As a student of history, I am always interested to find a new look at an old subject and, if there is any topic that has been fairly well covered, it is World War Two and the rise of the Nazis in Germany. But Richard Evans, in his ambitious three-volume epic, has given us some interesting new takes on the era.
His first book, The Coming Of The Third Reich examines the history of Germany from its beginnings in the 1870 through the First World War and the aftermath and ends with the Nazi takeover in 1933. What gives this book a different twist is the depth of anecdotal stories that give us an on-the-street view of just how the rise to power occurred.
The examination of the collapse in day-to-day society that resulted from the hyperinflation is perhaps even more compelling reading given our current economic situation. The image of mothers rushing to the store at the crack of dawn to be able to buy bread before the price doubled or tripled (as it often did in the course of a day) is quite stark and really gives you a view of what things were like.
Evans also takes aim at the traditional view that democracy failed in Germany because the people did not support the basic concept. He points out that,, in many ways the electoral system in Germany was more open and the people had a greater degree of participation than in other countries like the UK and France.
Indeed, as some reviewers have pointed out, most prior books about Hitler and the Nazis have taken a strongly pro-British angle and this may well have slanted the viewpoints. Evans does his best to take an objective viewpoint of the period, without any preset assumptions.
The book is well written and the stories are compelling, keeping your interest and making you want more.
The next volume, which I am currently reading, covers the Nazis in Power from 1933-1939 and the final volume, which is waiting in my ‘to read’ pile covers the war years.
If you are a student of history, these volumes are well worth your taking a look.