Germany, Hitler, and World War II: Essays in Modern German and World History

by Gerhard L. Weinberg

Overview

Far more than a conflict of imperial aggression, World War II was about "blood and soil," a fight to determine who would control the earth's resources and which races would be exterminated because they were deemed inferior or undesirable. This collection of essays, many never before published in English, illuminates the nature of the Nazi system and its impact on Germany and the world. Included are careful examinations of the Holocaust, the connections between the European and Pacific theaters of war, a comparative analysis of the leadership styles of Hitler, Stalin, Tojo, and Roosevelt and a look back at postwar Germany.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521474078
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	02/24/1995
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.26(w) x 9.29(h) x 1.14(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; Part I. Background: 1. The defeat of Germany in 1918 and the European balance of power; 2. National Socialist organisation and aims in 1927; 3. The world through Hitler's eyes; Part II. The Nazi System: 4. The Nazi revolution: a war against human rights; 5. Propaganda for peace and preparation for war; Part III. Background for War: 6. Hitler and England, 1933–1945: pretence and reality; 7. German foreign policy and Austria; 8. Germany, Munich, and appeasement; 9. A proposed compromise over Danzig in 1939? 10. The German generals and the outbreak of war, 1938–1939; 11. Hitler's decision for war; Part IV. World War II: 12. German diplomacy toward the Soviet Union; 13. The Nazi-Soviet pacts: a half-century later; 14. Germany and the United States, 1917–1949; 15. Germany and Pearl Harbour; 16. Global conflict: relations between the European and Pacific theatres in World War II; 17. The Holocaust and the war in 1943; 18. The German resistance to Hitler; 19. D-Day after 50 years; 20. German plans for victory; 21. Reflections on running a war: Hitler, Churchill, Stalin, Roosevelt, Tojo; 22. Some thoughts on World War II; 23. At the end: a new Germany in a new world Appendix: The end of Ranke's history: reflections on the fate of history in the twentieth century.

Editorial Reviews

"Gerhard Weinberg delights in questioning conventional wisdom in this collection of papers written over many years on aspects of World War II....Germany, Hitler, and World War II is a thoughtful and provocative reinterpretation of many aspects of this period." Washington Post Book World

"Vigilant in distinguishing fact from inference, Mr. Weinberg clearly understands the difference between the easy answer and the last word. Lucid, accessible, provocative in the best sense, this is critical historical writing of the highest order." The Dallas Morning News

"Germany, Hitler, and World War II...[assembles] 24 essays written over the past 30 years. These are scholarly but accessible to the general reader, authoritative in their archival basis, and imaginative in raising such neglected issues as 'German Plans for Victory, 1944-1945.'" The Christian Science Monitor

"...richly informative, scholarly but accessible collection of essays....The author's thought-provoking essays question familiar assumptions." Publishers Weekly

"The freshness of [Weinberg's] interpretations derives from questioning popularly held beliefs about the causes and course of the war....Learned, balanced, sophisticated, and clinically empathetic with the consequences of the Nazi lunge for world supremacy, Weinberg is the type of fluid, sophisticated writer history collections must have." Booklist

"German-born historian Weinberg...offers a new perspective on German history in relation to Hitler and the formulation of German foreign policy....A valuable work for anyone wishing a refreshing angle on the geopolitical realities of the period and their culmination in the greatest war in human history. Recommended for diplomatic and military history collections." Library Journal

"The essays in this book represent the careful, judicious work of one of the world's greatest scholars of the Third Reich and the Second World War. These essays represent a major contribution to our understanding of the history of our century." Williamson Murray, Ohio State University

"Shrewd and incisive, most of these essays are based on archival research—an experience that leads Weinberg to end with a ringing, persuasive appeal that unless immediate steps for the preservation of various fragile records are taken, future historians will be without the traditional foundations of historical research." Foreign Affairs

"A valuable contribution to the literature, this readable volume belongs in every academic library." Donald S. Detwiler, The Journal of Militray History

"Weinberg's essays would be of significant use in an educational environment....the essays can be very helpful and interesting to students....skillfully argued and written they would serve as an excellent tool to illustrate to students how the historical discipline works....Weinberg is a scholar of high order abd his essays reflect this....Weinberg's book is an invaluable resource." Michael Marino, Teaching History

From the Publisher

This richly informative, scholarly but accessible collection of essays covers such topics as the Versailles Treaty and the origins of the stab-in-the-back legend; Hitler's foreign policy views before he came to power in 1933; the miscalculations of both parties to the Nazi-Soviet pact of 1939; the Nazis' early euthanasia program for the elderly, the retarded and seriously wounded WWI veterans; and the German perspective on the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The author's thought-provoking essays question familiar assumptions such as the alleged reluctance of Italian soldiers to engage in combat and the supposed ugly friction between the British and American military brass. Weinberg (A World at Arms) calls for further research and investigation into such matters as the summary execution of at least 25,000 German deserters during the war. BOMC and History Book Club selections. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

German-born historian Weinberg (A World at Arms: A New History of World War II, LJ 11/15/93) offers a new perspective on German history in relation to Hitler and the formulation of German foreign policy. These essays explore the underlying concept that Allied and Axis leaders alike realized that a top-to-bottom reconstruction of the world order was at stake in the war. Weinberg illuminates the nature of Nazism and its impact on Germany and the world. He also examines the relationship between European and Pacific theaters and successfully outlines what he considers problems in methodology of historical research and analysis. A valuable work for anyone wishing a refreshing angle on the geopolitical realities of the period and their culmination in the greatest war in human history. Recommended for diplomatic and military history collections. [BOMC and History Book Club selections.]-Thomas G. Anton, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago

Library Journal

Hitherto dispersed among various professional history journals over the past 30 years, Weinberg's essays will stand on the shoulders of his "A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II" (1994). The freshness of his interpretations derives from questioning popularly held beliefs about the causes and course of the war. For example, Hitler is widely perceived to have sealed his fate by gratuitously declaring war on the U.S., but Weinberg addresses the low estimate of the German military, borne out in the near term, of America's ability to mobilize before an anticipated German victory in 1942. Even in 1944, the opportunity to totally dominate was not completely delusory to the dictator and minions, as one chapter on victory scenarios explains. Other Weinberg pieces cover the intensification of the Final Solution in 1943, the global relation between the European and Pacific theaters, and the qualities of war leaders. Learned, balanced, sophisticated, and clinically empathetic with the consequences of the Nazi lunge for world supremacy, Weinberg is the type of fluid, sophisticated writer history collections must have.

Gilbert Taylor