Spielvogel Jackson J. - Hitler and Nazi Germany

Hitler and Nazi Germany: A History is a brief but comprehensive survey of the Third Reich based on current research findings that provides a balanced approach to the study of Hitlers role in the history of the Third Reich.

The book considers 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. World War II and the Holocaust are presented as logical outcomes of the ideology of Hitler and the Nazi movement. This new edition contains more information on the Kaiserreich (Imperial Germany), as well as Nazi complicity in the Reichstag Fire and increased discussion of consent and dissent during the Nazi attempt to create the ideal Volksgemeinschaft (peoples community). It takes a greater focus on the experiences of ordinary bystanders, perpetrators, and victims throughout the text, includes more discussion of race and space, and the final chapter has been completely revised. Fully updated, the book ensures that students gain a complete and thorough picture of the period and issues.

Supported by maps, images, and thoroughly updated bibliographies that offer further reading suggestions for students to take their study further, the book offers the perfect overview of Hitler and the Third Reich.

Jackson J. Spielvogel is Associate Professor Emeritus of History at the Pennsylvania State University, USA. He is the author of Western Civilization (10th edition, 2018). He is the coauthor (with William Duiker) of World History (9th edition, 2017) and The Essential World History (9th edition, 2020).

David Redles received his PhD in History from the Pennsylvania State University and is Professor of History at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. He is author of Hitlers Millennial Reich: Apocalyptic Belief and the Search for Salvation (hardcover: 2005, paperback: 2008).

Eighth edition published 2020

by Routledge

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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business

2020 Taylor & Francis

The right of Jackson J. Spielvogel and David Redles to be identified as authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

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First edition published by Prentice Hall 1988

Seventh edition published by Pearson Education Ltd. 2014

Seventh edition reprinted by Routledge 2016

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Spielvogel, Jackson J., 1939- author. | Redles, David, author.

Title: Hitler and Nazi Germany : a history / Jackson J. Spielvogel, and David Redles.

Description: Eighth edition. | New York, NY : Routledge, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020000034 (print) | LCCN 2020000035 (ebook) | ISBN 9781138541344 (hardback) | ISBN 9781138544437 (paperback) | ISBN 9781351003742 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Hitler, Adolf, 18891945. | National socialism. | GermanyPolitics and government19331945. | Heads of stateGermanyBiography.

Classification: LCC DD247.H5 S648 2020 (print) | LCC DD247.H5 (ebook) | DDC 943.086092 [B]dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020000034

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020000035

ISBN: 978-1-138-54134-4 (hbk)

ISBN: 978-1-138-54443-7 (pbk)

ISBN: 978-1-351-00374-2 (ebk)

Visit the companion website:
www.routledge.com/cw/spielvogel

To Diane, the love of my life,

and to my mother, a beautiful woman

who taught me much about her native Germany

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 12 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 thousands 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 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. Although 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 Hitlers 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 well the lessons of the past 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.

Jackson J. Spielvogel

In this edition of Hitler and Nazi Germany I have continued not only updating the suggested readings throughout the text, but incorporating new research and evidence as well. I also have continued the practice of highlighting the views of ordinary individualsperpetrators, victims, and liberators aliketo better reflect the lived experiences of the times. I have done my best to maintain the narrative flow of the earlier editions, as one of Professor Spielvogels greatest strengths as both a teacher and an author is the ability to tell a good, and most importantly, accurate story. This is especially needed in these difficult times. Since the last edition came out the number of anti-Semitic incidents around the world has seen a shocking rise. Propelled by social media and the Internet, we have also seen a proliferation of swastikas and other Nazi symbols of hate, images of individuals flashing white supremacist hand signs or lifting their arms in mock Heil Hitler salutes, the shouting of Nazi phrases like Blood and Soil and the casual referencing of baseless anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Most significantly, anti-Semitic violence, including mass murder, has been on the rise. In the United States, for instance, the Anti-Defamation Leagues (ADL) Center on Extremism recorded 1,879 anti-Semitic incidences in 2018, including 39 physical assaults, a 105 percent increase from the previous year. The year 2018 also saw the deadliest attack on Jews in the history of the United States, with the murder of 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh by a white supremacist. Teaching, learning, and never forgetting the history of Hitler and Nazi Germany is as important today as it ever was.