Fuhrer-Ex:: Memoirs of a Former Neo-Nazi

First off, let me say that this book was much better than the film by the same name and I was somewhat surprised at how different it was. Ingo Hasselbach was a real heavy hitter in the German neo-nazi scene in the late 80's and early 90's and his story is one of the most tumultuous and fascinating that I have read. Growing up in Berlin when it was part of the socialist "paradise" of East Germany (or the GDR), Hasselbach rebelled early and often against this utterly repressive communist regime. It wasn't long before he was sporting a Mohawk and getting in trouble with the law. From a typical punk, he evolved into a skinhead, and after meeting some old original Nazis in prison, he gradually got involved in the neo-Nazi scene. He was indoctrinated with hatred of Jews and foreigners, holocaust denial, and other assorted Nazi propaganda. Before long he was the "Fuhrer" of the East German neo-Nazi movement and the "Gauleiter" of Berlin, which he points out was the same position once held by Joseph Goebbels. One of the most interesting aspects of his story was the ongoing feud between the neo-Nazis and the anarchists. They had huge street fights on an almost daily basis that included throwing Molotov cocktails and blowing up each other's cars. Hasselbach was a tough street fighter who got it as good as he gave it. During one fight, he was dragged into a house and beaten nearly to death by anarchists. They eventually started a legitimate political party after the fall of the wall and actually made some progress politically. But Hasselbach began to have doubts about his beliefs and gradually became disillusioned with his friends and the hatred that they embodied. Much of this was due to a filmmaker he had met and befriended who got him to really look at his actions and his life. With the help of his new friend, he publicly denounced the neo-Nazi movement and his former Kamerads. This set off a maelstrom of violent reactions from his old friends who now considered him a traitor. He became a hunted man (they even sent a letter bomb to his mother, which failed to detonate) but he continued to speak out publicly against extremism. Hasselbach came to America for a little while to lay low, but eventually returned to his native Germany where he continues to speak out against violent extremism to this day. The author is clearly a courageous man who has my admiration and respect and this is really a fantastic book. The only thing I was skeptical about was his uber-conversion to multi-culturalism. In his conclusion he states that most of his friends are now foreigners and he has a hard time relating to his countrymen. While I can certainly understand and respect this (especially after what he's been through) I personally am not as enthusiastic about multi-culturalism. Part of me wonders if this is just an exaggeration to help sell his "conversion." With that said, this doesn't take anything away from the quality of the book or my respect for the author. 5 stars. S

As Ingo Hasselbach notes, he was the first Gauleiter of Berlin since Joseph Goebbels, which at one time, was for him pretty heady stuff. And that tells you a good deal about charismatic movements, of which Hasselbach was once a rising star. As he points out, it wasn't about National Socialist ideology, in fact, very few of his cohorts knew much about Jews! No, it was groupthink, group membership, and drinking koolaid like Jim Jones' followers in Jonestown. Probably as strikingly handsome in his generation as Heydrich was in his, Herr Hasselbach had a particular world at his feet, and somehow he made the moves to change directions, rather abruptly. Having seen him also interviewed by David Gergen, I have little doubt he is genuine. However, an autobiography such as this leaves one with many unanswered, perhaps unanswerable questions....since he was in the Neo-N movement when Germany was reunited, I would have liked to have seen more on this turbulent time. What the autobiography lacks, like most of this type (including certain ex-Presidents) is an overall perspective. However, if you want some insight into foot-soldierdom into cult-like movements, this is a very readable, and recommended, introduction into a shady world. It isn't overintellectualized, and I liked that feature best.

Ok, here goes.This book is the only one by Ingo Hasselbach that has been translated into English. It is essentially an updated/revised version of his German language book "Die Abrechnung" which I read in the late 1990's while still active in the East German Skinhead scene as a resident of the State of Brandenburg and active member of the NPD.Hasselbachs necessarily sanitized "introduction" to one facet of the East German Skinhead Scene is commendable and the details of many events/activities are accurately described despite his attempts to minimalize his role in much of it. I never met Hasselbach personally nor was I ever active in any of the specific organizations that he led or supported. My firsthand experience in the scene however allows me to confirm that this book (english version) accurately recreates a "generic" picture of what the movement was like during those "early" years following the fall of the Wall. My only complaint with the book is the lack of space devoted to describing the plentiful NON-violent moments and acts of true brotherhood and compassion shown amongst Kameraden. There are two sides to every story and this one seems to focus on Hasselbachs relative innocence, the structure and internal workings of his movement and descriptions of their evil deeds. Many were and are mere thugs and common criminals but many are also intelligent and sincerely committed individuals who may share a common ideology but refrain from acts of violence and hatred.This book is an excellent description of Hasselbachs specific experience but does not necessarily reflect the entire East German Skinhead experience which even to this day varies greatly from region to region and city to city. It blurs the often very distinct lines between nationalism and neo-nazism but is a must read for anyone interested in this topic

This book is a must read, even if you know little about Neo-Nazism, you will still be captivated by how he got into the scene, and finally how he had the courage to quit.

An excellent insight into the Neo-Nazi movement which should appeal to those who have previous knowledge of the Neo-Nazi movement although it is quite readable without this knowledge, I must read.