“Throughout Europe, but to different degrees in different places, German occupation, destroyed the institutions that made ideas of reciprocity seem plausible or normal. Where Germans obliterated conventional states, or annihilated Soviet institutions that had just destroyed conventional states, they created the abyss where racism and politics pulled together towards nothingness.”

“There is little reason to think that we are ethically superior to the Europeans of the 1930s and 1940s, or for that matter less vulnerable to the kind of ideas that Hitler successfully promulgated and realized.”

According to this book (in a massively simplified summary), Hitler believed that by ridding the world of Jews he could restore balance to the Earth (with Germans at the top of the food chain, of course). He could take over much of Europe, thus providing Germans with the food that they needed. That plan is so insane that I can’t comprehend why Hitler wasn’t immediately institutionalized, but humans like having someone to hate and blame for all of their problems. So when a leader comes along who validates their hatred and points them towards erasing the demonized, a large part of the population welcomes said leader (no matter how insane) with open arms. Unfortunately, that formula was not buried in the past. Evidence of it is rampant all over the world today, the US being a prime example. Every time I read about WWII I am amazed at how quickly everything just fell apart.I guess I should stop being surprised.

In addition to discussing Hitler’s destabilization of country after country, the book describes the correlation between statelessness and the likelihood that a person would survive Hitler’s onslaught. It also gives many examples of courage, unselfishness and humanity. The book is thoroughly researched and has extensive endnotes and bibliography.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I found it a bit tedious at times, but a great interpretation of Hitler and the Holocaust. The atrocities done to the Jews were brought into a shocking light with his summaries. Book provided by NetGalley.

This is a big subject, with many works out in the universe. This book is more than a history lesson, however. It tries to make some sense out of what happened and also lives by the principle that it cannot be forgotten and could someday be repeated.

This has nothing to do with Snyder or the book, but the fact that I cannot read this work right now or possibly ever.

I didn't finish the book because I couldn't get into it