Inside Hitler's Germany: A Documentary History of Life in the Third Reich

Just as I was about to conclude that there is little else to be said about Hitler and Nazi Germany, then comes along this book. It is a part of the D.C. Heath's "Sources in Modern History Series." It is both a thoughtful and thought-provoking addition to the huge volume of literature on the Third Reich. It draws on primary source documents and first hand accounts, and thus, as advertised, is a documentary history of life in the Third Reich during the Nazi's reign. The authors recognize that National Socialism is traditionally viewed from two opposing and very much contradictory perspectives: Either as a rejection of modernity and an aberration of European history, or, as the ultimate expression of this modernity and the actual culmination of Western Civilization. The authors both of course remain agnostic on this debate that lies in the subtext to the book, preferring to allow the documents and first hand accounts speak to the readers, and for themselves in the hope that the reader will discover a yet broader perspective encompassed in the synthesis of political, social and ideological factors that the documents reveal. To carry out this task, they have organized the documents into three thematic units covering the phase of history from 1918 through 1945. Phase one, deals with the background and political history of Germany from 1918 to 1938, covering in great detail the period Hitler took over the reigns of power. Phase two focuses on the National Socialist ideology and its creation of the "Volk community" with the aim of eliminating Jews from German society. The final phase discusses the essence of the regime: how power was realized and distributed throughout the German society by the police and the military. This division of the documents into these three very useful units has a lot to offer even to those of us who have delved into this history in depth many times and with many other authors. Not only is it an orderly way to organize a volume, but it lends a new kind of wholeness to the enterprises of political, societal, and ideological factors. It also makes for easier reading, ease of collating facts, easier to remember them and serves as a handy look-up and recall reference. There is a kind of natural symmetry in the author's phases, and the normal "hooks" for mental association. I find myself both quoting and going to this book first before consulting others on the Nazi phase of European history. I am very grateful for this handy book. Five Stars

This book provides an excellent array of documents on Hitler's Germany and the rise of the third Reich. Germany has a checkered history but it's well represented through the documents chosen here. This is an ideal book for a college seminar on the Nazi's or anyone who wants to do research on the regime.

I had this book for a college class on the Third Reich, and out of the six books we had, I think this was one of the best. The book lays out a lot of information and during discussion, you can draw out a lot of conclusions about how complex the dealing inside the Reich were at the time.