| Hitler's Beneficiaries - Plunder, Racial War, and the Nazi Welfare State
(2007)
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| Front Cover |
Book Details |
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| Genre |
Non-Fiction |
| Subject |
Germany - Economic policy - 1933-1945; Germany - Politics and government - 1933-1945; Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) - Economic aspects; Jewish property - Europe - History - 20th century; National socialism - Philosophy; World War, 1939-1945 - Economic aspects - Switzerland |
| Publication Date |
1/9/2007 |
| Format |
Hardcover (9.2
x
6.3
mm)
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| Publisher |
Metropolitan Books |
| Language |
English |
| Extras |
Dust Jacket; Dust Jacket Cover |
|
| Description |
A stunning account of the economic workings of the Third Reich—and the reasons ordinary Germans supported the Nazi state
In this groundbreaking book, historian Götz Aly addresses one of modern history’s greatest conundrums: How did Hitler win the allegiance of ordinary Germans? The answer is as shocking as it is persuasive: by engaging in a campaign of theft on an almost unimaginable scale—and by channeling the proceeds into generous social programs—Hitler literally “bought” his people’s consent. Drawing on secret files and financial records, Aly shows that while Jews and citizens of occupied lands suffered crippling taxation, mass looting, enslavement, and destruction, most Germans enjoyed an improved standard of living. Buoyed by millions of packages soldiers sent from the front, Germans also benefited from the systematic plunder of conquered territory and the transfer of Jewish possessions into their homes and pockets. Any qualms were swept away by waves of government handouts, tax breaks, and preferential legislation.Gripping and important, Hitler’s Beneficiaries makes a radically new contribution to our understanding of Nazi aggression, the Holocaust, and the complicity of a people. |
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| Product Details |
| LoC Classification |
HC286.4 .A613 2007 |
| Dewey |
330.943/086 |
| ISBN |
9780805079265 |
| Edition |
[1st ed.] |
| Cover Price |
$32.50 |
| No. of Pages |
448 |
| First Edition |
Yes |
| Rare |
No |
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| Notes/Review |
This was a bit of a tough one to get through. I find the subject interesting, but it's not a very exciting topic. It's complicated, and there were many times I would have liked more background information.
The book is about how the Nazis financed the war while simultaneously keeping the folks at home happy and well fed. By keeping Germans happy and well fed, they were less likely to rise up against the Nazis. Clearly, their technique worked. There were no significant uprisings against the Nazis. And it was patently obvious to all Germans what the mechanism was.
As I said, most of it was difficult going. But the last chapter pulls everything together in a cogent and damning summary, including gems like this: "The Nazi leadership did not transform the majority of Germans into ideological fanatics who were convinced they were part of the master race. Instead it succeeded in making them well-fed parasites." |
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