Popular Opinion & Political Dissent in the Third Reich

by Ian Kershaw

Now updated with a new introduction and bibliography Ian Kershaw's classic study of popular responses to Nazi policy and ideology explores the political mentality of 'ordinary Germans' in one part of Hitler's Reich. Basing his account on many unpublished sources, the author analyses socio-economic discontent and the popular reaction to the anti-Church and anti-Jewish policies of the Nazis, and reveals the bitter divisions and dissent of everyday reality in the Third Reich, in stark contrast to the propaganda image of a 'National Community' united behind its leaders. The focus on one particular region makes possible a depth of analysis that takes full account of local and social variations, and avoids easy generalization; but the findings of this study of ordinary behaviour in a police state have implications extending far beyond the confines of Bavaria or indeed Germany in this period.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Germany

Hardcover

First published February 14, 1985

About the author

Ian Kershaw is a British historian, noted for his biographies of Adolf Hitler.
Ian Kershaw studied at Liverpool (BA) and Oxford (D. Phil). He was a lecturer first in medieval, then in modern, history at the University of Manchester. In 1983-4 he was Visiting Professor of Modern History at the Ruhr University in Bochum, West Germany. From 1987 to 1989 he was Professor of Modern History at the University of Nottingham, and since 1989 has been Professor of Modern History at Sheffield. He is a fellow of the British Academy, of the Royal Historical Society, of the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, and of the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung in Bonn. He retired from academic life in the autumn semester of 2008.

Reviews

[Anders Schröder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why didn't the Germans stop Hitler? Possibly the most major historical question on the 20th century is how the political ideology of a few fanatics could lead to world war and genocide. A large part of answering that question lies in understanding the interplay between the nazi leadership and the German people.

In this book, Ian Kershaw explores the question by looking at those rare cases of dissent towards the nazi regime. Kershaw distinguishes dissent from resistance by giving dissent a broader definition. Whereas resistance includes active attempts to sabotage the whole of the Nazi project, dissent can be expressed or practiced by people who aren't necessarily opponents of Nazism, but disagrees with certain aspects of Nazi policy.

Kershaw argues convincingly that beneath the surface, many Germans had qualms with different parts of Nazi policy. Usually policies that affected them personally. Peasants grumbled about increased market regulations as the war approached, civil servants felt upset at the higher workload and decreased pay and Catholics protested vehemently when crosses where removed from classrooms. Dissent concerning the rights and dignity of others rarely came up and was usually quickly quashed. The main exception being the catholic church's protest against the Nazi euthanasia program. Concern for jews was only visible in relation to Kristallnacht, when the violence came so close to ordinary Germans that they could no longer look the other way.

Overall, this is a well written book for those of us that want to understand the question described above. A few things should be noted however. The book is from the late 70s. I'm not familiar enough with the historiography to say if the research has changed significantly since then, but that may be worth keeping in mind. Secondly, this is a book written for other historians. It sometimes feels overly detailed on statistics for those of us reading it in a non-academic setting, and the overall tone of the book is a bit dry. If you are looking for a book to understand the period generally, there is definitely better books out there, but if you are interested specifically in understanding the mood, attitudes and thoughts of the German people during the Nazi dictatorship, this book is for you.

[Léa · Rating 4 out of 5]

[Lu en français sous le titre "L'opinion allemande sous le nazisme"]
J'ai beaucoup appris avec ce livre, que j'ai trouvé fascinant. Je ne regrette de ne pas avoir assez de connaissances historiques pour les comparer avec le texte, mais ça m'a justement donné envie d'en apprendre encore plus. Le fait que les conclusions de l'auteur soient basées sur des rapports et des faits objectifs est "rassurant" et, pour ma part, elles m'ont fait l'impression d'une grande honnêteté, sans jugement ni parti pris.
Seule chose que je reprocherais à cet ouvrage : il m'a paru assez redondant.

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely amazing read. As with all nonfiction, it was hard to get through, but totally worth it. The conclusions Kershaw comes to seem simplistic, but when you see all the facts that back them up, it's truly amazing.