A Concise History of Nazi Germany, Fourth Edition / Edition 4

by Joseph W. Bendersky

Overview

This balanced history offers a concise, readable introduction to Nazi Germany. Combining compelling narrative storytelling with analysis, Joseph W. Bendersky offers an authoritative survey of the major political, economic, and social factors that powered the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Now in its fourth edition, the book incorporates significant research of recent years, analysis of the politics of memory, postwar German controversies about World War II and the Nazi era, and more on non-Jewish victims. Delving into the complexity of social life within the Nazi state, it also reemphasizes the crucial role played by racial ideology in determining the policies and practices of the Third Reich. Bendersky paints a fascinating picture of how average citizens negotiated their way through both the threatening power behind certain Nazi policies and the strong enticements to acquiesce or collaborate. His classic treatment provides an invaluable overview of a subject that retains its historical significance and contemporary importance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781442222694
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	07/11/2013
Edition description:	Fourth Edition
Pages:	270
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joseph W. Bendersky is professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Table of Contents

The Enduring Importance of Nazism: An Introduction
Part I: The Origins and Development of Nazism, 1919–1928
Chapter 1: Weimar Democracy in Crisis
Chapter 2: The Rise of Hitler and Nazism
Chapter 3: The Historical Roots of Nazi Ideology
Chapter 4: Party Structure, Propaganda, and Followers during the "Early Years of Struggle"
Part II: The Seizure and Consolidation of Power, 1929–1934
Chapter 5: Parliamentary Paralysis and the Nazi Breakthrough of 1930
Chapter 6: Hitler's Legal Path to Power
Chapter 7: The Pseudolegal Revolution
Part III: The Nazification of German Society, 1934–1938
Chapter 8: The Total State versus the Dual State and Polycracy
Chapter 9: Political Biology, Culture, and Society
Chapter 10: SS Terror, Anti-Semitism, and Resistance to Nazification
Part IV: The Rise and Fall of the Nazi Empire in Europe, 1933–1945
Chapter 11: The Führer as Statesman: Ideology and Foreign Policy
Chapter 12: The Führer as Warrior: Victory and Conquest
Chapter 13: From Domination to Retreat
Chapter 14: The Holocaust, Resistance, and Defeat
Part V: The Struggle for Justice and Historical Memory
Chapter 15: From Nuremberg to Vergangenheitsbewältigung
Chapter 16: The Intractable Nazi Legacy in Film: Propaganda and History
Chronology

Editorial Reviews

Incorporating significant research of recent years, analysis of the politics of memory, German controversies and more material on non-Jewish victims of the war, Bendersky examines concisely the rise and fall of the Third Reich. He begins with the origins and development of Nazism from 1919 to 1928, discussing the Weimar Republic in crisis, the rise of Hitler, the history of the roots of Nazi ideology, and party structure, propaganda, and followers during the early days. He then works through the seizure and consolidation of power from 1929 to 1934, including the parliamentary struggles for power, Hitler's use and abuse of the legal system, the nazification of German society from 1934 to 1938, and the rise and fall of Nazism in Europe from 1933 to 1945. He closes with the aforesaid material on the current struggle for justice and accurate historical memory.

Inc. Book News

Bendersky's history is an excellent, well-written introduction to the major issues and complicated structure of Nazi Germany. His text complements monographs on specific topics and equips students to handle them better.

Richard Breitman

Joseph Benderksy's new edition of A Concise History of Nazi Germany manages to be concise and comprehensive—as well as up-to-date. I have used earlier editions in my courses on twentieth-century Germany with great success. It leads students through Nazism from its inception in post–World War I Germany to the years of the Third Reich and then into what he calls the ‘intractable Nazi legacy’ that lives on to this day. Nazism, it seems, will not go away. This book provides students with a solid platform from which to launch their exploration of the effects and the meaning of the Nazi phenomenon.

Karl A. Schleunes

An incisive introduction to the Nazi regime, employing both narrative and analytical approaches to account for Hitler's rise to power, Nazi ideology, the polycratic nature of the regime, territorial expansion, and the Final Solution....Bendersky provides an exceptionally thoughtful discussion of German constitutional and legal matters....His synthesis offers an attractive alternative for classroom use. Recommended.

Choice

Praise for the previous edition:

An incisive introduction to the Nazi regime, employing both narrative and analytical approaches to account for Hitler's rise to power, Nazi ideology, the polycratic nature of the regime, territorial expansion, and the Final Solution....Bendersky provides an exceptionally thoughtful discussion of German constitutional and legal matters....His synthesis offers an attractive alternative for classroom use. Recommended.

CHOICE