Julia Boyd and Angelika Patel have done an excellent and important job in showing how Nazis reached into a small town and quickly took control. OberstJulia Boyd and Angelika Patel have done an excellent and important job in showing how Nazis reached into a small town and quickly took control. Oberstdorf may have not been a typical case study, but I doubt I could have stood reading of any more brutality than what was faced by the Oberstdorfers.
Positioned near the Austrian border and blessed with beautiful scenery and mountain peeks, Oberstdorf was attractive to hikers, skiers and those wanting a picturesque holiday. The town catered to the wealthy, including aristocrats and Jews who could afford vacations in the town. There was a strong culture around the Catholic Church, the musical societies and bands, and festivals such as the fall reception for cattle returning from summer grazing lands. While not rich, it was not a poor. The town was charitable to the unfortunate.
When Hitler seized power, he sent Nazi overlords to replace elected local officials throughout Germany. They started right in getting any group, no matter how small, to register and expel Jewish members. They required signs in shops “No Jews Served”. Bands were to play Nazi approved music. More control was yet to come.
The town was able to get the first overlord transferred. The second Nazi mayor, served the village as best as possible under the circumstances. Throughout you see steps he took to save Jews and allow their escape by looking the other way.
The impact of Nazi rule is told by personal stories. There are the nuns who had their school and livelihood taken, the local mountaineers who planted the Nazi flag on Mount Elburs, the blind teenager who had to go to the camps to be exterminated, those who lost their sons in the war, the newly wed Jewish couple that fled to America, the distance people took from each other, knowing that the town’s Nazi supporters were informers.
There were camps all around this town. Dachau is not far away as are the lesser known Reich built factories (using POWs and others as unpaid overworked underfed laborers) and youth training camps. While it is not recorded that the villagers knew what was going on in these places, they had to have known.
I believe Oberstdorf weathered Nazism better than most due to its moderate mayor, its resistance to anti-Semitist propaganda (the townspeople knew actual Jews) a strong culture, a history of working together (tourist industry and cable car installation were a prototype of what we call today a public-private partnership") and having a decent economy.
Very interesting was how the war ended for this town. The news of French troops inspired the long suffering opposition to prepare the town for surrender. What follows is an unusual occupation by Moroccan soldiers. Then, the Americans arrive.
The war destroyed to much, scarcity effected everyone. There is information on de-nazification and how it played out in Oberstdorf. A chapter on “The Aftermath” follows the villagers in their post-war life.
The book is comprised of primary sources. The town kept excellent archives. There are letters, news items, diaries and interviews. The text of those that are excerpted give a feel for the times.
There are lots of B&W photos and a good index. The annotated list of main characters at the end is helpful.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in Germany in the Nazi era....more
Through this biography of Mildred Harnack, an American living in Germany, you see how daily life changed as the Weimar Republic became a Nazi dictatorThrough this biography of Mildred Harnack, an American living in Germany, you see how daily life changed as the Weimar Republic became a Nazi dictatorship. It happened quickly; soon, those not greeting neighbors with “Heil Hitler” could face consequences. Jews, other minorities, and any opponents of Hitler were fired, boycotted and/or removed from their homes.
Mildred and her husband Arvid, began with book discussion groups which, as time went on, became part of a “circle” of resistance. Many in their group, or tangential groups had, like Arvid (who was placed high in the Ministry of Economics), access to significant information.
Mildred was central to the “circle” of contacts who published and distributed leaflets, listened to forbidden radio programs and assisted Jews. You see Mildred and Arvid becoming aware that they were bugged and being followed. There are short chapters summarizing events followed by their effect on members of the resistance. Some of these events are: • 1932 Hitler’s election • 1933; Hitler’s appointment as Chancellor followed by his string of diplomatic and military successes and the Reichstag Fire • 1934 the Night of Long Knives • 1938: Kristalnacht • 1941 Germany invades Russia • 1943 Russia invades Germany
When Hitler and Stalin team up, the resistance added a new level of work: warning Stalin of Hitler’s plan to invade Russia. Boy curriers with backpacks, messages hidden in books, whispered code words, etc. were replaced by Russian supplied encryption technology. This bulky equipment had be hidden, it needed repairs and careful data entering. In the end, encryption is what exposed Mildred and Arvid.
Through the many “circles” and small kindnesses received, you can conclude that resistance was widespread. Its secrets had to be kept since the very lives of the resisters were at stake. For 10 years they successfully hid their work from not just the Nazis, and unfortunately it was invisible to the west as well. Anthony Eden, famous for not foreseeing the Polish invasion, with similar assurance (despite 2 assassination attempts and his having his own a spy network, that the US did not) said there was no resistance in Germany.
The end, with Mildred’s incarceration, trial, and execution, was so horrible I could not sleep the night I read it.
I was not surprised to see that Mildred’s apprehender and prosecutor were taken in by the Allies. By dismissing her and the opposition as communists and he and many others were brought in to the western spy apparatus. I presume this made the lives of the resisters who remained alive in Germany more difficult after the war.
The book is written by the grand-grand niece of Mildred Harnack. It is enriched by her interviews with family and friends, along with descriptions of entertainment and social life of the increasingly stressful times,to give a more complete the portrait of Mildred. I like the short chapter layout. The index was very good and the photos added to understanding.
I understand the reason for the title (from Mildred's translation of a poem by Goethe) but it does not do this work justice.
Highly recommended for those interested in Germany and/or WWII....more
Too many people build a family tree of names and dates or get their DNA print out and consider their quest done. Nora Krug does the hard research and Too many people build a family tree of names and dates or get their DNA print out and consider their quest done. Nora Krug does the hard research and bravely reaches into her family history. This is recent history: only two generations past. How did her grandparents, uncles and aunts react to the Nazi’s? How deeply were they into Nazi dogma.
Krug visits and interviews relatives. Some are hard to face given the family history. She visits sites, archives and government offices. She sends out letters and makes cold calls. She examines family photos and tries to imagine the people. The result is a very personal story.
These are real people, so their stories are not simple. What really happened with her grandfather and his Jewish employer? What of her young uncle who died in the war and how did it relate to her father being cast out on his own? Did her family participate in the burning of the town’s synagogue or the drowning of a Jew in the town’s fountain? Each piece of research poses more questions.
Through this story you can see how Nazism took over a small town. You see the violence and how those in control intimidated people. You also see how the post-war de-Nazification took place. Uniforms were dyed; badges removed; insignias scratched off of photos. The author, true to the art form of the book, shows how her grandfather answered questions on his involvement with the Nazi party and with the war.
The book has to be seen to be appreciated. The selection of the color scheme, type, page layout and paper (its weight and texture), to say nothing of the elegant drawings, are worthy of book design awards.
Not only is a beautiful book to look at, it reads like a poem....more
Jared Diamond begins with how he has dealt with upheavals in his life and applies his strategies and those of others to nations. With this background,Jared Diamond begins with how he has dealt with upheavals in his life and applies his strategies and those of others to nations. With this background, this he defines 12 principles that informed the successful responses of Norway, Japan, Chile, Indonesia, Germany and Australia in times of national crisis. The book concludes with the application of these principles to the issues now facing Japan, the US and the world.
Diamond selected the countries because he had lived in them and had some familiarity with not just the history but also the people and the language. This made for a non-representative sample. No African country was represented and Asia was represented by Japan which is not typical of Asian countries.
The country profiles were excellent. I knew little about Norway and wondered how it had not been swallowed up by the USSR. The differences between Sukarno and Suharto of Indonesia were clearly explained as were the issues of East Timor and New Guinea. The reasons for the vague relationship of Australia to Great Britain are shown to be as unclear as they seem. Regarding Japan, Germany and Chile while these “upheavals” are better known, Diamond provides new (to me) detail.
The 12 principles are those of rational planning. They are, essentially, an assessment of where you are and your realistic options. The description of their application to the countries was interesting to me in that it added to the country’s story.
Application of these principles to the US, Japan and the world were the weakest sections, and I admit, I skimmed them. The issues of Japan’s population decline, polarization in the US and worldwide climate change, to name one for each section, are well known to the people who will read Diamond.
The strength of this book is the analysis of the “upheavals” and their resolutions. The 12 principles make an interesting framework for thought and discussion....more
Julie Lindahl shows how she slowly became aware of her grandparents Nazi background. She discusses the family dynamic of silence and how she set aboutJulie Lindahl shows how she slowly became aware of her grandparents Nazi background. She discusses the family dynamic of silence and how she set about tracing what her grandfather did.
Now living in Sweden, Lindahl was born in Brazil of a German family that emigrated in 1960. She had a close relationship with her grandmother who had returned to Germany upon the death of her husband.
Just prior to her grandmother’s death (at age 103), Lindahl began her genealogical research, visiting libraries and the sites where her grandfather was stationed. She learned of his racism, temper and violence. It was hard to break the family norms, but she did. She told her dying grandmother some of what she has learned. Her grandmother’s response is one of the most telling episodes in the book.
Following her research in Poland and Germany, she went to South America. She describes the land, some history and the warm reception she received from her uncle who had left the family. In this part she misses many opportunities to engage with locals. From her uncle she hears only that in losing the war, a lot was lost for the family and that the persecution of the Jews was a bad part of the war. She does not press him for more.
There is a lot missing here. While Lindahl sees the shame of the family being related to the Holocaust, their words seem to say they are ashamed of losing the war. Also, this family has not only the war to reconcile, but also domestic abuse. There is plenty of literature on how abused children cling to their parents and find excuses for their behavior. The family is clearly suffering from cognitive dissonance. They believe they are good people and they did the right thing. They have rejected Catholicism - since it will give them no "confirmation" and continue to emotionally justify their actions ("things were better then", "we could rich today") and minimize (or distance themselves from) anything contrary - they speak of Nazi brutality as though they were not part of it.
Another crucial link is unexplored – that of her parents. Her father seems to be a benign figure who somehow wound up in this Nazi family. Her mother, identified as M. is not mentioned in any memorable way.
Lindahl may be too close to the material. While what is here is thought provoking and she has unearthed information that otherwise would be lost, more distance would have made for a better product.
For those interested in this topic I highly recommend the film “Hitler’s Children” which has interviews of some descendants of Hitler’s top officials....more
Nancy Goldstone profiles women who are not always well known. This book covers the Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart (granddaughter of Mary Queen of ScotNancy Goldstone profiles women who are not always well known. This book covers the Winter Queen, Elizabeth Stuart (granddaughter of Mary Queen of Scots through James I, VI ) and 4 of her daughters: Elizabeth, Henrietta, Louise and Sophia. Two sons, Rupert and Frederick, are featured, and one son, Edward has a cameo.
James I’s marriage priorities were for his sons to unite his royal the family with those of Spain or France. A high profile protestant husband for his daughter Elizabeth could hamper those negotiations. Frederick, a protestant, who had wealth but not royalty, would be low enough in profile to not interfere in James’s ambitions for his sons.
When Bohemia overthrew its Catholic monarch, Frederick and Elizabeth seized the opportunity to have the throne. They were overthrown as quickly as they were crowned and so began what was almost a lifelong quest to raise armies to fight to get it back. Elizabeth’s father, James, still looking to France and Spain would not support their efforts and later Charles I could not. They lost their fortune, and Frederick’s life, attempting to recapture Bohemia.
Goldstone follows this family as it lives on the largess of those monarchs who would support them. They set up a court (not clear what this was; it seems like a household) in The Hague. As resources dwindled and the status of Charles I, Elizabeth’s royal brother turned desperate, it became more and more difficult to obtain pensions and arrange marriages for the four daughters. A scandal made it worse. Some of the daughters fled to protect their reputations.
The oldest daughter Elizabeth chose the life of the mind, studying with Rene Descartes and advising William Penn. Henrietta Maria, to ease the family budget accepted, a marriage far away into the royal family of Transylvania and died young. Louise Hollandine, a painter, chose a monastic life. After an unusual courtship, in a far from ideal marriage Sophia preserved the Stuart bloodline in the British monarchy (George I, her son) and in Prussia (Frederick I, her grandson and Frederick the Great her great grandson) and in Austria (Marie Antoinette, her great-great granddaughter).
Son, Rupert fought to save his uncle’s (Charles I) hopeless cause in the English Civil War; Karl Ludwig chose negotiations over war and Edward, educated in France, went fully native - converting to Catholicism.
Despite a few overly long portions (Descarte and Penn for example) the book is a good read. There were a few new things for me, such as Queen Henrietta’s role in her husband’s failed attack on Parliament and how George I was descended from the Stuarts. There was some description of the 30 years war and its resolution. There color plates and B & Ws show those profiled. The index worked and the genealogical chart is clear. There is a good map.
"The Rival Queens" is hard to beat, but this may be Goldstone's best work (as her husband poses). Those with knowledge of the Stuarts will appreciate this well researched work....more
Paul Ham found nothing unusual in Adolf Hitler’s childhood to signal that he would be someone who would carry out large scale carnage. Ham builds the Paul Ham found nothing unusual in Adolf Hitler’s childhood to signal that he would be someone who would carry out large scale carnage. Ham builds the case that Hitler’s WWI experience shaped him. His world was shattered that Germany did not prevail. He latched on conspiracy theories and half truths. He needed to assign blame for his political career, as well as for himself, and found an easy target in the Jews.
Hitler was part of a blended family and the only surviving child of his doting mother, his father’s third wife. His father, a mid-level bureaucrat in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was a brute, but Ham expects no more of a brute than other fathers of the time. He denied the young Hitler’s artistic abilities.
His father died when Hitler was a young teen and his mother a few years later. Ham doesn’t explain how Hitler, after his mother’s death blew an inheritance of (est. in today’s currency) $70,000-$90,000 in one year, became homeless and lived with the degrading circumstances that come with it. In this stage of his life there is no real evidence of anti-Semitism, but there is for a disdain for the multi-cultural Austro-Hungarian administration.
After having been twice rejected at art school, Ham shows how WWI saved Hitler from the downward spiral of his life. Through the stages of the war and Ham’s description of life in the trenches and Hitler’s role as a courrier, you see his growing fanaticism. To Hitler, Germany is great, the war is just and suffering irrelevant. He was brave, committed (later decorated) and ready to do even more for the war effort when others were spent and demoralized.
Germany’s loss was crushing to young Hitler…. Someone had to be blamed.
Ham summarizes Mein Kampf (so you don’t have to read it) noting its relevance, melodrama and self-centeredness. He shows how Hitler builds public support through his oratorical skills, helping people to nurse their grudges and blaming others for their very real and painful losses in the war. He uses his crowd pleasing skills to co-opt right wing office holders, whom he later betrays.
Ham gives the clearest description of the Beer Hall Putsch and its aftermath that I have seen.
The last section on the relevance for today seems rushed. It focuses more on Steve Bannon than Donald Trump, but the ideas of eliminating the “other” and the lack if appreciation of a free press and the rule of law are paralleled. Ham is optimistic that this will pass. He sees the situation from which it spawned as not desperate as was defeated Germany’s and the division between rich and poor not as great.
This is a good readable introduction, recommended for general readers who know little about this early period....more
Most people have trouble defining fascism. Now I know there is a reason for it. Author Robert O. Paxton notes that unlike the other “isms” fascism hasMost people have trouble defining fascism. Now I know there is a reason for it. Author Robert O. Paxton notes that unlike the other “isms” fascism has no manifesto, no treatise and no doctrine.
It is a feeling of resentment and the desire to impede or destroy the resented group. It glorifies its own state or ethnicity and accepts violence as a Darwinian prerogative. A few days ago I saw a Facebook post that brought this home. A simply dressed and groomed young women sitting in a rural area with her two toddlers says that there has to be “the genocide” for her children to have a chance.
A condition for the rise of fascism is a failing democracy. Italy and Germany as newly united countries with weak young democracies provided the opening for fascists to begin their push to power with violence that went mostly unprosecuted. Both countries were polararized. Conservatives would not work with liberals and joined with the fascists whom they thought they could use to enact their agenda. As it turned out, fascists used the conservatives. Germany eliminated them and Mussolini marginalized them except for spurts when he made attempts to govern (normalize). In neither country did the fascists ever receive 50% of any vote. Their shares were usually in the high 30s and low 40s.
Paxton gives a short survey of fascism across history and the globe. Most fascist movements have occurred in the west, since they grow from failed democracies. The devastation of WWI spawned movements across Europe, but the first fascists may have been the KKK in the US.
Fascism can be distinguished from authoritarianism in that authoritarian governments care little about citizen consent and fascism stokes a base of popular support. Fascism takes nationalism beyond its borders in wars of conquest. Dictatorships (some propped up by outside forces in countries that never had democracies) mostly stay within their borders. The lack of conquest is one factor that makes Franco (Spain) and Peron (Argentina) authoritarians more than fascists.
Towards the end this 2005 book there is a chapter on whether or not fascism is still possible. Paxton notes that in every democracy there is a small percentage of fascists, it takes the right conditions to create the opening.
This is an excellent book. It clarified fascism for me. Readers will need some background in 19th and 20th century European history....more
Intrigued by what I thought to be the strange courtship of the Luther’s’ I took this book from the library shelves. I had envisioned some romantic raiIntrigued by what I thought to be the strange courtship of the Luther’s’ I took this book from the library shelves. I had envisioned some romantic raid on the convent, maybe preceded by some secret love notes, maybe some snuggling in the cart on the way to safety… or maybe it was love at first sight in the cart, with Luther driving the team of horses. We don’t know how it happened, but none of these ideas is remotely true.
Through Katherina’s story, De Rusha presents the life in cloister schools and in convents. She describes the curriculum, the regimentation and who was there and why. Here and throughout the book there is information on the state of women who were not considered citizens without marriage. For some women convent life was the only option. DeRusha shows how nuns were more successful in fighting the closing their convents than males in closing monasteries because they had no place else to go. There are quotes from misogynistic writers, who make sexism sound refreshing.
Martin Luther, 17 years her senior, was destined to be a lawyer to help his father’s mining business, but he made a vow to St. Anna who saved him from a storm that he would be a monk. There is a bit on his self-denying life as a monk and change to reformist thinking.
Several years after posting his theses (2017 is its 500th anniversary) followed by writing about the anti-Christian aspects of monastic life, the convent raid took place. It is not known how or why this particular convent was chosen, (here the book is at odds with other sources, digested in Wikipedia) but we know it was successful. 9-12 nuns were quietly smuggled out and taken 21 miles to safety
Then came the problem of what to do with the liberated women. Only 2 families of these daughters agreed to take them back. DeRusha documents Luther’s role in finding them husbands. He was quite successful until it came to Katharina. Two years after the raid, she proposed (!) and he accepted.
Their married life is documented with Katharina working day and night to provide for their family and the “guests” at their “borrowed” estate (a former monastery). You see Luther’s reliance on Katharina and there is some documentation of her participation in theological discussions. Their love for their children is shown through their letters regarding the loss of their teenage daughter.
This is a short successful book for documenting not just this unusal marriage but the tenor of the times. It shows the highly discriminatory world Katharina faced.
The death of Martin Luther and the aftermath needed a bit more information. How helpful was their 20 year old son? Did any of of Luther’s entourage help her?
The short and pithy book is footnoted. There are some b&w images but no index. It will be of interest to those interested in the role of women in the middle ages....more
The Lebensborn program was set up to engineer the next generation of "perfect" Germans. Heinrich Himmler wrote the policies for selecting the “best”. The Lebensborn program was set up to engineer the next generation of "perfect" Germans. Heinrich Himmler wrote the policies for selecting the “best”. When the German army destroyed a city, town, community, they took the "best" blond, blue eyed children, who fit the eugenic metrics of perfect Aryans for Lebensborn.
Lebensborn also sheltered “healthy” unwed mothers who met standards of pure German heredity (forbears to 1800); Many were sweethearts of married SS officers. There were several of these nurseries/adoption facilities in Germany and occupied areas of Europe. Not every child left the home for an adopted family. Those found not to measure up in looks or behavior went to work camps and/or to their death.
Ingrid von Oelhafen first describes her childhood, what she remembers of her “parents” and how she learned of her other identity. When she began her quest to find her birth parents, she had no idea that something like this existed or that this is where she spent the first few months of her life.
She describes the difficulty of getting information, particularly through government sources, even for non-research purposes, like getting a passport. It took many years, but she found others from Lebensborn facilities who were also piecing together their past. She describes “the Father Finder” and how he helped her connect, at last, with what remained of her birth family.
I was, at first, impatient with Ingrid’s story of her childhood, her parent’s separation, leaving East Germany, and living separately with her adoptive mother, then father and mother (again). She never explores why this cold couple would bother to adopt children. Later I saw how important this background was to who she is, and generically, the dynamics of how families kept their secrets in post-war Germany.
There are short histories of the areas of importance, actual letters and documents (translated) of pertinent correspondence and official policies. There stories of other survivors and descriptions of the nurseries from their accounts and other records. There are amazing photographs.
That there are still Lebensborn children alive to tell their stories reminds us that the Nazis and the horrors the brought are not ancient, but recent history....more
The format is loosely chronological. It starts conventionally, with Frederick’s childhood, young adult years, his marriage and ascendance to the thron The format is loosely chronological. It starts conventionally, with Frederick’s childhood, young adult years, his marriage and ascendance to the throne. Next are Frederick’s military campaigns, which is essentially his foreign policy. This is followed by chapters with topical descriptions of his domestic reign and his personal life and family relations.
I’d be interested in an FBI or CIA profiler’s take on this man. Bullied, punished and horribly humiliated by his hyper-militaristic, religious, authoritarian father he became an enlightened (for his time) ruler but treated his family (exception: mother and sister) in the same cruel way his father treated him. Well before Napoleon he had a common touch with his troops. He provided more religious freedom and more access to legal redress than other monarchs, shunned court life, fostered capitalism and considered the well-being of his citizens. While presenting a professional image to the public, he had an openly gay (with administration and family, not sure that this was known by the citizens) personal life. While a macho-military man, his wardrobe (sought by collectors after his death) sounds like Liberace’s. While an optimist he had negative and cynical view of people as individuals and in groups, and a particular aversion to women (mother and sister excepted).
There was more detail than I could digest on European politics of the time and Frederick’s military campaigns. The maps and index were helpful. While the pictures are good, it’s hard to envision Frederick from these images (once King, he would not sit for a portrait). I would have liked more on his wife and a summary of Prussia after Napoleon.
I’m not sure how to give this stars. It is clearly 5 stars for the well documented scholarship, but the non-chronological format and the amount of detail on German history and on Frederick’s military campaigns made this a difficult read for me. ...more
Alexander von Humboldt was the first to demonstrate the global unity and co-dependence of plants, animals, land, sea and atmosphere. In this way, he fAlexander von Humboldt was the first to demonstrate the global unity and co-dependence of plants, animals, land, sea and atmosphere. In this way, he first posed the idea of what we come to view as "nature".
His beginnings may have been usual for the German upper classes of the time. His wealthy but absent parents saw to an education that prepared him for a gentleman’s career. His eventual inheritance financed his expedition to South America. Wulf shows the difficulty of planning the trip, getting clearances as well as actually traveling, documenting, measuring, recording and observing an untamed environment. His charmed life could have ended by crocodiles, volcanoes (he explored two while active) or knife edge hikes in thin air and punishing weather.
The books that resulted were used by scientists, businessmen and governments and they opened the imagination of the general public. Humboldt was meticulous about these books, sparing no expense for the artisans who made the eventual volumes. They inspired generations of scientists and those who have become known as environmentalists.
He developed lifelong associations with colleagues and staff. His brother was his best friend and supporter. He met and knew on varying levels the notables of his time, such as Simon Bolivar (before either were famous); Thomas Jefferson (Humboldt’s respect was mitigated by Jefferson’s slave ownership), Johann Wolfgang Goethe (a friend of his brother’s), Freiderich Willhelm II (King of Prussia who supported Humboldt, despite his republican ideals) and many more.
Because Humboldt was frank about the conditions of colonialism, despite years of efforts, the British crown would not issue him a passport to India to document the Himalayas. It took 30 years for another expedition, this one to Russia, a great adventure at age 60 showing not only his physical fortitude, but also his determination. He ignored the edits of the ruler of all Russia by going where his studies took him including a trip into anthrax infested areas.
Part V, the last part of the book, describes Humboldt’s lasting influence. He is a hero to Charles Darwin, George Perkin Marsh (an early advocate for preservation), Ernst Haeckel (who carried on his work and aggressively supported Darwin) and John Muir. All cite him in their work. A copy of Muir's notes to his copy of a Humboldt work is reproduced on p. 325.
Like Humboldt, Wulf integrates many disciplines in her writing. Unlike some biographers, whom I suspect have read sufficient paragraphs and chapters from items listed in their notes, you get the idea that Wulf has read and absorbed all original historical and literary material (as well as Humboldt’s work) she cites. This is a very comprehensive work. While not a page turner, it is highly readable and keeps your attention....more
Weill and Brecht have been intriguing to me since I realized they are the team that brought forth “Mac the Knife”. I knew snatches of their lives suchWeill and Brecht have been intriguing to me since I realized they are the team that brought forth “Mac the Knife”. I knew snatches of their lives such as the “Beggars/Three Penny Opera”, “Mother Courage”, the HUAC , Hollywood, Broadway and East Germany. This book put it together for me.
Pamela Katz focuses on the “Partnership” which was only a part, but a pivotal part, of their respective careers and on the three women who made their work possible. The “Beggars/Three Penny Opera” is the centerpiece of this partnership. Its development and first production commands ¼ or more of the text and is woven into all that follows.
Brecht, as described here, fits the spoiled ego-centered director-producer stereotype. He rails at the actors and re-writes their lines even up to minutes before an opening. He has children by 3 different women.
Actress Helene Weigel takes responsibility for her two children with Brecht and Brecht’s son by another despite Brecht’s marriage to the mother of another daughter. Elizabeth Hauptmann (at points she seems homeless but for his office) gives up all for him. While he sees her as a translator, she is at minimum an anonymous collaborator. She most likely wrote “Alabama Moon” and probably many other Brecht pieces. While emotionally unsatisfying (and often degrading), these may have been the best career situations the two women could have attained given the male driven culture of the time. Hauptmann received 12.5% royalties on many works and was able to make connections for her other work; Through Brecht, Weigel was well connected when she needed to re-start her acting career and became the “official” widow with a sizable estate.
Weill has an altogether different personality and uncomplicated life style. He is fiercely loyal to Lottie Lenya (despite both her and his affairs), writing songs to feature her and negotiating her roles. His lifestyle is conventional (likes home and garden) and he works well with others.
The book takes you from Brecht's and Weill's very different childhoods, to their meeting, to their collaborations to their legal issues and their parting. After death, there is a description of the “war of the widows”. There are pieces of how the Nazi’s took over in the streets (demonstrations and violence), in theaters (shouting and letting rats loose before ultimately shutting them down) and in private offices (burning private papers and works of artists). Neither Weill not Brecht wanted to leave Germany but both had to and both went in ways characteristic of their personalities. Weill found artistic freedom in the US. Brecht, who could not so easily bombast his way in the US, did not adjust and became, essentially,a man without a country until he left and settled in East Germany.
The author’s research shows in the book's detail which is more than many readers would want. General readers will find it wordy and might not appreciate the extensive artistic criticism. At points the writer changes styles from reportorial, to journalistic and to something like a novel’s narrative. For Brecht and Weill fans, it is a must read. Others with an interest in these artists or a desire to know more about the principals will find a lot of information....more
Petropoulos goes where no one, that I know of, has gone before. I had wondered about what had become of the many royal houses of pre-Weimar Germany. WPetropoulos goes where no one, that I know of, has gone before. I had wondered about what had become of the many royal houses of pre-Weimar Germany. With this book, I understand a lot more about them and their post WWI history and their participation in the Reich. Regarding the rumors surrounding the Windsors, Petropoulos carefully separates facts from fiction.
The von Hessen princes are featured in this book, but they are not the story; they are used as a benchmark for many royals in this period. I didn't know this family, what they did, nor their fate, but I was glued to it.
The devastation of Germany in WWI (22% of its young men killed) was followed by a new governance and the Weimar Republic arose. It exiled the Kaiser, rescinded royal titles, and voted on the status of lands formerly owned by a patchwork of royal sovereignties now abolished. While this vote on the lands failed passage, it was alarming to the aristocracy.
Noting this, and perhaps the fate of the Romanov's, and the socialistic/communistic trends of the times, the royals and aristocrats were seduced by Hitler's message. They joined the Nazi party earlier and in greater proportion than any other demographic.
The prose in this book is heavy, and for someone like me, without much background in the history of Germany in this period, it was a slow read. It was, nevertheless, a page turner.
I came to understand the thinking and the loss which compelled these royals to do something, anything, following their loss of status and wealth. The militaristic overtones of the Nazi party matched the feudal ideals of these royals and the author documents the anti-Semitism of the aristocracy. The author notes their childhood training taught them their role above others and inculcated a sense of honor which should have precluded the activities they later got caught up in.
Phillipp and Christoph, perhaps typical of royals and aristocrats, were deeply entrenched in the party as it turned homicidal. Phillipp either approved or ignored the conversion of the former mental hospital to a torture and/or elimination facility in the town over which he presided. As the author notes, due to the heavy censorship of the times, and his inability to confide, we don't know the disposition of Phillipp (and the other royals and aristocrats in similar situations, nor their feelings and motivations as the party turned on them) as events careened into deeper madness. We do have Philipp's denazificaiton testimony, which of course is steered to his defense.
The book needs a map.
A debt is owed to not just the author for assembling this massive amount of material, but to the von Hessen family who provided full access to their personal papers....more
Gaines lovingly portrays Bach as having deep and simple roots in music and townslife and sympathetically portrays Frederick as burdened by his family'Gaines lovingly portrays Bach as having deep and simple roots in music and townslife and sympathetically portrays Frederick as burdened by his family's military and royal occupations. Through these two well defined personalities we get an engaging overview of the Romantic Era as represented by Bach is seen as giving way to the Enlightenment as represented by Frederick the Great.
The text is light, at some points it's like the author is having coffee with you. At other points there is analysis of Bach's works suitable for a graduate seminar. The reader need not be steeped in musicology to enjoy the book, but I believe if I knew more about the terms and the works it would have been even more enriching for me.
The two main characters are very well drawn with some equally compelling but shorter portraits of family members such as Carl Bach, Princess Wilhelmina, and Frederick I.
There is a short and compelling analysis at the end about Bach's revitalization and staying power compared to the current sentiment regarding Frederick. When you finish the book, you may find yourself browsing through Amazon for more on Johann and Frederick. ...more
The title suggests this is about the life of Leni Riefenstahl, but the greater part of the text describes her relationship with Hitler and Reich and hThe title suggests this is about the life of Leni Riefenstahl, but the greater part of the text describes her relationship with Hitler and Reich and her subsequent denials.
Author Jurgen Trimborn shows how her protestations that she was innocent because she was an apolitical artist cannot stand up to the eye witness accounts, official testimony, and photographic records that link her to Hitler's inner circles. Whether or not she was a mistress of Hitler, Trimborn clearly documents her close association with him. She obviously had high up patronage to receive seemingly unlimited production funds and the life and death power over others.
In her abusive patriarchal family, Leni is given no support for the talent she undoubtedly has. She desperately strives for approval from a frightfully violent father. Her unhappy romantic life can be predicted as can her search for a strong male figure. Her beauty, exposure as an actress and a chance "fan" letter give her access to Hitler at the time she is beginning to make her own films. From her family background she is psychologically programmed to overcome and achieve and Hitler sees that she can deliver what he needs.
Germany's defeat creates for Leni one of the sharpest career drops ever, after which she managed a second career that spanned over 50 years. It was not as glamorous and well funded as her first career and the honors she received were always tainted by protest.
How do we assess achievement in the dubious art of propaganda? Is the artist responsible for evil that the creation may inspire? Can artists be absolved for denying belief in, commitment to, or lack of understanding of the content they create? Should those who have had limited access to success (i.e. women, minorities) be given greater laditude in assessing their path to success?
The time was right. Movable type meant books for the masses. The hucksters who marketed indulgences were becoming more and more crass. It's not surpriThe time was right. Movable type meant books for the masses. The hucksters who marketed indulgences were becoming more and more crass. It's not surprising that the main voice of dissent came from Germany, away from Rome, where religious issues, taxes and autonomy for principalities could be rolled into one cocktail of dissatisfaction.
Wilson writes that in posting the 95 thesis, Luther was unaware of the Goliath he would be fighting. Once he took it on, his defense required him to realize, frame and expose the chasm between the scripture and the church that had evolved in its name.
The book shows how Luther rose to the occasion and how his trials opened up a torrent of thought, discussion and liberation. He advocated that the people should read the Bible and not rely on clerical intermediaries to tell them what it said. He walked the talk, by translating the Bible to everyday German so that common people could understand it. He wrote hymns to illustrate Biblical passages and to facilitate worship. He provided both wine and bread for communion for everyone, not just clergy. Most importantly, he distinguished God's word from the words of man and the man-made structures built in its name.
While, Luther was prolific, an intellectual powerhouse of new and liberating thought, his domain was the scriptures. Wilson writes of reformers who, inspired by his words, tried to relieve the plight of the peasants, but Luther's message was spiritual and not political. Wilson does not lay the turmoil of the age on his doorstep.
Luther finds no scriptural authority for clerical celibacy. In one curious page we learn that Luther liberated nuns from a convent, returned some to families, found husbands for some and from this group, eventually found a wife. Since this foray changes his life it has to be part of his biography, but how many "liberating" assaults on convents or monasteries did he make? This is a time when governments are using his texts as justification for taking over church lands.
The author shows affection for his subject, but also sees his failures. Luther's tenacity and zest have a downside: the passion can be turned on those who disagree. One chapter is devoted to Luther's problems in living beyond his time. Events have eclipsed his ken.
Many attribute to Luther the ushering in all that is modern. In challenging the powerful and ossified church of Rome, Luther empowered individuals to embrace their own spiritual life, and from this flowed ideas about freedom and individual responsibility.
Wilson sticks to his subject. He resists many potential side trips into other aspects of the time. ...more
Other reviews have noted that there is little new here, but the point of this book is not to bring out new information; It is to explore the origins oOther reviews have noted that there is little new here, but the point of this book is not to bring out new information; It is to explore the origins of World War I from a different point of view. In examining the character of these three cousins, their upbringing and education, their role in the structure of their respective governments and the issues and attitudes of their counties, Miranda Carter shows how they did and didn't influence the course of events that led to The Great War.
The cousins of this book are contemporaries born into an era where the historical role of the monarch was no longer functional. Governing had become too complex to be handled by one man. Governing needed more input from those affected by its policies, but gathering input was a skill totally lacking in Wilhelm and not considered appropriate by Nicholas. Over the years, England had structurally sidelined the monarch. An example of how this erosion happened is shown on p. 43, where Queen Victoria surrenders prerogatives in order to have the title "Empress" (of India). This illustrates (monarchial) priorities of pomp over practicallity.
Just a look at the book's photos shows the royals' unquestioned sense of entitlement. Carter describes the pageantry of the 17 day funeral of Alexander III, the dunbars of India and even "simple" family gatherings that were expensive, banal and contributed nothing to the well being of the monarch's respective countries. The royals profess their love and loyalty to each other, the "value" of which is demonstrated by George V and his abandonment of his Romanov cousin and his family.
Carter shows how the education and upbringing of these 3 royals gave them little practical knowledge and spawned a host of self esteem issues. The most destructive result of this process was the childhood of Wilhelm (even more fully described in "Victoria's Daughters" by Packard). Wilhelm's actions, mostly a result of his stunted emotional self, nicely summarized on pp. 374-5, are a major cause of World War I. Wilhelm, like Nicholas, had no idea of the potential consequences of his actions.
This book, with it's focus on individuals, provides an excellent addition to the literature on this era and will hold the reader's attention throughout. ...more
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