Germans Against Hitler: The Stauffenberg Plot and Resistance Under the Third Reich

by Hans Mommsen, Angus McGeoch (Translator)

Those Germans, such as Count Claus von Stauffenberg, who fought the Third Reich from within have often been mythologised as heroes in the fight against tyranny but the truth is far more complex. This seminal book traces the history of the German resistance from the ascent of the Nazi party to the July 1944 attempted assassination of Hitler. Informed by more than four decades of research and written by the premier historian of the German Resistance, "Germans Against Hitler" offers the most authoritative history of the tens of thousands of Germans who tried to resist Nazism. Hans Mommsen considers the full spectrum of opposition, from small but still dangerous acts of political disobedience to large-scale conspiracies to overthrow government. He analyses the ideologies of the incredible assassination plot of July 20 1944, as well as those of the Kreisau Circle and the conservative, socialist, church and military oppositions. "Germans Against Hitler" is the definitive work on this subject, of vital importance for scholars and students and all those interested in the history of World War II.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Hans Mommsen was a German historian, known for his studies in German social history, for his functionalist interpretation of the Third Reich, and especially for arguing that Adolf Hitler was a weak dictator. Descended from Nobel Prize-winning historian Theodor Mommsen, he was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

Reviews

[Muhammad Fachreza Rahmadian · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the book cover mentioned, the book is informative as it tells the story of the many parties who are opposed to Hitler's Nazi regime, from the socialists to conservatives, as well as people within military ranks. This portion of story is usually sidelined by the more popular warfare perspective that is widely used when it comes to discussing World War II. The book itself is quite friendly for people who had no extensive knowledge of European politics before and during World War II, but it would be very easy to follow for those who does. The first few chapters mainly discusses important figures and groups that are opposed to Hitler from various ideologies (with the exception of Chapter 6 that discusses the idea of ending nation-states' existence in Europe with some kind of federation post-Hitler), with the two final chapters discussing military opposition and ambivalence towards Jews among Hitler's opponents.

Overall, an insightful book about history of Nazism and its opposition for those who are bored with endless pit of discussion of too many battles and military confrontations in World War II.