First published 2013
Richard Overy examines the twelve-year span of Nazi Germany, beginning with Hitler's ascent to power in 1933 and concluding with his suicide and Germany's devastation in 1945. The historian traces how a small 1920s political movement grew to control German society throughout the 1930s. Overy documents the militarization that followed, the creation of state terror mechanisms, and the systematic persecution of political enemies, Roma people, homosexuals, and Jewish populations. His account covers the regime's territorial expansion, the descent into total warfare, and the implementation of genocide. The author draws from primary sources including official documents, personal correspondence, diary entries, and firsthand accounts to construct his narrative. Visual materials from the period supplement the text, while detailed fact boxes examine specific elements of Nazi rule. Overy presents the complete military defeat of Germany and the murder of millions of Europeans as an unprecedented historical catastrophe that continues to influence contemporary Germany.
Genres: history, 20th-century, political-science, non-fiction, military-history, academic
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction
Setting: Germany
Period: 1930s, 1940s
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Content warnings: death, violence