When discussing the German war crimes of the Second World War, modern histories have focused on the Holocaust. While the Final Solution was a unique and unparalleled horror, German atrocities did not end there. The Nazis terrorized their own citizens, tortured and murdered POWs, and carried out countless executions throughout occupied Europe. Lord Russell of Liverpool was part of the legal team … team that brought Nazi war criminals to justice, and from this first-hand position, he published the sensational, bestselling The Scourge of the Swastika in 1954. Liverpool shows that the actions of the Third Reich, including the Holocaust, were illegal, not merely immoral.
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If we don’t learn from the past, it will repeat itself. Knowing the horrors of Hitler’s plans makes me wonder why and how nations can keep from realizing that crazy people continue to lead countries. Yet this hate is taught from childhood.
What twisted childhood’s these Nazi’s must have had to create these monster killing machines.
Not for the faint hearted. These actual accounts of Nazi atrocities will plague your mind with their callousness and complete insensitivity to human suffering. The past must be remember to avoid repeating it. This book will make sure you remember.
Reminds us of what happened and still is happening.
This book is a trip through the harrowing crimes of Nazi Germany. There was much I had never heard about, and a part of me wishes I never had.
Truly frightening!
An important part of the historical record with its own important place in the annals of postwar history, the facts presented are tough to read and accept as true yet shine a light on the nature, scope and sheer depravity of the Nazi regime. The narrative is certainly less than polished and I wish the author had worked with an experienced editor to present a more coherent, engaging work. Still, it should be read.
How people treat people during wartime. Very sad.
Most of the book is devoted to covering sanctioned atrocities outside of the ghettos and concentration camps, and to tacit culpability of ordinary citizens. Very revealing, but it is still hard to comprehend how a cultured and “civilized” society can turn so brutal, deadly, hateful and depraved. The book rarely delves into asking the question “why?” or offering an answer to that question. It mainly presents us with some of what was revealed during the Nuremberg trials.
The book is a difficult one to read because of the subject which is very disturbing. Why read a book about atrocities? Because if we close ourselves to the depths to which human beings can go, we risk with falling to those depths ourselves, or allowing ourselves to be victims. Perpetrator or victim are both unsavory. Should we read this book because the truth will set us free? At least it can show us the way.
Unbelievably dry, would have been better if written in german – and I do not read german. I quit after a few chapters.
Written close to the end of WW2 and describing the dangers of the police state and its total captivity of the will of a nation.
There are a lot of books out there on the activities of the Nazis before and during WWII. It was very interesting to read one that was written shortly after the Nuremberg trials. Some of the points could be relevant for today. A real example of man’s inhumanity to man.
An account of Nazi atrocities written by a British prosecutor present during the war crimes trials following the demise of Germany. The material used is a compilation of the testimonies of many victims and is thus eye witness evidence. The widespread and consistent application if racial totalitarian policy adds to the comprehension of the effectiveness of the regime and its citizens in embracing ruthless indifference to human suffering. Non Aryans were less valuable than the fossil fuels needed to power the military. This is nothing new unfortunately, as the horse peoples of the steppes demonstrated repeatedly as they swept over Europe and as we learned was common to Soviet style, Maoist and Pol Pot Communism. The question of course remains, will the horrors of the twentieth century remain in the past, or will humanity have to endure future eruptions of similar evils?
Horrible Nazis.
Even if you think you know this history, you must read this book.
A book all citizens should be compelled to read. It is horrifying to think that it could happen and maybe happen again1
Still hard to believe all the terrible things the Nazis did to people.
An informative compilation of the Nazi atrocities from 1931-1946.
The description said there was a different take on WWII history. It was readable, but I didn’t find anything new. More pedantic than I expected.
grim true story
A book about the Nazi treatment of the Jews.