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A review by dee9401
Those Who Forget: My Family's Story in Nazi Europe – A Memoir, A History, A Warning by Géraldine Schwarz
4.0
A powerful read with many examples of how many people knew what was going on but still turned a blind eye. Some were scared, others profited, and some rejoiced and then prayed they'd never be found out for their actions. And by people, I mean not just Germans, but French, Italian, American and British actors. Britain and the US looked the other way in order to profit off the technical expertise of Nazi scientists. The French pretended that they were all in the Resistance and then even forgave and glorified some of the top-level collaborators, including Marshall Pétain. Fascists in Italy were pardoned in bulk and integrated back into society with nary a trial or investigation.
As I read it, it was truly frightening to see the similarities (though certainly without the magnitude of deaths) of the rise of Nazism and the rise of Trump and the far right in the United States. The author cites that as one reason she wanted to write this book.
The book has many great quotes, but I selected three for this review. One was on the German Evangelical Church, but one could shift the time frame and easily see this as some of the evangelical churches across the US that have embraced racism and hatred and thrown their support blindly behind Trump. "After all, the German Evangelical Church, which was a strong guiding force for Oma’s conscience, had given the Führer its blessing, hoping that the hated democracy would be followed by a Christian-authoritarian regime. On holidays, some churches unabashedly flew the Nazi flag from their steeples, letting its blood-red fabric flutter around the Christian cross." (~ 34% into book)
Later, talking about how political leaders, including Hitler and Mussolini (and one can certainly see Trump in this mix), Schwarz looks at the impact the French thinker Gustave Le Bon had on these leaders. "To manipulate a crowd, Le Bon emphasized that a leader must use terms that bring up strong, impressive images, flatter the passions and desires of his audience, satisfy the taste crowds have for what is legendary, confuse the line between the unbelievable and the real, and above all, renounce all reasoning. In this way, he will obtain deference, self-sacrifice, and a sense of duty, to the point that the crowd will renounce deeply anchored human values." (~ 81% into book)
Near the end of this memoir, Schwarz quotes Hannah Arendt for insight on spreading lies and conspiracy theories today: "If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer… And a people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people you can then do what you please.” (~ 95% into book)
As I read it, it was truly frightening to see the similarities (though certainly without the magnitude of deaths) of the rise of Nazism and the rise of Trump and the far right in the United States. The author cites that as one reason she wanted to write this book.
The book has many great quotes, but I selected three for this review. One was on the German Evangelical Church, but one could shift the time frame and easily see this as some of the evangelical churches across the US that have embraced racism and hatred and thrown their support blindly behind Trump. "After all, the German Evangelical Church, which was a strong guiding force for Oma’s conscience, had given the Führer its blessing, hoping that the hated democracy would be followed by a Christian-authoritarian regime. On holidays, some churches unabashedly flew the Nazi flag from their steeples, letting its blood-red fabric flutter around the Christian cross." (~ 34% into book)
Later, talking about how political leaders, including Hitler and Mussolini (and one can certainly see Trump in this mix), Schwarz looks at the impact the French thinker Gustave Le Bon had on these leaders. "To manipulate a crowd, Le Bon emphasized that a leader must use terms that bring up strong, impressive images, flatter the passions and desires of his audience, satisfy the taste crowds have for what is legendary, confuse the line between the unbelievable and the real, and above all, renounce all reasoning. In this way, he will obtain deference, self-sacrifice, and a sense of duty, to the point that the crowd will renounce deeply anchored human values." (~ 81% into book)
Near the end of this memoir, Schwarz quotes Hannah Arendt for insight on spreading lies and conspiracy theories today: "If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer… And a people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind. It is deprived not only of its capacity to act but also of its capacity to think and to judge. And with such a people you can then do what you please.” (~ 95% into book)