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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive history of Nazi Germany, 12 May 2008
The author has produced what is surely the last word in explaining the rise and fall of Nazi Germany. This is an economic history, and this allows the real story of the Third Reich to be told. Like all history, the prosecuting of war really depends on the ability to raise and sustain a war machine - this has been the case for most of history. By concentrating on this fundamental fact, the book clarifies the actions of the Third Reich and it's leaders. Essentially, Germany in 1920 had the choice of either accepting it wasn't a major power and becoming a satellite state of the US, living as an exporting economy, or going down the road of war and becoming a world power and exploiting Europe as a conquered empire. Many in Germany at the time refused to accept the former, and through Hitler they made there bid to change the course of history. The author is careful to point out that although this course was fundamentally unsound in view of Germany's real position, there was a lot of logic behind the Nazis world view. Germany was critically dependent on imports of food and materials, it owed huge amounts of money to the US, and had foreign troops on it's soil. Hitler offered what looked like a credible alternative to the man in the street.
The book carefully explains how the Nazis built their war economy, and why it was used at the time and the way it was. Whenever it looked like Germany was losing it's advantage through early mobilisation, war was the only alternative to slow strangulation by naval blockade and air warfare.
After the entry of the US into the war in 1941 by offering aid to the UK, the Nazi leadership knew it had to win the war by 1942. (This thinking made the invasion of the USSR inevitable to the Nazi leadership, who were all to aware of the potential of strategic bombing).
To the Nazi leadership, a showdown with the US/UK was always going to happen, and it was better to happen on their own 'best terms' - i.e. before the US and UK could build an air fleet to destroy German industry. If all potential threats on the continent could be eliminated first, the Luftwaffe could then be built up into a force to protect the air over Europe.
One interesting thing the book also points out is the importance of the UK's blockade of Europe. Basically, Europe is dependent for imports of everything - food, materials etc. With the UK's naval blockade the economy of France (and most of Europe) basically collapsed by the end of the war, with Germany relying on the plundering of conquered countries (and slave labour) to keep financing the war. The rules of war in Europe have not changed since Napoleons time. An effective blockade of the continent soon causes huge problems, forcing Germany or whoever to look at desperate measures (invading Russia) to 'break out' of the blockade and find alternative sources of food/materials.
The author also explains the timing of the holocaust, and the timing of this too has an economic basis - food. In 1941/2 Germany found itself with too many mouths to feed and blockaded. The Nazis decreed that Germans would be the last to starve (as they had in 1918).
Unbelieavably it decided to kill millions of people in Poland to free up food, and then to mass starve the population of the western USSR. There was a plan to starve to death 20 million people as the policy of the German armed forces. This was planned and coordinated at the highest levels of both civilian and military authorities. A terrible story.
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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Makes sense of what seemed senseless, 28 Aug 2008
Heavy going, especially to begin with when dealing with the inter-war period, although this is essential to understand why the war started when it did and not three years earlier or two years later.
Full of surprising insights, the sort of thing you would never normally think of, such as how shortage of railway wagons because of thousands being required to supply the Eastern Front disrupted the German industrial economy at home. I've never heard this mentioned before and yet, when you think of it, it's obvious.
The inescapable and ultimately insoluble problems caused by such things as shortage of labour, food (seemingly the most severe shortage and the one which forced the regime into apparently insane gambles ) and even imported cattle feed.
Or the fact that the French economy was heavily dependent on coal imported from Britain and therefore unable to make much of a contribution to the German war effort after the fall of France when this supply was cut off.
Makes sense of the Swedish supply of iron to Germany (they depended heavily on German coal - as did the Swiss).
It also makes it clear that area bombing was far more effective than recognized at the time or admitted since.
This book is good enough to make you realize just how poor most of the other 'histories' of this period are. It actually makes it obvious that many of the 'historians' are merely stating personal opinions or repeating received wisdom. Not really history at all, more like journalism.
Presumably the sheer scale of primary research needed to uncover the truth has put many writers off. Tooze certainly seems to have done the job properly.
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69 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The definitive masterpiece book on the Nazi Economy., 17 Jul 2006
Adam Tooze has written the definitive masterpiece book on the Nazi economy. Throughout he demonstrates the inter relationship between ideology,impending events, and how the Nazi economy functioned and reacted to those events. His thought provoking detail on Albert Speer casts new light on the man. His analysis of the Allied bombing campaign both of area bombing and strategic bombing shows how the western allies progressively pulverised Germany to the point of eventual defeat. A fantastic book, highly recommended.
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