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A review by mrincredible
They Thought They Were Free: The Germans 1933-45 by Milton Mayer
4.0
I've read a ton about the World Wars, but mostly from the side of the victors. I've been looking for perspectives about how the war was perceived by the Germans, especially for the. Full-scale war is an effort undertaken by all, and I was curious on how the common citizen either rationalized or ignored the atrocities and violence - especially a "Christian" nation.
This book, while written awhile ago, was a stark reminder for me the hidden dangers of conformity and the peril of minding your own business. In many ways, the lessons of Nazism and the aftermath of the war isn't the distant past of some genocidal maniac, but a human problem that we'd be foolish to ignore.
One of my favourite quotes, about the rise of fascism:
“How is this to be avoided, among ordinary men, even highly educated ordinary men? Frankly, I do not know. I do not see, even now. Many, many times since it all happened I have pondered that pair of great maxims, *Principiis obsta* and *Finem respice*—'Resist the beginnings' and 'Consider the end.' But one must foresee the end in order to resist, or even see, the beginnings. One must foresee the end clearly and certainly and how is this to be done, by ordinary men or even by extraordinary men?”
This book, while written awhile ago, was a stark reminder for me the hidden dangers of conformity and the peril of minding your own business. In many ways, the lessons of Nazism and the aftermath of the war isn't the distant past of some genocidal maniac, but a human problem that we'd be foolish to ignore.
One of my favourite quotes, about the rise of fascism:
“How is this to be avoided, among ordinary men, even highly educated ordinary men? Frankly, I do not know. I do not see, even now. Many, many times since it all happened I have pondered that pair of great maxims, *Principiis obsta* and *Finem respice*—'Resist the beginnings' and 'Consider the end.' But one must foresee the end in order to resist, or even see, the beginnings. One must foresee the end clearly and certainly and how is this to be done, by ordinary men or even by extraordinary men?”