Drawing on an unprecedented variety of sources, Mazower reveals how the Nazis designed, maintained, and ultimately lost their European empire, and ...
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Jan 18, 2011
Eric
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In 1915, with Europe aflame in what everyone thought would be its worst war, W.E.B. Du Bois published a theory of the belligerents’ motives in the Atlantic Monthly. “The African Roots of War” argued that the proverbial chickens had come home to roost: that imperial competition, especially the “scramble for Africa,” had created the jealousies fueling the war, and had raised the stakes almost to preclude a lasting peace. “The Balkans are convenient for occasions, but the ownership of materials and
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Jan 02, 2009
Terence
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There's a scene in the classic Star Trek episode "Patterns of Force" that always comes to mind when I read Nazi-era histories. In the episode, Enterprise is called to the planets Ekos and Zeon to find out what happened to the Federation's cultural observer, John Gill, who's disappeared. They discover Ekos ruled by a Nazi Party identical in every way to Earth's, down to the very uniforms; led by the Fuhrer, John Gill; and embarked on a campaign to finally eradicate the Zeon "scum"
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Dec 27, 2010
La pointe de la sauce
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The wholesale betrayal of the Jewish people by Europe headed by the third Reich. Systematic. A dishonour to humanity. The murder of millions of women and children on a scale unimaginable.
Little is sadder in the whole grim story than the accounts of Jewish women and children emerging out of the Polish woods to give themselves up at gendarmerie posts asking to be shot. Their certainty that they were doomed if they relied on local Christians is chilling. The calculated total horror was beyo More...
Little is sadder in the whole grim story than the accounts of Jewish women and children emerging out of the Polish woods to give themselves up at gendarmerie posts asking to be shot. Their certainty that they were doomed if they relied on local Christians is chilling. The calculated total horror was beyo More...
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Dec 17, 2008
Jon
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I read this in tandem with Fischer's Germany's Aims in the First World War to get a sense of whether there was any continuity between the means and ends of German aggression in the world wars. In short, there definitely was. Mazower provides a detailed and extremely well-written account of 1)Germany's extensive aims, 2)its decided lack of a well thought-out plan for administering the territories it conquered, 3)its failure to coordinate military and civilian organizations in formulating any poli
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Oct 31, 2011
Tom
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Although it can be harrowing to read about one horrific massacre and act of oppression after another, Mazower's book manages to document relatively objectively the fundamental moral question of our time: how could a civilized country like Germany bring itself to terrorize an entire continent and commit some of the worst atrocities in human history? Going through the development of Nazism in Germany and its roots in the insecurities of Wilhelmine Germany, Mazerow paints a detailed and nuanced por
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Jul 27, 2011
Having been very impressed with Mazower's 'Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century', this new volume was an essential read for me, and I was equally impressed with its depth and detail. Rather than approaching the Nazi 'colonisation' of much of Europe from a military/tactical/strategic perspective, Mazower examines it from the political, economic and geo-political points of view - and in many ways, this makes for a fresh outlook on some previously well-trodden historical ground. Taking as his
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Nov 02, 2008
Nick
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Although I am not a World War II buff, this long, detailed examination of how the Nazis governed the people they conquered fascinated me. There were some striking parallels to current events, as when Mazower observed that the Germans seemed, after overrunning Poland and the Baltic states, not to have given any thought to what would happen in those lands after the Wehrmacht won the military struggle.
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Jul 28, 2009
Jenny
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Easily the most compelling book I've read this year, Hitler's Empire detailed Germany's domination of Europe from the 1930s to 1950--and the aftermath. From Germany's initial goal of uniting all the "Germanic peoples" in Europe under a single flag, to forced migration, attempted genocide, forced labor, political back-stabbing, and mass murder, this is a sad, scary story.
But it's a fascinating one. Rather than focusing strictly on the political power of a few men (Hitler, More...
But it's a fascinating one. Rather than focusing strictly on the political power of a few men (Hitler, More...
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Aug 25, 2011
DoctorM
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An excellent account of Germany's attempt to administer its conquered territories and of how the Third Reich so haplessly failed to understand both its own economic and military limitations and to coordinate any vision of what a Europe dominated by Greater Germany would look like. Mazower focuses on the utter disjunct between Nazi racial visions and the economic needs of the Reich whether in peace or war and on the sheer venality and incompetence of all-too-many of the new rulers in the conquere
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Aug 15, 2011
Jon
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Phew. This took some time to finish. I was hoping for a little more in terms of gripping reading, didn't get it but learned a lot. Book focused primarily on the Eastern realm of Europe and the mass killing and reprisals committed by the Nazi regime. Quite scary what Hitler intended, however much of it was impromptu and dysfunctional as there seemed to be no real sense of direction once they conquered land and what they wanted to do with the civilian population. The book was quite graphic i
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Apr 16, 2010
Tim
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A fascinating book. Mazower concentrates on revealing how the Nazis ran (or more to the point, completely failed to run) their European empire. For a supposedly totalitarian and doctrinaire political regime, it is amazing to discover how little forethought was invested in the practicalities and even the aims of its conquests. In-fighting and chaos became the signature of the eastern occupation especially. In the process they let slip a willing reservoir of support that could have greatly aided,
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Jun 12, 2009
Themistocles
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Just as you think that all the topics of WWII have been covered, more or less, Mazower pulls an ace from his sleeve and delivers a really interesting approach/angle: the way Hitler's minions administered the Nazi empire, in economic, social and military terms.
Really well-written and very accessible, it provides insight and raises new questions and -for the first time- offers an overall image of how Europe was run - and how Hitler would want to run it after a victorious end to the war More...
Really well-written and very accessible, it provides insight and raises new questions and -for the first time- offers an overall image of how Europe was run - and how Hitler would want to run it after a victorious end to the war More...
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Nov 16, 2011
James
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Look at the ideology behind Hitler who compared expansion to the east Liebensraum with American settling of the west with Native American genocide. Big difference, Americans wanted to move to sparsely settled west while Germans did not want to move into densely populated Eastern Europe. Imperial Place off Athenaeum new book shelf.
May 06, 2010
David R.
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Exceptional scholarship and analysis: Mazower offers a groundbreaking tour de force on the subject of Nazi philosophy and policies of governance within its conquered territories. And, he considers how they worked (where applicable), or failed (where applicable), and how some came to full fruition under the social Democratic states of Europe during the 50's, 60's, and 70's. The work is especially insightful on topics of resistance, collaboration, and the division of outlook between military and
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Oct 04, 2009
Toby
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answers many of the questions about how or rather how they failed to administer such diverse peoples while being so terribly misguided and narrow in their racial policy. their rotten science and their radical diplomacy all explored with precision, narrative and even wit.
Jul 27, 2011
The "how" is a terrifying morass of banal Nazi paperwork Mazower painstakingly picks open to show the administrative dysfunction of occupied Europe. This, like several other recent works, subtly makes the point that it is futile to claim that even a few Germans "didn't know what was going on."
Jan 11, 2010
Ben
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Good book about the politics of Germany before and during the war. Good cultural information on what the Third Reich actually had in plan for the citizens of Europe and how they differed from country to country (and region to region).
Apr 25, 2010
Michael
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A thoroughly researched, well-written re-examination of Nazi racial and foreign policy, and a book that should be of considerable interest to scholars of Europe, of nationality, and of empire, as well as its more obvious audience of historians of Germany and the Second World War. Mazower traces the numerous connections between Nazi policies and those of the earlier imperial powers--and also with the policies of several of the Nazis' successor states. Mazower's work should also put to rest any of
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May 07, 2009
Gordon
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Very interesting book about the Nazi plans and actual actions in ruling conquered Europe during World War II. While sticking to the basic thesis of the Germans as being murderous knuckleheads, especially in their treatment of the Ukrainians and Belarussians, the author provides insight on some little-known aspects of their rule. The book is not emotional, but relies on hard facts to drive home hard truths.
Jul 28, 2011
José
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Bar none the most comprehensive study I have ever read of Nazi rule in Europe. It puts even William Shirer to shame.
Aug 30, 2009
still reading...this book is soooo far over my head, its almost funny. I actually have to read some paragraphs several times before it sinks in. I think the author assumes you know more background than I actually do...for example I had to look up "Bolshevism" on wikipedia. I'm getting fascinated by this topic though...just started a documentary on WWII as well....
Aug 30, 2010
Jerry
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Vast, detailed account of how the Nazis set up their empire - the goals of the Third Reich, how it went about annexing and colonizing Europe.
Not an account of the war per se, although the key points are covered, more an assessment of the reasons Germany behaved as it did during the decades leading up to the war and the war itself.
Fascinating and thought provoking. You can see why it runs to over 600 pages.
Not an account of the war per se, although the key points are covered, more an assessment of the reasons Germany behaved as it did during the decades leading up to the war and the war itself.
Fascinating and thought provoking. You can see why it runs to over 600 pages.
Jun 23, 2010
Russell
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A solid read. What stood out for me was how Hitler’s racial beliefs and policies ended up hastening the demise of the Third Reich by alienating potential allies and the captive workforce.
Some interesting concluding remarks about how early Zionism modelled itself on the earlier European and German imperial approach to the ethnic state, land and colonisation.
Some interesting concluding remarks about how early Zionism modelled itself on the earlier European and German imperial approach to the ethnic state, land and colonisation.
Jan 14, 2011
Lazarus
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Excellent companion to the Richard Evans trilogy, dealing as it does with the effect of Nazism on the protectorates, the occupied territories, palatinates, and client states of the Greater German Reich.
Dec 10, 2009
Kristina
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I finished! Whew.
I'm not sure how much info I retained, but I finished it and am proud I did so. It's a good book though, if you like the WWII history genre.
Dec 07, 2011
Alex
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A very good and interesting book that shows the actual story of how nazi's administration worked - which is very different from the typical stereotypes.
Aug 20, 2010
Ben
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Excellent book - horrifying, of course, but not prurient or sensationalist. Serious, committed, history
Feb 20, 2012
