A Concise History of the Third Reich
Wolfgang Benz
It is refreshing to read a history of Nazism that isn't deathly intent on provoking hatred, one that is reasonable and concerns itself more with facts than with condemnation. Benz, being German, provides an interesting point of view with this narrative of the Nazi years, and while he is particularly hard on his countrymen in the last pages of the book, his condemnation seems justified. By confining this subjectivity to the last portion of the book, Benz shows marked restraint and a keen eye for what is truly important when grappling with this most uncomfortable portion of German history.
The prose itself is easy to follow, but basically unremarkable. There are a few grammatical errors of the sort that plague translation (this being from German, I imagine that the translation and not the original text is at fault for the many misplaced commas). These slight missteps, however, do not seriously hinder the reader and are really just a personal pet peeve. Because the book comes in under 300 pages (which is shocking considering its comprehensive scope), it is mostly dry. This approach, however, is useful considering the rampant trend of overly sentimentalizing the events in Germany surrounding the Nazis. There is some value to personalizing the tragedies, but Benz pays adequate attention to intricacies of personal experience and strikes a good, if weighted, balance between statistics and stories. Particularly interesting are the mini-biographies of high-ranking Nazi personnel scattered throughout the book. These add a degree of depth to the otherwise flattened text and help the reader ask important questions about culpability.
This book would be a wonderful asset for those interesting in gaining an overall picture of Nazi Germany. A careful reading will expose aspects of the home front, Hitler's personal circle, and the war that combine to provide a good picture of Germany in the period. Benz's text may not be the most fluent of history writing, but the mere fact that the book is readable works in his favor, especially given the proclivity for historical writers to, well, suck. A good introduction to the Third Reich, this book serves its purpose with pure adequacy.
Grade: B+
Wolfgang Benz
It is refreshing to read a history of Nazism that isn't deathly intent on provoking hatred, one that is reasonable and concerns itself more with facts than with condemnation. Benz, being German, provides an interesting point of view with this narrative of the Nazi years, and while he is particularly hard on his countrymen in the last pages of the book, his condemnation seems justified. By confining this subjectivity to the last portion of the book, Benz shows marked restraint and a keen eye for what is truly important when grappling with this most uncomfortable portion of German history.
The prose itself is easy to follow, but basically unremarkable. There are a few grammatical errors of the sort that plague translation (this being from German, I imagine that the translation and not the original text is at fault for the many misplaced commas). These slight missteps, however, do not seriously hinder the reader and are really just a personal pet peeve. Because the book comes in under 300 pages (which is shocking considering its comprehensive scope), it is mostly dry. This approach, however, is useful considering the rampant trend of overly sentimentalizing the events in Germany surrounding the Nazis. There is some value to personalizing the tragedies, but Benz pays adequate attention to intricacies of personal experience and strikes a good, if weighted, balance between statistics and stories. Particularly interesting are the mini-biographies of high-ranking Nazi personnel scattered throughout the book. These add a degree of depth to the otherwise flattened text and help the reader ask important questions about culpability.
This book would be a wonderful asset for those interesting in gaining an overall picture of Nazi Germany. A careful reading will expose aspects of the home front, Hitler's personal circle, and the war that combine to provide a good picture of Germany in the period. Benz's text may not be the most fluent of history writing, but the mere fact that the book is readable works in his favor, especially given the proclivity for historical writers to, well, suck. A good introduction to the Third Reich, this book serves its purpose with pure adequacy.
Grade: B+
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