The Germans and the Final Solution: Public Opinion Under Nazism (Jewish Society and Culture) [Hardcover]

David Bankier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1992 | ISBN-10: 0631179682 | ISBN-13: 978-0631179689

This study engages with one of the most controversial of questions regarding Hitler's "Final Solution": Namely, to what degree did the German public actively assent to the genocidal policies of the Nazi regime? David Bankier addresses this question with regard to the German public as a whole, drawing upon a range of documents and sources, including the files of the Nazi security services, diplomatic and allied intelligence materials, the reports of government and party authorities, and eyewitness accounts.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a subtle and well-documented argument that notably advances our understanding of German popular opinion towards the Nazis' anti-Semitic policies." Inside Out

"A well written and important book that deserves to be widely read and to be placed in every public library." Times Higher Education Supplement

"Bankier's book will be welcomed by anyone teaching German history, Nazism, or the Holocaust, because it is the first book to answer comprehensively the most common student question in any discussion of the Holocaust: What did average Germans know and how did they feel about Hitler's antisemitic propaganda and mass murder?" Choice --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Back Cover

This compelling and meticulously researched investigation engages with one of the most controversial of questions regarding Hitler's Final Solution: namely, to what degree did the German public actively assent to the genocidal policies of the Nazi regime?

David Bankier address this question with regard to the German public as a whole, drawing upon a wide range of documents and sources, including the extensive files of the Nazi security services, diplomatic and Allied intelligence materials, the reports of government and party authorities, and eyewitness accounts. Much of this material has never previously been brought to the light of day.

The Germans and the Final Solution stand as the fullest assessment to date of the attitudes of the German public to the Nazi policy of antisemitism and its genocidal conclusion. David Bankier's pathbreaking work will be widely read by scholars and students of contemporary European Jewish history and the history of Nazi Germany. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Blackwell Pub (February 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0631179682
• ISBN-13: 978-0631179689
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an excellent analysis of German public opinion, March 27, 2000

By 

Jon R. Schlueter (Grand Terrace, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Germans and the Final Solution: Public Opinion Under Nazism (Jewish Society and Culture) (Paperback)

Bankier has written a trustworthy book about German responses to Nazi antisemitism and propaganda, and the effect of public opinion on the German leadership during World War II. Many books discuss the psychology of persecution in Nazi Germany. Two good ones are Sereny's Into That Darkness and Brown's Ordinary Men. The particular strength of Bankier's book is its breadth of sources. The author draws on, among other sources, regional Gestapo reports, Allied Intelligence Reports and contemporanious observations in letters and diaries. Another strength is its analysis. Bankier certainly holds the Germans accountable. His analysis is profound but it may surprise you by shaking your pre-conceived beliefs. I was especially impressed by his discussion of the wide-spread knowledge in Germany of the "final solution", and Bankier's fascinating analysis of the public reaction to this knowledge.