A Brief History of the Birth of the Nazis: How the Freikorps Blazed the Trail for Hitler

by Nigel Jones and Nigel H. Jones

Book Overview

A Brief History of the Birth of the Nazis is a timely and concise history of the Freikorps, the voluntary paramilitary groups that dominated German political life from the abdication of the Kaiser in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0786713429
• ISBN13: 9780786713424
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers
• Length: 285 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Incomplete

This is a suitable introduction to the Freikorps and its ideology. Post-WWI Germany was a mess, and Left-wing Revolutionaries (the Spartacists) were causing problems in Bavaria, on the coast. Enter the Freikorps, voluntary soldiers used by the Gov't to prevent violent Revolution w/ even more violence. The Freikorps at times instigated the violence, in order to provoke a Communist response and use that response as justification for a more brutal one. One of the fascinating aspects of this book is how Germany could have gone Bolshevik in the wake of WWI, maybe if the Left had better leadership. The Freikorps, according to Jones, set the pavement for the Nazi takeover of Germany. Many Freikorps did become members of the Nazi party, and they shared common nationalistic and anti-communist values. This book covers a 5 year period, from the end of the War to the Beer Hall Putsch in 23. At times the history is almost too specific and we have hour-by-the-hour recounts of Right vs. Left standoffs. I'm not sure its safe to call the Freikorp the "birth" of the Nazis. The Nazis pulled on various strains of German tradition for their ideology. "Blood and Soil" is only mentioned in passing, as is the Volk movement (see "The Logic of Evil" by Brustein). Which came first, the skeletal Nazi organizational structure seen in the Freikorps, or the Nazi ideological echoes found in German past? I think the title is a bit misleading, and if an author wanted to address the "Birth" of the Nazis, he'd have to go back to Haeckel and the Monist League, as the relationship between man and nature is intrical to the Nazi worldview. See books such as "The Scientific Origins of National Socialism" by Gasman and "Blood and Soil" by Bramwell. One thing I credit Jones w/, is he addresses Nietszche and his impact on the proto-Nazis. There has been a concerted effort on the part of English and Phil professors to save Nietszche from Nazism, and Jones will have none of that. Nonetheless, this is a good solid history of that chaotic and dangerous five year period in Germany's past that set the table for Hitler's eventual rise to dictatorship.

Good Introduction into 1919 Germany.

This book is an excellent review of the troubled times that Germany faced after WWI. Much of the history of the struggles between the Sparticus (German Communists) and the Freikorps I didn't know anything about. Mr. Jones' book helps explain the situation and fears of the German people that created an atmosphere where Hitler could suceed.