Nazism 1919-1945, Volume 1: The Rise to Power 1919-1934

Nazism #1

by Jeremy Noakes (Editor), Geoffrey Pridham (Editor)

Volume 1 of this acclaimed series of documents with commentary, covers the period from the founding of the Nazi party in 1919 to Hitler's assumption of the office of Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor of 1 August 1934.

Exeter Studies in History.

Genres: History, World War II, Nonfiction, Politics

Paperback

First published June 1, 1983

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent book, and the three following volumes, were set texts for both my undergraduate and postgraduate studies of Nazism. They are masterpieces of research, selection, translation and analysis. They contain a vast and fascinating selection of contemporary sources which open a window into the period. For any reader interested in understanding the period who has already read some of the many (many) overviews, I cannot recommend these books highly enough.

[Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for anyone wanting to get to grips with the rise of the NSDAP.
Consisting 90 percent of translated documents, and the other 10 percent as brief sections by the editors to give context to each of them, this along with the rest of the series is a great place for students to look if they do not wish to simply rely on secondary literature for their information.

[Voyager · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first of a series of four volumes presenting a history of Nazism through mostly first-hand sources and abridged by historian Jeremy Noakes, this volume offers a good summary of the rise of the Nazis to power in Germany, including a sketch of the ideological origins of Nazism in the context of the German nationalist Volkisch movement and the defeat of Germany during World War I.

This volume in general is quite good for anyone studying the rise of Nazis and it does include some insight into the factions that existed in the early NSDAP opposed to Hitler, namely the "left-wing" faction headed by Gregor Strasser and a young Joseph Goebbels and the eventual split from the NSDAP of Gregor Strasser's younger brother Otto. The only complaints one can find with this volume is that occasionally (especially in the final chapters) the abridging commentary can drag on for too long and a few statements found in the commentary are unsubstantiated by any of the documents published in this volume - the abridging author expects the reader to either already be familiar with certain claims which are stated as fact or he expects the reader to simply take his word - although the number of instances of this is very small and can be counted on one's fingers. The only other serious issue, and perhaps this stems from personal expectation and the rule "with great expectations comes great disappointment" is the book focuses too much on Hitler's faction for a book which is supposed to focus on Nazism as a whole rather than strictly Hitler. Although some articles and speeches from Strasser and his faction are found in this volume, their presence is overshadowed by even the number of documents cited from the Social Democratic Party and other opposition groups, greatly disappointing the reader who was hoping to find a more documentative history of the other early factions in the Nazi movement opposed to Hitler.

These aspects aside, this is still an excellent book for students of Nazi history or with a desire to understand the ideology of Hitlerite fascism.

[Mark Maguire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cogent, and critical review of the documentary sources concerned with the origins and promulgation of the Nazi regime from 1919 - 1945. The value of the book resides within the factual, and dispassionate analysis of the regime, which lends itself incredibly well to the student and interested reader alike.