This has to be one of the most psychologically moving & disturbing books I have ever read. The sheer enormity of the atrocities and the duration of the war make this an intense read. The audiobook was excellent.
These people accepted deceptive propaganda until it changed their minds and their society. From the decimation of Poland onward most of the Germans in the book thought they were fighting in a defensive nationalistic War against Jewry.
The details of the wars shows a level of barbarism that is beyond my comprehension. ( )

This has to be one of the most psychologically moving & disturbing books I have ever read. The sheer enormity of the atrocities and the duration of the war make this an intense read. The audiobook was excellent.
These people accepted deceptive propaganda until it changed their minds and their society. From the decimation of Poland onward most of the Germans in the book thought they were fighting in a defensive nationalistic War against Jewry.
The details of the wars shows a level of barbarism that is beyond my comprehension. ( )

Superb, a must read for anyone with an interest in WWII, German history, propaganda, population dynamics or, to be honest, the Russian invasion of Ukraine. ( )

Big book. Good book. Takes you thru the war inside Germany and in the West and in the East. The powerful addition to the narrative is the inclusion of letters and diary entries of soldiers and their friends and families. Also, the Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS (the SD) continuously collected gossip, rumors, jokes, talk on the street. Those reports are included, too. It is all fascinating and powerful. Especially the people that are followed thruout the book - some change and come to see the lies and horribleness. Some continue with their blind hopefulness and faith in their Leader.

Timely. ( )

Stargardt comprueba principalmente mediante registros de correspondencias y diarios de vida que todo el pueblo alemán sabía del holocausto, desde las ejecuciones de pacientes siquiatricos alemanes hasta judios, gitanos, rusos, polacos y testigos de Jehova. Brinda testimonios de primera mano que permiten comprender el punto de vista alemás, desde los soldados en el frente hasta los civiles.
El regimen nazi temía la puñalada por la espalda y la generación que luchó pensó que lo hacía para evitar que la siguiente generación tuviera que hacerlo. Esa responsabilidad intergeneracional motivó los primeros años de lucha. EL ministro de armamento le dijo a Hitler ya en 1941 que la guerra no se podría ganar por medios militares. Aun así, la propaganda de Goebbels permitió al pueblo alemán seguir adelante. El libro destaca un sentimiento romántico asociado a Holderlin para encontrar sentido al sufrimiento de la guerra. Muestra como la iglesia se opuso al regimen nazi cuando se vió afectada en sus propiedades, pero cuando llegaron a una tregua, apoyó la guerra contra el comunismo. El libro entrega los detalles personales así como la perspectiva general de la guerra, con las grandes campañas. Se vuelve más especulativo al final, donde propone que el pueblo alemán trató de hacerse la víctima de una dictadura. ( )