Blitz bomb sites

[stona]

I think it useful to think of Germany during WWII as two separate populations: the German People and the Nazis.

Steve I generally agree with the gist of your post, but not that conclusion. There was of course an active resistance to the NSDAP in Germany, but more Germans voted for the party in which many knew potentially to be the last elections (Hitler made no secret of that) than voted for the Conservative party now forming a government after the recent elections here. 14,000,000 Germans voted for the party in the 1932 elections.


Many people actively supported the NSDAP and its objectives, even if they were not one of the party faithful. Many more were, like everywhere, apathetic. Few actually opposed the party and then generally on ideological or religious grounds. Not all Germans were Nazis, but the vast majority of Nazis were Austro-German. They had to be by the party's own race laws.


It was appreciated from the first war that conflicts would more and more be contested between peoples and not just their armies or navies, the advent of air power had a profound effect on this.


It is not possible to separate the German people from the government they elected. This does not make all Germans Nazis, but it does mean that most Germans of that generation have to accept some kind of responsibility for what happened.


If you want a salutary read I would suggest 'Hitler's Willing Executioners' by Daniel Goldenhagen. It is not a book with whose conclusions or even central tenet (that most Germans wanted to eliminate Jews from their society) I personally agree, but it does include some interesting facts about the mechanisms which lead an entire nation down a very dark and dangerous back alley. I prefer Ian Kershaw's summary that "The road to Auschwitz was built by hate, but paved with indifference." This is something that is not specifically German, as Goldenhagen argues, but might have happened in any Christian society given the right circumstances.


Cheers


Steve

[Guest]

Steve I generally agree with the gist of your post, but not that conclusion..............

That's really interesting, the bit about the degree of responsibility the German people themselves have for (knowingly) letting Hitler's rise to totalitarianism. However, this is interesting (to me anyway) for historical and psychological reasons mainly. That was then, now is now. My daughter has a German husband (they live in Germany) and for a long time we have had some objective discussions on the War. I haven't had those discussions with the boys (10 and 16) but they are sensible and no doubt would be objective.


I will get the book you mention.


Edit: I wonder if the same thing is starting to happen in Russia.

[stona]

I will get the book you mention..

Hi Steve. It is an interesting read but does come with the caveat I mentioned above. I think Goldehagen goes too far with his idea that the German people specifically were infected with a special virulent strain of anti semitism that was somehow different to the anti semitism of other European Christian cultures. He does provide a lot of a lot of pretty average Germans were prepared to 'go with the programme' and commit some appalling atrocities. I just suspect that in different circumstances the same might have been possible for other nations too.


Cheers


Steve