BESSEL:LIFE IN THE THIRD REICH PAPER

by Richard Bessel (Editor)

Even today, the Third Reich-the regime that instigated the most destructive war in modern history-evokes powerful images of fascination and horror. Yet how were the lives of the ordinary German people of the 1930s and '40s affected by the politics of Hitler and his followers? Looking beyond the catalog of events, this intriguing book reveals that daily German life involved a complex mixture of bribery and terror; of fear and concessions; of barbarism and appeals to conventional moral values employed by the Nazis to maintain their grip on society. Eight leading historians present essays that shed fresh light on topics as familiar as the role of political violence in Nazi seizure of power and the German view of Hitler himself. It also focuses on lesser-known aspects of life in the Third Reich, such as village life, the treatment of "social outcasts," and the Germans' own retrospective view of this period of their history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Germany, World War II, European History, Politics, 20th Century

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Richard Bessel is Professor of Twentieth Century History. He works on the social and political history of modern Germany, the aftermath of the two world wars and the history of policing. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of German History and History Today.

He is currently a Senior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies.

Reviews

[Ensiform · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of essays on Nazi Germany, edited and with an intro by Richard Bessel. As a whole, the collection is concerned with refuting some myths about the Third Reich: its emphasis on law and order and its bureaucratic nature, for example. In general, the essays lack direction and cohesion, often fail to give specific examples to their points and --- maddeningly --- fail to cite their quotes. The essays are:

"Political Violence And the Nazi Seizure Of Power," Richard Bessel. This essay attacks the commonly-held idea that Hitler's takeover was marked by an absence of large-scale violence. It was okay, but it could have been more direct in its thesis.

"Village Life In Nazi Germany," Gerhard Wilke. Using one village, Korle, as an example, Wilke shows that the supposedly rural-minded Nazi regime actually destroyed the traditional village life through instigating conflict between generations, etc. A good essay.

"Youth In the Third Reich," Detlev Peukert (tr. Richard Deveson). This essay discusses rebel youth: the Edelweiss Pirates and the middle-class "swing" club-goers, and argues that the more Hitler Youth used its authority, the more rebellion there was.

"Hitler And the Germans," Ian Kershaw. Although it lacks a specific argument, this essay examines the propaganda portrait of Hitler during and after the seizure of power. Well structured and convinces one how people could have accepted Hitler as a leader.

"The Nazi State Reconsidered," Michael Geyer. This essay argues that the Nazi State was not a unified bureaucracy but a mass of "unfettered competition". It also argues that the Nazi State did have a unified purpose: to promote ideological war and dominate others. The essay is extremely poorly written and its arguments incomprehensible.

"Nazi Policy Against the Jews," William Carr. Carr argues that Hitler's anti-Semitism was only one part of the Nazi anti-Jewish policy, and the Nazi solution was an improvisation constructed over time and modified according to events. The first part of the argument is not as strong, since the essay attributes many Nazi policies specifically to Hitler, but the second part is well supported.

"Social Outcasts In the Third Reich," Jeremy Noakes. A very informative essay on the Nazi sterilization and euthanasia programs for the "socially inefficient," and the oppression of the gypsies. It cites statistics, gives the background of the eugenics movement, and tries to explain the rationale behind the racial laws.

"Good Times, Bad Times: Memories Of the Third Reich," Ulrich Herbert (tr. R. Deveson). This is an analysis of the results of post-war surveys of German men about their lives. It argues that for the average worker, the war years were merely a non-political disturbance in the "normalcy" of the 1930s and then the 1950s, a continuation of same.

[Erik Graff · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Introduction by editor Bessell is followed by eight essays by a number of German and English academics as regards aspects of Nazi rule. All of the essays, except the last by Herbert, interested me, particularly that about youth culture outside of the Nazi ambit.

[Aaron Brinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://aarondbrinker.com/review-of-l...

[Liz Estrada · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have given this book, a compilation of essays about life in Nazi Germany, a two star review (for most of it was already known to me) were it not for the chapter on the youth in the 3rd Reich. I did not realize to what degree the young people who lived under this regime actually rebelled. I had never heard of the "Edelweiss Pirates" or the "Swing" movement, both rebelling against the compulsory Hitler Youth conscription. The former of the two, was mainly a group formed by young kids from working class backgrounds (considered hooligans by the establishment) who staged open protests and started a political subculture, while the latter came from the upper class youth who rebelled by listening to British and American music of the time (hence it's name). The swing kids actually had a music festival in Hamburg (of all places! ) in February of 1940. Both groups sought to defy the Nazi oppressive culture, the Pirates in a more political way and the Swingers in a more counter-cultural slap in the face. But both really just wanted some leisure activities, down time to just be kids and have some fun.

It is a bit ironic that unintentionally the Nazis paved the way for the more modern youth cultures to come, be they the beatniks, rockers, mods (mockers!) or hippies.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really Enjoyed Learning About Wartime

Having lived in Germany for 8 years of my life I never thought of what it was like to be a German during WWII. This book gives you a taste of that. It reminded me of Volksmarching and the simple pleasures of German rural living. I imagine the small villages of Germany are still quite that way today. If you like documentaries on WWII I think you will really enjoy it. Just don’t expect accounts of great battles that’s not what this is about at all. Not sure how I fell upon it but I highly recommend it.

[B.W. Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this to be an extremely useful book.

I was teaching history in British schools, but our textbooks all gave the same rather limited view of what it was like to live in Nazi Germany. This book opened up new vistas, with studies, (for example) of the young people who rebelled against the nazis and formed gangs to fight the Hitler youth. It also gave new, less dramatic, explanations of the work of the Gestapo.

It really is useful to get new perspectives on things. Now 20 years later the new ideas in Bessel's book have become part of the mainstream in the study of history.

[Sami Eerola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as detailed as i was expecting. This was just a very short introduction on the main facts about life in the Nazi Germany. Nothing new for me than some nuggets of facts and details. But as a introduction this is pretty good

[Ian Humphries · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intended as an introduction into a vast subject and it accomplishes that. Extensive further reading suggestions in the back for anyone that wants a deep dive.

[Marisa]

my history professor in college told me to "know the story from every angle- including the ones no one wants you to ever read/see/hear/know/etc.. It really takes you somewhere when you read how someone manages to go from "ordinariness" to things being turned upside down. If you read nothing else in this book, you should read the essay "Youth in the Third Reich" by Detlev Peukert. The book is only about about 100 pages long.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

The further from V-E day we get, the more striated and detailed the analyses become. Bessel's compendium of essays furthers our understanding of the rise and reign of the Third Reich -- society, the persona of Hitler to the German people, the use of political violence, the campaign against the Jews. Lucid writing throughout.

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's an error in Professor William Carr's essay, "Nazi Policy Against the Jews." He writes that "Franklin Roosevelt withdrew Ambassador Dodds from Berlin" after Kristallnacht (as a protest). First, it's Dodd, not Dodds; second, William Dodd resigned as ambassador in 1937. FDR withdrew his replacement Hugh Wilson.

[Melissa Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides interesting information to answer the question "How did the German population let the holocaust occur?" However, it also presents more questions that leave me wanting to read more on this topic.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting collection of essays discussing some of the less-considered areas of Third Reich history.

[Alexa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fascinating subject, but the presentation of a collection of essays was just too academic (and I tend toward the academic as it is) to get into.

[Allison6876 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for HIST 3528

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting look at the Third Reich, a bit old, but otherwise not bad :)