen, marauding war machines, and ruthless.
A nation under arms, 19391945 kindle edition by stargardt, nicholas. But the panorama nicholas stargardt paints in his gripping new book is altogether more subtle and convincing. In this massive but thorough meditation, stargardt european historymagdalen coll. This is a book about how children experience and understand war. Stargardt looks at the experiences in nazioccupied europe of jewish children, polish children, czech children, german childrensome of them nazis, some of them juvenile delinquents this term includes an eightyearold girl sent to the reformatory because she was being sexually abusedin the view. Karl bruno stargardt was a german ophthalmologist born in berlin.
If you plan to read one history book this year, i strongly recommend nicholas stargardts the german war. The german war, a book that sometimes makes you hold. Nazi eugenics parenting aryan children german evolution hitler occult ss darwin. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the german war. He was born in melbourne, australia, and lived in australia, japan, england and germany. As early as 1941, allied victory in world war ii seemed all but assured. The war was lost and yet 60 year old men and 14 year old boys took up arms and. Weaving together personal letters, secret police reports, goebbels propaganda ministry assessments, and other sources, nicholas stargardt shows what and when the german people knew about the conduct of the war, what they thought about it, and how the regime, always attuned to. World war i pitted germany, austriahungary and the ottoman empire against great britain, the united states, france, russia, italy and japan.
Although this book gives some interesting and indepth information about the major battles of wwii, the main purpose of the author is to explain why the german volk continued to fight to the doors of the german chancellery as berlin was being destroyed around them. Nicholas stargardts the german war comes therefore as something of a. How thousands of nazis were rewarded with life in the u. Stargardt follows several of their authors over a longer period of time. Close to a million german civilians were killed in air raids and the ethnic cleansing that followed the war. In the german war, acclaimed historian nicholas stargardt draws on an extraordinary range of primary source materials,personal diaries, court records, and military correspondence,to answer this question. The german war is an outstanding book by a master historian. The germans dont hide any of their history from their children,or attempt to excuse it as such.
The german war, a book that sometimes makes you hold your. The causes of the war the world war conspiracy the devils doctrine the great german plot the contemptible little army a policy of murder madness great britain and the next war afterthoughts. Afterwards he worked in the eye clinic at strassburg. This book examines the development of the modern idea of militarism from its inception in the 1860s until the outbreak of world war i. Seventy years on despite whole libraries of books about the war s origins, course and atrocities we still do not know what germans thought they were fighting for or how they managed to continue their war until the bitter end. Nicholas stargardt brilliantly explores diaries, letters and other previously untapped sources to provide more vivid and nuanced insight than ever before achieved into the motivation of ordinary germans fighting the most horrific war of all time ian kershaw a gripping new book. The german war by nicholas stargardt boomerang books. Nicholas stargardt born in 1962 is professor of history at oxford university stargardt is the son of a german jewish father and australian mother. The reading bug a blog about reading, books, and language. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that. How and why, then, did the germans prolong the barbaric conflict for three and a half more years. Nicholas stargardts the german war tries to do that. A nation under arms, 19391945 nicholas stargardt on. In his new and excellent book, the german war, oxford university historian nicholas stargardt exhumes the letters and diaries of german soldiers and others.
A nation under arms, 193945 ebook written by nicholas stargardt. Nicholas stargardt brilliantly explores diaries, letters and other previously untapped sources to provide more vivid and nuanced insight than ever before achieved into the motivation of ordinary germans fighting the most horrific war of all time ian kershaw a gripping new book to write like this requires a rare sensitivity and psychological sophistication. A groundbreaking history of what drove the germans to fight and keep fighting for a lost cause in world war ii in the german war, acclaimed historian nicholas stargardt draws on an extraordinary range of firsthand testimony personal diaries, court records, and military correspondence to explore how the german people experienced the second world war. A nation under arms, 193945 by nicholas stargardt, 2015. A disturbing study captures the voices of ordinary germans during the war.
After world war ii, thousands of nazis became informants in the cold war against the soviet union and then got entry into the u. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Yet 70 years on despite whole libraries of books about the war s origins, course and atrocities we still do not know what germans thought they were fighting for and how they experienced and sustained the war until the bitter end. As early as 1941, allied victory in world war ii seemed all but ass. Buy the german war by nicholas stargardt 9780099539872 from boomerang books, australias online independent bookstore. I am still in the introduction and the discussion is really interesting.
In the german war, acclaimed historian nicholas stargardt draws on an. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the german war. He studied at kings college, cambridge, and is a fellow of magdalen college, oxford, in the united kingdom, where he teaches modern european history. In 1899 he received his doctorate from the university of kiel, where he later became chief physician at the university eye clinic. A nation under arms, 19391945 by nicholas stargardt online at alibris. A groundbreaking history of what drove the germans to fightand keep fighting for a lost cause in world war ii. This book is about how the german people experienced and sustained this war. Centering upon the thoughts and actions of the citizens living inside nazi germany during the second world war, the author argues that the war crimes committed by adolf hitlers domineering state had widespread awareness among regular people. A nation under arms 19391945 the oxford historian stargardt has written the definitive work on the the german home front how ordinary people lived during wartime germany, what they thought, what they knew. A nation under arms, 19391945 offers wide insights into the german experience from the view point of soldiers and civilians in the late thirties and during the war time, using a wide range of source materials, among them many letters and diaries. The german war, by nicholas stargardt the new york times.
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