Life in the Third Reich: Daily Life in Nazi Germany, 1933-1945

Based mostly upon interviews with individuals who survived the Nazi regime, “Life in the Third Reich” provides an interesting cross section view of German society. It is important to note that at the beginning of the text, the author openly notes that for many of the people he interviewed, there was a sort of selective amnesia about what negative aspects of Nazism, which he directly connects with the collective guilt of the German people regarding that dark chapter of their history. In other words, many people who lived thru the Nazi era are/were embarrassed to talk about their individual roles in it. This reality leads to the author’s point… Nazism was allowed to go unchecked, because as time went by and the leadership consolidated power, people became afraid to say anything against the administration.While the author’s supposition is not new to the field of Nazi era research, the interviews provided in the book are fascinating and provide a depth rarely seen in popular media. Of particular interest to me was the interview regarding the use of American and to a less extent British Jazz by German youth as a way to rebel against Nazi control. While I knew about this youth rebellion, the interview provided a level of detail I have not seen anywhere else.Finally, you will no doubt notice there are a number of poor reviews of this book here on the Amazon website. Most of the negative reviews complain about the lack of academic rigor in the text. In other words, the person making the complaint most likely feels the author did not do enough research, and/or his research was not documented well enough. While this may be a valid complaint if the text was going to be used as a primary source in the university classroom, the author clearly states that the book “draws extensively on interviews, letters and diaries.” In light of that, I feel such criticism is not warranted.

This book is made up of reminiscences of everyday life in Germany. These are eyewitness accounts from apolitical citizens who were for the most part children as the tragedy, and the cruelties, and the destruction slowly unfolded around them. It is a book of childhood disillusionment and resilience, far below the notice of big-picture historians. It doesn't cost too much, or take too awful long to read. I am glad I did. A few small perspectives are added to my comprehensive understanding of Nazis and WW2. I recommend this little book.

A wealth of knowledge about life in that era when humans were seduced by madness. Many interesting bits of insight into what living under this condition. The fear of being spies on by anyone who made the slightest derogatory remark about Hitler or the Nazi regime. One of the more fascinating passages is about the "swing kids" and how their love jazz and swing music defied the repressive dictates of the Nazi. I'd read an entire book on this subculture. This was a compelling read and I finished it in a couple days. Let us pray that history never repeats itself.

I hate Nazis yet their psychology and sociology fascinate me. I'm a curious learner naturally and this book pulledmy chain hard. When the Nazis' true colors come out, you'll be left wondering how we can call Nazis humanswhen they are so far from humane yet show there is no limit to the evil humans can be. I highly suggest thebook if you want to learn this from people who experienced this brutally sinister and spine-shattering time inhuman history that cannot and will never be replaced by worse.

As a Greek child during WWII I always wondered what life was like in Nazi Germany especially for those not of the same mind as the Nazis. How could the German people not be aware of the attrocities and allow them to occur. Paul Roland 's book gave a better understanding of how Hitler became the ruthless dictator he was.

A must read--demonstrates again that Socialism only results in the deaths of millions, and will never work. It has been attempted over and over again, ALWAYS resulting in failure and death on a massive scale. Also demonstrates why the Second Amendment is so crucial--and why the American Socialists desperately utilize every lie and imaginable distortion in attempt to take the guns. As Chairman Mao said, " politics ultimately flows from the muzzle of a gun. The communists must control the guns" . The Socialists know that as long as the people can protect themselves, they can not succeed. Read this, and learn

A description of how Germans observed , adapted and ultimately accepted horrors brought to Germany by Hitler. Contrary to some popular notions, it is clear that that the majority of Germans “bought Hitler’s vision”. The reasons for acceptance were many, including- self interest, greed, passivity, group think and ultimately fear of reprisals if one did not follow Hitler.

You know a book is good when you make time to read it as opposed to reading it in your spare time. This was one of them. I expected a cerebral outline of the people of Germany during World War II. This book was more than that. The book delves into the personal lives affected by Nazi oppression of their own people. A good read? No I would say a must read.

Good read. Had some minor facts I hadn't heard before. Interesting.

Having read many books on the history of the Second World War from the military point of view this book was a fascinating insight into the plight of civilians trying to live, work, play, go to school and generally survive the dangers from bombing raids and also from their oppressive totalitarian government. Any dissent or criticism of the state was swiftly dealt with. Even off the cuff remarks could be reported. The book is a remarkable account of courage, fortitude and just getting on with it!

The book gives a flavour of how life was under Nazi rule and the consequences for Germans leading to the collapse of their structures and their society by 1945.

This is not a serious study of daily life in the Third Reich. It does have an interesting interview with a woman called Eycke Strickland, who came from an anti-Nazi family, but it is generally a scissors and paste job, using excerpts from books on the Third Reich, without any real sense of context or narrative development. It reads as if it was made for a market rather than being a serious exposition of the subject. Read it on a rainy day or on a boring journey but don't expect any particular insights into the Third Reich. By the way, a note to the author - the correct word for the person who kept an eye on inhabitants of an appartment block was a "Blockwart".

I found this book very good, an account of life in Nazi Germany from a ordinary German Fraulein's view point, often having wondered why having known or at least quessed at what was going on at that time, some people chose to close their eyes to it,After reading this book I understood the reasons!