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iceberg0's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting look at the social, economic, political and military structures that kept Germany fighting until the bitter end of World War II.
brokenlikefour's review against another edition
5.0
I believe I have nearly all Kershaw's at my disposal, but this may be his finest work to me.
sharki1998's review against another edition
3.0
If you're interested in the subject matter, why the Germans kept fighting long after the war was unwinnable, then give this one a try. If not, I can't recommend it because Kershaw isn't a very gifted writer. He's prone to run-on sentences and repeating his point.
rooafza's review against another edition
4.0
Gotterdammerung 1945 . A litany of horrors unto the end. Ian Kershaw attempts to understand the reasons for the continued German resistance after the monumental defeats on the Eastern Front after which defeat was inevitable. There are none except the death drive.
Instead of suing for peace and loosening their grip, the nihilistic sadists of the Nazi High Command and their collaborators descended into an orgy of murder against their enemies and force their own population into a suicide pact. The worst part, from reading the footnotes, is the realization that the vast majority of the perpetrators survived the post-war tribunals and ended their lives in peace as accountants, bankers and so on.
Instead of suing for peace and loosening their grip, the nihilistic sadists of the Nazi High Command and their collaborators descended into an orgy of murder against their enemies and force their own population into a suicide pact. The worst part, from reading the footnotes, is the realization that the vast majority of the perpetrators survived the post-war tribunals and ended their lives in peace as accountants, bankers and so on.
gagnedouze's review
4.0
Excellent. Very in depth account of the last 12 months within the Third Reich. You won't find it primarily about the military and conflict side of the war (although it is impossible avoid) but rather the fundamental workings and questions raised as to why Germany carried on despite everyone knowing deep down the outcome.
A bit repetitive at times but overall it was a very educational and informative read.
A bit repetitive at times but overall it was a very educational and informative read.
hauteclere's review against another edition
5.0
Like all of Kershaw's books, this one is well written and thoroughly researched. Here he reveals and cogently synthesizes the reasons why Nazi Germany was unable to choose a different paths in the last months of the war, causing untold suffering on countless people. This resolves, for me, one of the big puzzles of the war - why Germany, when it had clearly lost, did not act more rationally. There are many factors in play, according to Kershaw, but in essence the regime that Hitler and his coterie constructed and the police state that kept it upright, was incapable of course correction. Much like the Führer himself, no deviation was possible. Tragic beyond comprehension.
kackjennedy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
relaxing
medium-paced
4.25
anti_formalist12's review against another edition
5.0
The utter refusal of the Nazis to surrender in the face of an unstoppable Soviet juggernaut is not hard to explain. They were staunch anti-bolsheviks and knew that the various war crimes they perpetrated would only earn them a hangman's noose. But why did normal people keep fighting? Why didn't the army collapse? Why did generals hold out until what seemed like the bitter end? And why did civilians blithely wait for the end to come, offering no resistance to the regime that threatened to destroy their country? This last point seems especially true, considering revolution and political upheaval had been so important in bringing about the end of WW1.
Kershaw lays out in his typical scintillating prose why the vast majority of Germans waited quietly waited for the end. They were terrified of the Nazi government, and with good reason. And any potential leaders who could lead a movement against the Nazis had either been ousted during the 30s, or had played a substantial role in the crimes perpetrated by the regime, and therefore their bridges were burned. The people who could end the war, therefore had no reason to do so, and the people who needed the war to end had little way to bring that about.
Kershaw lays out in his typical scintillating prose why the vast majority of Germans waited quietly waited for the end. They were terrified of the Nazi government, and with good reason. And any potential leaders who could lead a movement against the Nazis had either been ousted during the 30s, or had played a substantial role in the crimes perpetrated by the regime, and therefore their bridges were burned. The people who could end the war, therefore had no reason to do so, and the people who needed the war to end had little way to bring that about.