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Recommendation for some books written by a German (or on them) in the period of Bismark upto WW II.

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Knight
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Recommendation for some books written by a German (or on them) in the period of Bismark upto WW II.

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Hello everyone!

I want to ask for some recommendation for books which are written by Germans (or contemporary writers/politicians in world) in late 19th and early 20th centuries about Germany and it's politics from the reign of Bismarck up to the second world war. If possible let the book be a little short (not more than 350 pages) and of historical or educational importance.

Thank you.
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Brooks127
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Re: Recommendation for some books written by a German (or on them) in the period of Bismark upto WW II.

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Here's some historical audiobooks via LibriVox that might help.

Inventions Of The Great War by Alexander Russell Bond is a personal favorite of mine. It's read well and goes into details.
Knight
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Re: Recommendation for some books written by a German (or on them) in the period of Bismark upto WW II.

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Brooks127 wrote:Here's some historical audiobooks via LibriVox that might help.

Inventions Of The Great War by Alexander Russell Bond is a personal favorite of mine. It's read well and goes into details.
Well, that was a quick reply! Thanks. Can you please enlighten me with some German politicians who supported socialism (in the said period)?
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Re: Recommendation for some books written by a German (or on them) in the period of Bismark upto WW II.

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Defying Hitler, A Memoir by Sebastian Haffner

I read this book about a year ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It will give you a perspective you may not get from more academic sources. The description below sums it up very well. The book is available on Amazon and probably any major book store as well.

"Written in 1939 and unpublished until 2000, Sebastian Haffner's memoir of the rise of Nazism in Germany offers a unique portrait of the lives of ordinary German citizens between the wars. Covering 1907 to 1933, his eyewitness account provides a portrait of a country in constant flux: from the rise of the First Corps, the right-wing voluntary military force set up in 1918 to suppress Communism and precursor to the Nazi storm troopers, to the Hitler Youth movement; from the apocalyptic year of 1923 when inflation crippled the country to Hitler's rise to power. This fascinating personal history elucidates how the average German grappled with a rapidly changing society, while chronicling day-to-day changes in attitudes, beliefs, politics, and prejudices."
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Brooks127
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Re: Recommendation for some books written by a German (or on them) in the period of Bismark upto WW II.

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Knight wrote:Well, that was a quick reply! Thanks. Can you please enlighten me with some German politicians who supported socialism (in the said period)?
Unfortunately, I can't because I don't know.

A book you might be interested in is Born Guilty. I found this book at a small bookstore I enjoy shopping. It contains the personal accounts of children living in the shadow of their parents' involvement with the Nazis.
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Re: Recommendation for some books written by a German (or on them) in the period of Bismark upto WW II.

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I've read these books and would offer them for your consideration.

The Hangman & His Wife: The Life & Death of Reinhard Heydrich by
Nancy Dougherty

https://www.amazon.com/Hangman-His-Wife ... 0394543416

The Pope at War: The Secret History of Pius Xll, Mussolini, and Hitler,
by David Kertzer

https://www.amazon.com/Pope-War-Secret- ... 0812989945

Although these may be twice as long as you would like to read they may contain insights and documents related to your question. I would say from the post WW1 era.

It should be born in mind that in those times of your interest, the German population consisted primarily of Catholics, Lutherans, and Jews. The Vatican was with concerns over how Hitler and others were educating Roman Catholic school children. Consider Hitler's Youth, and Himmler's devising a new "State" religion based on Nordic Mythology. In earlier times Hitler's SS where his personal body guards and later the private army of the NAZI party. Many of whom were Catholics & Lutherans charged with hunting Jews & others late into the night. On Saturday nights this created a conflict with their being able to attend early mass. Complaints to their superiors regarding this often followed. In this time the Vatican still held considerable influence over many German officers/soldiers minds. At war's end the Vatican was helpful to many German military men in their flight out of Germany.

If you were a German civilian in the 1930's suspecting war to be imminent and you would be forced into the Military, you may have considered your options for an escape plan and who could aid in your achieving it. Many found their Church to be that pathway.
All human actions have one or more of these seven human causes: Chance, Nature, Compulsion, Habit, Reason, Passion, and Desire. Aristotle
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