Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History (4th Edition) [Paperback]

Jackson J. Spielvogel (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0139759964 | ISBN-13: 978-0139759963 | Publication Date: July 17, 2000 | Edition: 4

The book is a brief yet comprehensive survey of the institution, cultural, and social life of the Third Reich—and Hitler's role in it, the Second World War, and the Holocaust. Based on current research findings, it spans an era of economic, social, and political forces that made possible the rise and growth of Nazism. Coverage includes material on anti-Jewish policies and the involvement of ordinary Germans in the Holocaust, the social composition and membership of the Nazi party and its leaders, the mechanisms of terror and control, the machinery of the Final Solution, and the Jewish view of the Holocaust. An in-depth look at Adolf Hitler, the man and the leader, examines influences on his early development, character traits, oratorical skills, messianic pretensions, and provides an analysis of his ideology based on extensive quotations from his writings and speeches. For anyone trying to get more background into a panoramic view of 20th Century German history.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The text is a brief, yet comprehensive survey of the Third Reich based on current research findings and written for students and general readers who want a deeper view of this period in German history. This text provides a balanced approach in examining Hitler's role in the history of the Third Reich. Coverage ranges from the economic, social, and political forces that made possible the rise and growth of Nazism as well as the institutional, cultural, and social life of the Third Reich, the Second World War, and the Holocaust. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

PREFACE

Hitler's Third Reich continues to be the object of study of many historians and writers. I am grateful for the opportunity to incorporate new material and suggestions from readers in this fourth edition of my book. Throughout the book I have made revisions, included new illustrations and added new material, especially in chapters two, three, four, six, and nine, and thoroughly updated the bibliographies at the end of each chapter.

Nazi Germany had its formal beginnings in the appointment of Adolf Hitler as chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933. Hitler and the Nazis believed that they would create a Third Reich that would last a thousand years. And yet, within a brief twelve years, despite their creation of a powerful Germany and the conquest of much of Europe, they ended up totally destroyed.

The world has not forgotten the enormity of Nazi crimes against humanity. The name Hitler and the word Nazis have become virtually synonymous with evil. Historians, philosophers, and many others have struggled to explain how and why such a phenomenon as Nazi Germany could ever have occurred in the twentieth century, and especially in a country with such a humanistic cultural heritage. While massive biographies and hundreds of specialized books on various aspects of the Third Reich have been written, my purpose in writing this book has been to provide a brief but comprehensive survey of the Third Reich based on current research findings. It is intended not for specialists but for general readers who want a deeper view of this short period in German history. As seen in the title, I have emphasized the person of Adolf Hitler. While I do not believe that individuals alone determine the course of history, there is no doubt in my mind that Hitler played a crucial role in the history of the Third Reich. I have sought, however, to present a balanced picture that examines Hitler's role; the economic, social, and political forces that made possible the rise and development of Nazism; the institutional, cultural, and social life of the Third Reich; World War II; and the Holocaust. I have approached World War II and the Holocaust as logical outcomes of the ideology of Hitler and the Nazi movement. I have discussed these subjects both chronologically and thematically.

One of my major interests in writing this book has been in putting the story back in history. I believe that a combination of good analysis and narrative is both possible and desirable. Narrative history conveys the lessons of the past well and is the form that best aids remembrance. I am convinced that an understanding of the Nazi era today is crucial if we are to avoid a repetition of similar events. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many people have helped me in one way or another to write this history of Hitler and Nazi Germany. I wish to thank Timothy Whisler, who first suggested the project and provided research assistance. David Redles gave generously of his time and ideas. I appreciate the financial and verbal support of my department heads, Gerald Eggert and Charles Ameringer. My colleague Dan Silverman read part of the manuscript and made valuable suggestions. I would also like to thank Benjamin C. Sax, University of Kansas; Eugene W. Miller, Jr., Pennsylvania State University–Hazleton; and Otto M. Nelson, Texas Tech University, for reviewing the manuscript and making helpful comments. The enthusiastic questions and responses of my students have caused me to see many aspects of Nazi Germany in new ways, and I am thankful to them. For this fourth edition, I have benefited greatly from the detailed reviews of my book by Ronald Warloski, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire and John Powell, Pennsylvania State University–Erie. I am also grateful to colleagues and students for their unsolicited comments about the book. I hope that this fourth edition will continue to assist new readers in making some sense of one of history's most disturbing experiences.

Above all, I thank my family for their support. My sons, Eric and Christian, and daughters, Jennifer and Kathryn, were patient and tolerant of their father's time in his study. In addition to providing editorial assistance, my wife Diane was a loving companion who helped me keep the rigors of writing a book in their proper perspective. In truth, I could not have written the book without her.

Jackson J. Spielvogel

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 4 edition (July 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0139759964
• ISBN-13: 978-0139759963
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #545,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( H ) > Hitler, Adolf

More About the Author

Jackson J. Spielvogel is associate professor emeritus of history at The Pennsylvania State University. He received his Ph.D. in 2005. He is the co-author (with William Duiker) of WORLD HISTORY, first published in January 1994 (Sixth Edition, 2010).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best short history of Nazi Germany available, March 28, 2000

By 

"zdravstvui" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History (Paperback)

Jackson Spielvogel has provided an excellent overview of the Nazi period of German history. His scope is comprehensive, considering Germany before Hitler, the dictator himself, the Nazi path to power, and the system that Hitler and his followers established once they came to power. He goes on to consider the two logical outgrowths of the philosophy of Nazism, World War II, aptly called "Hitler's War," and the Holocaust.

Throughout, Spielvogel succeeds in making the contemporary reader understand how the Nazis could come to power in "the land of Bach and Beethoven." This is a crucial question, not only for historians, but for every citizen of the world. As recent events in the Balkans and Africa have demonstrated, it is all too easy for the veneer of civilization to crack and expose the barbarism beneath.

I would recommend this volume to anyone with an interest in World War II, modern Europe and Germany, or the desire to be a better and more responsible human being.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Place to Start for an introduction to Hitler and Nazi Germany, June 21, 2008

By 

Drewry F. Wofford III (Raleigh, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History (5th Edition) (Paperback)

This is a comprehensive introduction to Hitler and Nazi Germany; it is not by any means a brief history of WW II. While the war is mentioned within the context of looking at Nazi history, the book focuses on Hitler, the rise of the Social Democrats, and how the Nazi party affected the people, economy, social, political and artistic life within Germany.There is also focus on the "Final Solution" - Hitler's maniacal obsession with anti-semitism. But that is just one facet of this complete study.

The book is perhaps most valuable for the bibliography at the end of each chapter which extensive readings for further study. Recommended for students starting serious study of the period, or others just wanting to know how such evil could so easily infect one of the most cultured, civilized countries in Europe. Or perhaps, how the victors of World War One could have so blindly imposed penalties and reparations that created the desperation within Germany that allowed Hitler to easily fill the void.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Comprehensive overview that is thorough yet easy-to-read, April 18, 2005

By 

Randy Martens (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History (4th Edition) (Paperback)

I can only wholeheartedly agree with the review by "zdravstvui" from Colorado Springs.

Spielvogel's outstanding book is very accessible for the general reader, yet at the same time rich in insightful detail that contributes toward a sound understanding of exactly HOW the horror of Nazi Germany was able to arise amongst a great and cultured people, and not all that long ago, 70 years being a fairly short span of time when seen against the broad sweep of man's history.

"Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History" was recommended to me by someone last year, so I bought a copy, perused it quickly, and unfortunately let it sit for too long on my bookshelf unread. But having recently viewed PBS's sobering TV series "Auschwitz: Inside The Nazi State" I was prompted to visit this book again for a more thorough understanding of Nazi Germany, and am glad I did.

It's hard for Babyboomer's like myself born after World War II to comprehend the widespread scope of this terrible conflict, and the epicenter which began it all: the ideology passionately held by Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party. We can all too easily arrive at the foolish conclusion that such a tragedy could simply never happen again. But the genocide of the Cambodian people by Pol Pot in the late 1970's, the more recent mass slaughter in Rwanda during the mid 1990's, as well as the "ethnic cleansing" campaigns in areas of the former Soviet Union, remind us all too well that the shocking conflagration of mass genocide can ignite and spread on the world scene very quickly.

Read this book to see not only how it actually DID happen on a massive scale in Nazi Germany and it's occupied territories, but especially the underlying ideological and social conditions that lead up to it, and how it could happen again, perhaps, God-forbid, on an even larger scale.