Shelley Baranowski Book order

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of National Socialist Germany, one of history's most destructive regimes. It engages with ongoing scholarly debates regarding the regime's causes, exploring whether political decisions, pathological developments, or modernity were pivotal. It questions the role of terror versus popular consent in sustaining the Nazi movement and examines the extent of the German populace's sympathy for Nazi ideology versus their radicalization through propaganda. The work traces the Nazi Party's emergence in the 1920s and its postwar repercussions, providing insight into the theory and context that fueled the movement. It delves into the regime's structural, cultural, economic, and social impacts, assessing the historiography of Nazism and its prehistory. The book discusses labor, education, and daily life under Nazi rule, as well as the regime's effects on business, the economy, and culture, including sports and religion. It also addresses the social militarization leading up to war and the complexities that facilitated genocide. Furthermore, it explores how modern Germany confronts its past. In light of today's political climate, the book emphasizes the importance of understanding how radical nationalist movements gain traction, prompting critical reflections on contemporary issues.

The book explores Germany's history from 1871 to 1945, highlighting the complex dynamics of imperial ambitions and national identity. It delves into the political, social, and cultural tensions that emerged during this period, illustrating how these factors shaped Germany's trajectory and ultimately contributed to significant historical events. Through a detailed analysis, it offers insights into the interplay between power and the aspirations of the German populace, providing a nuanced understanding of the era's challenges and transformations.

The giant Nazi leisure and tourism agency, Strength through Joy (KdF)'s low cost cultural events, factory beautification programs, organized sports, and, especially, mass tourism mitigated the tension between the Nazi regime's investment in rearmament and German consumers' desire for a higher standard of living. Shelley Baranowski reveals how Strength through Joy de-emphasized the sacrifices of the present while its programs presented visions of a prosperous future--that would materialize as soon as "living space" was acquired. As an agency open to racially acceptable Germans only, it segregated the regime's victims from the Nazi "racial community."

In this ground-breaking study, Shelley Baranowski not only explores how and why church-going Protestants in eastern Prussia turned to Nazism in large numbers, but also shows that the rural elite and the church propagated a myth of the stability, the wholesomeness, and the class-harmony--in short, the "sanctity"--of rural life, a myth that was a key component of Nazi propaganda that helped secure support for the Third Reich in rural areas. Of great interest to historians and students of the period as well as anyone interested in how a fringe radical movement gained wide popular support.