The Night of the Long Knives: Forty-Eight Hours That Changed the History of the World

This significant historical event shows the truly brutal nature of the NAZI party. I was intrigued by the PBS program based on this book, and I had to get the book. I really enjoyed it.

In this fascinating little book, author Paul R. Maracin tells the story of the Nazi destruction of the SA (Brown Shirts) on June 30, 1934. The book begins by telling the story of the rise of the Nazi party, through a series of biographies of the prominent Nazi leaders. Over the course of more than half the book, these biographies take the reader from World War I, though the ruthless activities of the Nazis, and on to the squabble between Hitler and Rohm (the leader of the SA), and the orgy of violence that was the Night of Long Knives. After taking so long to reach the Night, the activities of those two days are covered in a surprisingly quick and almost perfunctory manner. After that, the story moves on to cover the rest of the history of the Nazi party, finally ending with Nuremburg, and the fate of the surviving plotters of the Night. OK, what can I say about this book? First of all, I must say that I really enjoyed reading it. I have not read much about the Nazi leaders, and the crimes that they committed. This book did an excellent job of introducing me to them, and showing me what they were actually like. That alone was worth my time in reading the book. On the other hand, though, so little of this book is actually given over to the events of those "forty-eight hours that changed the history of the world" that the title seems almost misleading. But, that said, I found this to be a fascinating and enlightening book that told me a lot about the Nazis and the Night of Long Knives that I have never read before. So, I would say that if you already know a lot about the Nazis and are interested in the events of that Night, then you might be rather disappointed. If, like me though, you do not know a lot about the Nazis, then you will enjoy this book.

Maracin's popular account of the infamous Night of the Long Knives when Hitler and his henchmen murdered political rivals and numerous private German citizens who had incurred his anger or suspicions for one reason or another; in some cases, something as normal and transient as a news article. In charting the background leading up to the well-coordinated murderous purge of most persons in Germany who would even remotely resist Hitler's seizure of power, Maracin draws profiles of Hitler's top accomplices (e. g., Gobbels, Himmler) and of the major victims too. A retired criminal investigator, Maracin gives a broad view of this few hours during which Hitler laid the ground for his eventual dictatorship, showing how the many actors played their part so as to reveal Hitler's ruthlessness and dementia and the web of evil he wove.

This book is an excellent introduction to the story of how Hitler came to power, and how he eventually ordered the murder of more than a thousand German citizens. Some of these citizens were perfectly innocent, while others were not so innocent. It's a horrific tale, but one that must be known.