Physician heal thyself, 30 Apr 2007
This is a very carefully researched book which deserves to be read. It not only covers the involvement by doctors in medical killing but also investigates their psychology. For those interested in medical ethics I'm sure it would be worth reading.

The first half of this book charts the historical progression from direct medical killing of those deemed to be 'life unworthy of life' (often mental patients) through to the most complete expression found in Auschwitz. We see how the medical ideal can be twisted by subverting it to the 'higher' ideal of caring for the health of the social organism by surgically removing the 'ailing' parts.

We are presented with the complex factors involved in this process. The religious, visionary component of the 'world blessing' which the Nazi's have to offer and the purported modelling of the SS on the Jesuits. The scientific component with the interest in eugenics and the 'research' which is carried out. Rudolf Hess declared that National Socialism is 'nothing but applied biology.' And the sense in which some of it is just part of the zeitgeist. The author suggests that there was a fear in Germany that they could fall behind work which was being done in the USA on eugenics. In addition there is the sense of humiliation and disintegration which remains from the First World War. There was a widely accepted right-wing theory that Germany hadn't been militarily defeated but had been undermined by strikes in munitions factories which had been orchestrated by Communists and Jews.

From here, the author offers brief biographies and psychological profiles of Ernst B., Josef Mengele and Eduard Wirths before turning his attention to the psychology of genocide.

There is also an examination of how the development of 'professionalism' results in detachment and objectivity - a psychological 'doubling' which the author has shown to be present in each of his case studies. He suggests that this splitting of the psyche is an important factor in leading towards genocide. Not just doctors but any profession would be advised to reflect on the author's message here and to examine to what extent their professionalism compromises their integrity as a human being.

As you may anticipate, there are moments when this book proves upsetting. It is not an easy read. However, I never felt that the unpleasant incidents were recounted in a gratuitous way. It reminded me of Henry Charles Lea's 'A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages.' You may wish to try to get hold of Lea's book (3 volumes) to compare and contrast.

If you wish to learn about the holocaust, this is the book., 18 May 2000
This book was the best that I have read. It was a required reading and I went into it with a bad attitude. But, as soon as I began to read it I realized that this was a really good book. I recommend it too anyone that wishes to know what Hitler and his men were thinking. It provides an excellent discription and analysis of what the Nazi Doctors were thinking and the emotional stress that they were going through. It is definatly not for the weak.

An Extraordinary Work, 31 Dec 1998
Robert Jay Lifton has written an exceptional work, thoroughly and painstakingly researched, and above all, he presents an analysis of the psychopathology of the Nazi doctors that is so well-thought out and well-presented that I recommend this book above all others for my students of criminal profiling. His discourse on the nature of evil and its place and use in society is unmatched in any book I have read to date. Pat Brown, Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange of Washington DC and Vicinity

A disturbing account of Nazi Germany, 02 Nov 1998
I have not picked up "Nazi Doctors" in years, but just seeing it on my book shelf awakens the images that the book produces. It was so disturbing and descriptive that I was unable to finish it. The book was handed down by my father, a medical doctor, whom couldn't finish it either. It's excellently written, but not for the weak.

A detailed account, 29 Oct 1998
If you only read one book about doctors under Hitler then this is the one. Lifton not only focuses on the leading medical figures in the Third Reich, but also includes eyewitness testimony and disturbing accounts from victims. He offers numerous theories on how medical professionals turned into dispassionate killers in the name of "scientific research." A must read for anyone interested in behavioral pathology.

Physician heal thyself, 30 Apr 2007
This is a very carefully researched book which deserves to be read. It not only covers the involvement by doctors in medical killing but also investigates their psychology. For those interested in medical ethics I'm sure it would be worth reading.

The first half of this book charts the historical progression from direct medical killing of those deemed to be 'life unworthy of life' (often mental patients) through to the most complete expression found in Auschwitz. We see how the medical ideal can be twisted by subverting it to the 'higher' ideal of caring for the health of the social organism by surgically removing the 'ailing' parts.

We are presented with the complex factors involved in this process. The religious, visionary component of the 'world blessing' which the Nazi's have to offer and the purported modelling of the SS on the Jesuits. The scientific component with the interest in eugenics and the 'research' which is carried out. Rudolf Hess declared that National Socialism is 'nothing but applied biology.' And the sense in which some of it is just part of the zeitgeist. The author suggests that there was a fear in Germany that they could fall behind work which was being done in the USA on eugenics. In addition there is the sense of humiliation and disintegration which remains from the First World War. There was a widely accepted right-wing theory that Germany hadn't been militarily defeated but had been undermined by strikes in munitions factories which had been orchestrated by Communists and Jews.

From here, the author offers brief biographies and psychological profiles of Ernst B., Josef Mengele and Eduard Wirths before turning his attention to the psychology of genocide.

There is also an examination of how the development of 'professionalism' results in detachment and objectivity - a psychological 'doubling' which the author has shown to be present in each of his case studies. He suggests that this splitting of the psyche is an important factor in leading towards genocide. Not just doctors but any profession would be advised to reflect on the author's message here and to examine to what extent their professionalism compromises their integrity as a human being.

As you may anticipate, there are moments when this book proves upsetting. It is not an easy read. However, I never felt that the unpleasant incidents were recounted in a gratuitous way. It reminded me of Henry Charles Lea's 'A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages.' You may wish to try to get hold of Lea's book (3 volumes) to compare and contrast.

If you wish to learn about the holocaust, this is the book., 18 May 2000
This book was the best that I have read. It was a required reading and I went into it with a bad attitude. But, as soon as I began to read it I realized that this was a really good book. I recommend it too anyone that wishes to know what Hitler and his men were thinking. It provides an excellent discription and analysis of what the Nazi Doctors were thinking and the emotional stress that they were going through. It is definatly not for the weak.

An Extraordinary Work, 31 Dec 1998
Robert Jay Lifton has written an exceptional work, thoroughly and painstakingly researched, and above all, he presents an analysis of the psychopathology of the Nazi doctors that is so well-thought out and well-presented that I recommend this book above all others for my students of criminal profiling. His discourse on the nature of evil and its place and use in society is unmatched in any book I have read to date. Pat Brown, Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange of Washington DC and Vicinity

A disturbing account of Nazi Germany, 02 Nov 1998
I have not picked up "Nazi Doctors" in years, but just seeing it on my book shelf awakens the images that the book produces. It was so disturbing and descriptive that I was unable to finish it. The book was handed down by my father, a medical doctor, whom couldn't finish it either. It's excellently written, but not for the weak.

A detailed account, 29 Oct 1998
If you only read one book about doctors under Hitler then this is the one. Lifton not only focuses on the leading medical figures in the Third Reich, but also includes eyewitness testimony and disturbing accounts from victims. He offers numerous theories on how medical professionals turned into dispassionate killers in the name of "scientific research." A must read for anyone interested in behavioral pathology.

Valuable and readable., 21 Aug 2002
Subtitled "Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times" this book is not a narrative political history of Stalin. Rather it offers a more complex viewpoint, convincingly offering a portrait of urban dwellers (Fitzpatrick has separately written on "Stalin's Peasants")and a broader power structure. In so doing it manages to question our modern imposed perceptions of "the state" and conventional hierarchies. Both interesting and informative, this book deserves to be read as it provides valuable insight into the reality of the bizarre world of life in 1930's soviet russia.

Interesting stuff, but not a light summer read., 28 Jun 1999
If you want to learn about Joseph Stalin, try something else. Surprisingly, Stalin is reduced to a bit player in this book; the real players here are the bureaucrats staking out their territory and enforcing their small visions of the ideal Soviet society, and ordinary citizens denouncing other citizens for the smallest of gains. Changes resulting from the occasional fiat from on high - although almost never from Stalin himself, who protected his cult of personality by speaking only in the most general of terms - are examined, but the real meat is the lasting damage done by peers and government lackies.

Physician heal thyself, 30 Apr 2007
This is a very carefully researched book which deserves to be read. It not only covers the involvement by doctors in medical killing but also investigates their psychology. For those interested in medical ethics I'm sure it would be worth reading.

The first half of this book charts the historical progression from direct medical killing of those deemed to be 'life unworthy of life' (often mental patients) through to the most complete expression found in Auschwitz. We see how the medical ideal can be twisted by subverting it to the 'higher' ideal of caring for the health of the social organism by surgically removing the 'ailing' parts.

We are presented with the complex factors involved in this process. The religious, visionary component of the 'world blessing' which the Nazi's have to offer and the purported modelling of the SS on the Jesuits. The scientific component with the interest in eugenics and the 'research' which is carried out. Rudolf Hess declared that National Socialism is 'nothing but applied biology.' And the sense in which some of it is just part of the zeitgeist. The author suggests that there was a fear in Germany that they could fall behind work which was being done in the USA on eugenics. In addition there is the sense of humiliation and disintegration which remains from the First World War. There was a widely accepted right-wing theory that Germany hadn't been militarily defeated but had been undermined by strikes in munitions factories which had been orchestrated by Communists and Jews.

From here, the author offers brief biographies and psychological profiles of Ernst B., Josef Mengele and Eduard Wirths before turning his attention to the psychology of genocide.

There is also an examination of how the development of 'professionalism' results in detachment and objectivity - a psychological 'doubling' which the author has shown to be present in each of his case studies. He suggests that this splitting of the psyche is an important factor in leading towards genocide. Not just doctors but any profession would be advised to reflect on the author's message here and to examine to what extent their professionalism compromises their integrity as a human being.

As you may anticipate, there are moments when this book proves upsetting. It is not an easy read. However, I never felt that the unpleasant incidents were recounted in a gratuitous way. It reminded me of Henry Charles Lea's 'A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages.' You may wish to try to get hold of Lea's book (3 volumes) to compare and contrast.

If you wish to learn about the holocaust, this is the book., 18 May 2000
This book was the best that I have read. It was a required reading and I went into it with a bad attitude. But, as soon as I began to read it I realized that this was a really good book. I recommend it too anyone that wishes to know what Hitler and his men were thinking. It provides an excellent discription and analysis of what the Nazi Doctors were thinking and the emotional stress that they were going through. It is definatly not for the weak.

An Extraordinary Work, 31 Dec 1998
Robert Jay Lifton has written an exceptional work, thoroughly and painstakingly researched, and above all, he presents an analysis of the psychopathology of the Nazi doctors that is so well-thought out and well-presented that I recommend this book above all others for my students of criminal profiling. His discourse on the nature of evil and its place and use in society is unmatched in any book I have read to date. Pat Brown, Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange of Washington DC and Vicinity

A disturbing account of Nazi Germany, 02 Nov 1998
I have not picked up "Nazi Doctors" in years, but just seeing it on my book shelf awakens the images that the book produces. It was so disturbing and descriptive that I was unable to finish it. The book was handed down by my father, a medical doctor, whom couldn't finish it either. It's excellently written, but not for the weak.

A detailed account, 29 Oct 1998
If you only read one book about doctors under Hitler then this is the one. Lifton not only focuses on the leading medical figures in the Third Reich, but also includes eyewitness testimony and disturbing accounts from victims. He offers numerous theories on how medical professionals turned into dispassionate killers in the name of "scientific research." A must read for anyone interested in behavioral pathology.

Valuable and readable., 21 Aug 2002
Subtitled "Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times" this book is not a narrative political history of Stalin. Rather it offers a more complex viewpoint, convincingly offering a portrait of urban dwellers (Fitzpatrick has separately written on "Stalin's Peasants")and a broader power structure. In so doing it manages to question our modern imposed perceptions of "the state" and conventional hierarchies. Both interesting and informative, this book deserves to be read as it provides valuable insight into the reality of the bizarre world of life in 1930's soviet russia.

Interesting stuff, but not a light summer read., 28 Jun 1999
If you want to learn about Joseph Stalin, try something else. Surprisingly, Stalin is reduced to a bit player in this book; the real players here are the bureaucrats staking out their territory and enforcing their small visions of the ideal Soviet society, and ordinary citizens denouncing other citizens for the smallest of gains. Changes resulting from the occasional fiat from on high - although almost never from Stalin himself, who protected his cult of personality by speaking only in the most general of terms - are examined, but the real meat is the lasting damage done by peers and government lackies.

the nazis in their own words and contemporary documents, etc, 01 Feb 2002
This is the first volume in an exemplary series of books by Noakes and Pridham that should satisfy the needs of almost anyone interested in the realities of the Third Reich.

The book is made up of translations of original documents, from newspaper reports to song lyrics, speeches to internal party memos. As such, it is a rich source of evidence of the brutality and self-mythologising stupidity of the Nazis, not to mention their warped understanding of race and culture. Reading this, one is amazed that the Germans could fall for such a bunch of thick-necked, thick-headed bullies. This amazement is dispelled by the writers' commentary, which is a course in Imperial German and Weimar history in itself.

This book and the others in the series are also excellent teaching tools for lessons on the nature of history and the interpretation of historical sources.

A very useful series for readers whose interest in the period has been whetted by Ian Kershaw's Hitler biographies and Michael Burleigh's history of the Third Reich.

What the NSDAP really thought and did, 12 Oct 2000
With a perfect selection and analysis of doccuments, Dr Noakes has shown exactly how the NSDAP controlled its march to power. Not only is this a marvelous selection of primary resources for any student of the period, but the analysis is sharp and incisive, aiding the reader in his or her interpretation of the material. From the early post war years of its inception, through the Munich Putsch and the 1920's, we can see the struggling NSDAP learning how to be a political force. The growth of the SA, challenges to Hitler, and the constant threads of militarism, nationalism and anti-semitism can be seen throughout the sources, culminating in the assumtion to power by Hitler as the Fuhrer of the German nation. This volume is a worthy starting point of a great series. It is necessary to understand what happened before the NSDAP came to power, in order to comprehend how and why they did what we now consider some of the greatest crimes in history. Noakes and Pridham have greatly aided our understanding of a contradictory and sometimes nonsensical movement

Physician heal thyself, 30 Apr 2007
This is a very carefully researched book which deserves to be read. It not only covers the involvement by doctors in medical killing but also investigates their psychology. For those interested in medical ethics I'm sure it would be worth reading.

The first half of this book charts the historical progression from direct medical killing of those deemed to be 'life unworthy of life' (often mental patients) through to the most complete expression found in Auschwitz. We see how the medical ideal can be twisted by subverting it to the 'higher' ideal of caring for the health of the social organism by surgically removing the 'ailing' parts.

We are presented with the complex factors involved in this process. The religious, visionary component of the 'world blessing' which the Nazi's have to offer and the purported modelling of the SS on the Jesuits. The scientific component with the interest in eugenics and the 'research' which is carried out. Rudolf Hess declared that National Socialism is 'nothing but applied biology.' And the sense in which some of it is just part of the zeitgeist. The author suggests that there was a fear in Germany that they could fall behind work which was being done in the USA on eugenics. In addition there is the sense of humiliation and disintegration which remains from the First World War. There was a widely accepted right-wing theory that Germany hadn't been militarily defeated but had been undermined by strikes in munitions factories which had been orchestrated by Communists and Jews.

From here, the author offers brief biographies and psychological profiles of Ernst B., Josef Mengele and Eduard Wirths before turning his attention to the psychology of genocide.

There is also an examination of how the development of 'professionalism' results in detachment and objectivity - a psychological 'doubling' which the author has shown to be present in each of his case studies. He suggests that this splitting of the psyche is an important factor in leading towards genocide. Not just doctors but any profession would be advised to reflect on the author's message here and to examine to what extent their professionalism compromises their integrity as a human being.

As you may anticipate, there are moments when this book proves upsetting. It is not an easy read. However, I never felt that the unpleasant incidents were recounted in a gratuitous way. It reminded me of Henry Charles Lea's 'A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages.' You may wish to try to get hold of Lea's book (3 volumes) to compare and contrast.

If you wish to learn about the holocaust, this is the book., 18 May 2000
This book was the best that I have read. It was a required reading and I went into it with a bad attitude. But, as soon as I began to read it I realized that this was a really good book. I recommend it too anyone that wishes to know what Hitler and his men were thinking. It provides an excellent discription and analysis of what the Nazi Doctors were thinking and the emotional stress that they were going through. It is definatly not for the weak.

An Extraordinary Work, 31 Dec 1998
Robert Jay Lifton has written an exceptional work, thoroughly and painstakingly researched, and above all, he presents an analysis of the psychopathology of the Nazi doctors that is so well-thought out and well-presented that I recommend this book above all others for my students of criminal profiling. His discourse on the nature of evil and its place and use in society is unmatched in any book I have read to date. Pat Brown, Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange of Washington DC and Vicinity

A disturbing account of Nazi Germany, 02 Nov 1998
I have not picked up "Nazi Doctors" in years, but just seeing it on my book shelf awakens the images that the book produces. It was so disturbing and descriptive that I was unable to finish it. The book was handed down by my father, a medical doctor, whom couldn't finish it either. It's excellently written, but not for the weak.

A detailed account, 29 Oct 1998
If you only read one book about doctors under Hitler then this is the one. Lifton not only focuses on the leading medical figures in the Third Reich, but also includes eyewitness testimony and disturbing accounts from victims. He offers numerous theories on how medical professionals turned into dispassionate killers in the name of "scientific research." A must read for anyone interested in behavioral pathology.

Valuable and readable., 21 Aug 2002
Subtitled "Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times" this book is not a narrative political history of Stalin. Rather it offers a more complex viewpoint, convincingly offering a portrait of urban dwellers (Fitzpatrick has separately written on "Stalin's Peasants")and a broader power structure. In so doing it manages to question our modern imposed perceptions of "the state" and conventional hierarchies. Both interesting and informative, this book deserves to be read as it provides valuable insight into the reality of the bizarre world of life in 1930's soviet russia.

Interesting stuff, but not a light summer read., 28 Jun 1999
If you want to learn about Joseph Stalin, try something else. Surprisingly, Stalin is reduced to a bit player in this book; the real players here are the bureaucrats staking out their territory and enforcing their small visions of the ideal Soviet society, and ordinary citizens denouncing other citizens for the smallest of gains. Changes resulting from the occasional fiat from on high - although almost never from Stalin himself, who protected his cult of personality by speaking only in the most general of terms - are examined, but the real meat is the lasting damage done by peers and government lackies.

the nazis in their own words and contemporary documents, etc, 01 Feb 2002
This is the first volume in an exemplary series of books by Noakes and Pridham that should satisfy the needs of almost anyone interested in the realities of the Third Reich.

The book is made up of translations of original documents, from newspaper reports to song lyrics, speeches to internal party memos. As such, it is a rich source of evidence of the brutality and self-mythologising stupidity of the Nazis, not to mention their warped understanding of race and culture. Reading this, one is amazed that the Germans could fall for such a bunch of thick-necked, thick-headed bullies. This amazement is dispelled by the writers' commentary, which is a course in Imperial German and Weimar history in itself.

This book and the others in the series are also excellent teaching tools for lessons on the nature of history and the interpretation of historical sources.

A very useful series for readers whose interest in the period has been whetted by Ian Kershaw's Hitler biographies and Michael Burleigh's history of the Third Reich.

What the NSDAP really thought and did, 12 Oct 2000
With a perfect selection and analysis of doccuments, Dr Noakes has shown exactly how the NSDAP controlled its march to power. Not only is this a marvelous selection of primary resources for any student of the period, but the analysis is sharp and incisive, aiding the reader in his or her interpretation of the material. From the early post war years of its inception, through the Munich Putsch and the 1920's, we can see the struggling NSDAP learning how to be a political force. The growth of the SA, challenges to Hitler, and the constant threads of militarism, nationalism and anti-semitism can be seen throughout the sources, culminating in the assumtion to power by Hitler as the Fuhrer of the German nation. This volume is a worthy starting point of a great series. It is necessary to understand what happened before the NSDAP came to power, in order to comprehend how and why they did what we now consider some of the greatest crimes in history. Noakes and Pridham have greatly aided our understanding of a contradictory and sometimes nonsensical movement

Fascinating and thought provoking, 03 Aug 2004
Brian Bond's short (just 128 pages including notes and index) book is based on his views articulated at the 1997 Liddell Hart lecture and further developed for the Lees Knowles lecture at Trinity Collage Cambridge in 2000. I mention this because it's clear that the need to distill his thoughts down to a very focused discussion has allowed Mr.Bond to present a very powerful and cogent argument against the "Futility" school of Great War scholarship.

However, Mr. Bond's major target is the "literary myth" of the Great War - summarised by the "Blackadder Goes Forth" view of events. Here he scores a bullseye as his arguments are both compelling and highly entertaining. His command of his subject matter and his easy to read style captured my attention immediately and kept it until the very end.

Highly recommended.

Professional, sincere, but...?, 03 Oct 2003
An excellent professional work, and an always-useful antidote to the all-too-often emotional response to the Great War. Bond doesn't sneer at the emotionalism of others, but he does take to task those who all too often base their scholarship on such emotive sources yet who would call themselves professional historians.

Bond's target is not the trench poets and other contemporary writers but today's historians. He rightly points out that history, as we understand it--as the historian makes it--is not the stuff of individual experience . This view does not invalidate the suffering of an individual soldier, but it would invalidate any history of the war that limited its subject-matter to the collective suffering of all the soldiers--even if the war for all soldiers had been all suffering, which Bond denies. History must take in the larger picture, which encompasses the larger world beyond the trenches.

This is great stuff. And the book is a brilliant read and a good fund of information (though more of value for its argumentation than for any new information the reader may get out of it). Without being callous (though no doubt some will look for callousness and find it) Bond firmly takes our focus away from the "traditional" treatment of the war and forces us to look at it from a more professional perspective.

Unfortunately he skirts too close to polemicism for comfort. By refuting the traditional view he is all but forced to identify with those we might call, with respect, the "reactionaries"--John Terraine, for instance--whose contention all along is that Britain did a fine job, with all that follows from this thesis, notably, that Haig was a great man or at least a damn good one. And Bond does indeed offer evidence that no one could have done more: that there was a technological gap that only was closed in the Second War and that it was this technological gap--primarily in battlefield communications--that led inevitably to the horror for the soldier that the Great War often was.

Fine. But Bond's stance leads him to weaken his own thesis by rubbishing those who would oppose him. Many of these might deserve to be treated as less than professional historians, but none deserve to be treated with contempt, and a one-line dismissal of Denis Winter simply will not do. In HAIG'S COMMAND Winter raises serious questions (even if that book also raises certain questions about its own thesis). The fact that Winter would disagree with Bond ought to draw out the most professional, not the most dismissive, in Bond's treatment of Winter's disturbing book.

Making way for a new generation, 09 Aug 2002
If you think that the First World War was all mud, blood and poetry, you need to read Brian Bond's latest book 'The Unquiet Western Front'. It is a must for anyone with an interest in the most persistent myths that have contributed to Britain's 'modern memory' of the Great War. Refreshingly short and to the point, Professor Bond has started to peel away the layers that surround Britain’s 'Forgotten Victory'. In doing so, he is paving the way towards a more objective approach that is being developed by a new generation of historians who are now rising through the ranks of British universities.

If you know your History, you may say that the series of battles known as the Great War finished on 11th November 1918. In fact, the fighting over the perception of the war is as old as the conflict itself. Numerous poets, novelists, memoirists, historians, playwrights and scriptwriters, together with film and television directors have sought to portray the war as a futile massacre, where stupid chateau generals led millions of brave Tommy Atkins to certain death in the muddy trenches of the Western Front. The 'Lions Led by Donkeys' approach, beloved of certain 'historical' writers, has resulted in the cult of the ‘million dead’ eclipsing the real reasons why Britain went to war in 1914. Not only that, the futility angle does a great disservice to the five million volunteers and conscirpts of the British Expeditionary Force who grew in strength and expertise to defeat the Germans in 1918. For those who remember Geoffrey Palmer’s Field Marshal Haig sweeping up toy soldiers with his dustpan and brush in the 1989 BBC comedy 'Blackadder' or of battle casualty figures on cricket scoreboards on Brighton Pier in the 1960s film 'Oh! What a Lovely War', Brian Bond will remove the scales from your eyes.

The book is a succinct and comprehensive introduction to this area, deconstructing the development of selected Great War myths in just 101 pages. Professor Bond has successfully attempted to return the war to its rightful historical context, by getting to the root of the most persistent war myths that have been perpetuated by literature, visual art, film and television from the inter-war period via the 1960s and 1990s. In my opinion, it is the most fascinating study of this subject area since Samuel Hynes published 'A War Imagined' in 1991, Bond's work being more accessible to those outside academia, to be easily digested by those reading for general interest. It is certainly a book that will prove required reading for any discerning student of the cultural effects of the Great War on modern British society.

Physician heal thyself, 30 Apr 2007
This is a very carefully researched book which deserves to be read. It not only covers the involvement by doctors in medical killing but also investigates their psychology. For those interested in medical ethics I'm sure it would be worth reading.

The first half of this book charts the historical progression from direct medical killing of those deemed to be 'life unworthy of life' (often mental patients) through to the most complete expression found in Auschwitz. We see how the medical ideal can be twisted by subverting it to the 'higher' ideal of caring for the health of the social organism by surgically removing the 'ailing' parts.

We are presented with the complex factors involved in this process. The religious, visionary component of the 'world blessing' which the Nazi's have to offer and the purported modelling of the SS on the Jesuits. The scientific component with the interest in eugenics and the 'research' which is carried out. Rudolf Hess declared that National Socialism is 'nothing but applied biology.' And the sense in which some of it is just part of the zeitgeist. The author suggests that there was a fear in Germany that they could fall behind work which was being done in the USA on eugenics. In addition there is the sense of humiliation and disintegration which remains from the First World War. There was a widely accepted right-wing theory that Germany hadn't been militarily defeated but had been undermined by strikes in munitions factories which had been orchestrated by Communists and Jews.

From here, the author offers brief biographies and psychological profiles of Ernst B., Josef Mengele and Eduard Wirths before turning his attention to the psychology of genocide.

There is also an examination of how the development of 'professionalism' results in detachment and objectivity - a psychological 'doubling' which the author has shown to be present in each of his case studies. He suggests that this splitting of the psyche is an important factor in leading towards genocide. Not just doctors but any profession would be advised to reflect on the author's message here and to examine to what extent their professionalism compromises their integrity as a human being.

As you may anticipate, there are moments when this book proves upsetting. It is not an easy read. However, I never felt that the unpleasant incidents were recounted in a gratuitous way. It reminded me of Henry Charles Lea's 'A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages.' You may wish to try to get hold of Lea's book (3 volumes) to compare and contrast.

If you wish to learn about the holocaust, this is the book., 18 May 2000
This book was the best that I have read. It was a required reading and I went into it with a bad attitude. But, as soon as I began to read it I realized that this was a really good book. I recommend it too anyone that wishes to know what Hitler and his men were thinking. It provides an excellent discription and analysis of what the Nazi Doctors were thinking and the emotional stress that they were going through. It is definatly not for the weak.

An Extraordinary Work, 31 Dec 1998
Robert Jay Lifton has written an exceptional work, thoroughly and painstakingly researched, and above all, he presents an analysis of the psychopathology of the Nazi doctors that is so well-thought out and well-presented that I recommend this book above all others for my students of criminal profiling. His discourse on the nature of evil and its place and use in society is unmatched in any book I have read to date. Pat Brown, Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange of Washington DC and Vicinity

A disturbing account of Nazi Germany, 02 Nov 1998
I have not picked up "Nazi Doctors" in years, but just seeing it on my book shelf awakens the images that the book produces. It was so disturbing and descriptive that I was unable to finish it. The book was handed down by my father, a medical doctor, whom couldn't finish it either. It's excellently written, but not for the weak.

A detailed account, 29 Oct 1998
If you only read one book about doctors under Hitler then this is the one. Lifton not only focuses on the leading medical figures in the Third Reich, but also includes eyewitness testimony and disturbing accounts from victims. He offers numerous theories on how medical professionals turned into dispassionate killers in the name of "scientific research." A must read for anyone interested in behavioral pathology.

Valuable and readable., 21 Aug 2002
Subtitled "Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times" this book is not a narrative political history of Stalin. Rather it offers a more complex viewpoint, convincingly offering a portrait of urban dwellers (Fitzpatrick has separately written on "Stalin's Peasants")and a broader power structure. In so doing it manages to question our modern imposed perceptions of "the state" and conventional hierarchies. Both interesting and informative, this book deserves to be read as it provides valuable insight into the reality of the bizarre world of life in 1930's soviet russia.

Interesting stuff, but not a light summer read., 28 Jun 1999
If you want to learn about Joseph Stalin, try something else. Surprisingly, Stalin is reduced to a bit player in this book; the real players here are the bureaucrats staking out their territory and enforcing their small visions of the ideal Soviet society, and ordinary citizens denouncing other citizens for the smallest of gains. Changes resulting from the occasional fiat from on high - although almost never from Stalin himself, who protected his cult of personality by speaking only in the most general of terms - are examined, but the real meat is the lasting damage done by peers and government lackies.

the nazis in their own words and contemporary documents, etc, 01 Feb 2002
This is the first volume in an exemplary series of books by Noakes and Pridham that should satisfy the needs of almost anyone interested in the realities of the Third Reich.

The book is made up of translations of original documents, from newspaper reports to song lyrics, speeches to internal party memos. As such, it is a rich source of evidence of the brutality and self-mythologising stupidity of the Nazis, not to mention their warped understanding of race and culture. Reading this, one is amazed that the Germans could fall for such a bunch of thick-necked, thick-headed bullies. This amazement is dispelled by the writers' commentary, which is a course in Imperial German and Weimar history in itself.

This book and the others in the series are also excellent teaching tools for lessons on the nature of history and the interpretation of historical sources.

A very useful series for readers whose interest in the period has been whetted by Ian Kershaw's Hitler biographies and Michael Burleigh's history of the Third Reich.

What the NSDAP really thought and did, 12 Oct 2000
With a perfect selection and analysis of doccuments, Dr Noakes has shown exactly how the NSDAP controlled its march to power. Not only is this a marvelous selection of primary resources for any student of the period, but the analysis is sharp and incisive, aiding the reader in his or her interpretation of the material. From the early post war years of its inception, through the Munich Putsch and the 1920's, we can see the struggling NSDAP learning how to be a political force. The growth of the SA, challenges to Hitler, and the constant threads of militarism, nationalism and anti-semitism can be seen throughout the sources, culminating in the assumtion to power by Hitler as the Fuhrer of the German nation. This volume is a worthy starting point of a great series. It is necessary to understand what happened before the NSDAP came to power, in order to comprehend how and why they did what we now consider some of the greatest crimes in history. Noakes and Pridham have greatly aided our understanding of a contradictory and sometimes nonsensical movement

Fascinating and thought provoking, 03 Aug 2004
Brian Bond's short (just 128 pages including notes and index) book is based on his views articulated at the 1997 Liddell Hart lecture and further developed for the Lees Knowles lecture at Trinity Collage Cambridge in 2000. I mention this because it's clear that the need to distill his thoughts down to a very focused discussion has allowed Mr.Bond to present a very powerful and cogent argument against the "Futility" school of Great War scholarship.

However, Mr. Bond's major target is the "literary myth" of the Great War - summarised by the "Blackadder Goes Forth" view of events. Here he scores a bullseye as his arguments are both compelling and highly entertaining. His command of his subject matter and his easy to read style captured my attention immediately and kept it until the very end.

Highly recommended.

Professional, sincere, but...?, 03 Oct 2003
An excellent professional work, and an always-useful antidote to the all-too-often emotional response to the Great War. Bond doesn't sneer at the emotionalism of others, but he does take to task those who all too often base their scholarship on such emotive sources yet who would call themselves professional historians.

Bond's target is not the trench poets and other contemporary writers but today's historians. He rightly points out that history, as we understand it--as the historian makes it--is not the stuff of individual experience . This view does not invalidate the suffering of an individual soldier, but it would invalidate any history of the war that limited its subject-matter to the collective suffering of all the soldiers--even if the war for all soldiers had been all suffering, which Bond denies. History must take in the larger picture, which encompasses the larger world beyond the trenches.

This is great stuff. And the book is a brilliant read and a good fund of information (though more of value for its argumentation than for any new information the reader may get out of it). Without being callous (though no doubt some will look for callousness and find it) Bond firmly takes our focus away from the "traditional" treatment of the war and forces us to look at it from a more professional perspective.

Unfortunately he skirts too close to polemicism for comfort. By refuting the traditional view he is all but forced to identify with those we might call, with respect, the "reactionaries"--John Terraine, for instance--whose contention all along is that Britain did a fine job, with all that follows from this thesis, notably, that Haig was a great man or at least a damn good one. And Bond does indeed offer evidence that no one could have done more: that there was a technological gap that only was closed in the Second War and that it was this technological gap--primarily in battlefield communications--that led inevitably to the horror for the soldier that the Great War often was.

Fine. But Bond's stance leads him to weaken his own thesis by rubbishing those who would oppose him. Many of these might deserve to be treated as less than professional historians, but none deserve to be treated with contempt, and a one-line dismissal of Denis Winter simply will not do. In HAIG'S COMMAND Winter raises serious questions (even if that book also raises certain questions about its own thesis). The fact that Winter would disagree with Bond ought to draw out the most professional, not the most dismissive, in Bond's treatment of Winter's disturbing book.

Making way for a new generation, 09 Aug 2002
If you think that the First World War was all mud, blood and poetry, you need to read Brian Bond's latest book 'The Unquiet Western Front'. It is a must for anyone with an interest in the most persistent myths that have contributed to Britain's 'modern memory' of the Great War. Refreshingly short and to the point, Professor Bond has started to peel away the layers that surround Britain’s 'Forgotten Victory'. In doing so, he is paving the way towards a more objective approach that is being developed by a new generation of historians who are now rising through the ranks of British universities.

If you know your History, you may say that the series of battles known as the Great War finished on 11th November 1918. In fact, the fighting over the perception of the war is as old as the conflict itself. Numerous poets, novelists, memoirists, historians, playwrights and scriptwriters, together with film and television directors have sought to portray the war as a futile massacre, where stupid chateau generals led millions of brave Tommy Atkins to certain death in the muddy trenches of the Western Front. The 'Lions Led by Donkeys' approach, beloved of certain 'historical' writers, has resulted in the cult of the ‘million dead’ eclipsing the real reasons why Britain went to war in 1914. Not only that, the futility angle does a great disservice to the five million volunteers and conscirpts of the British Expeditionary Force who grew in strength and expertise to defeat the Germans in 1918. For those who remember Geoffrey Palmer’s Field Marshal Haig sweeping up toy soldiers with his dustpan and brush in the 1989 BBC comedy 'Blackadder' or of battle casualty figures on cricket scoreboards on Brighton Pier in the 1960s film 'Oh! What a Lovely War', Brian Bond will remove the scales from your eyes.

The book is a succinct and comprehensive introduction to this area, deconstructing the development of selected Great War myths in just 101 pages. Professor Bond has successfully attempted to return the war to its rightful historical context, by getting to the root of the most persistent war myths that have been perpetuated by literature, visual art, film and television from the inter-war period via the 1960s and 1990s. In my opinion, it is the most fascinating study of this subject area since Samuel Hynes published 'A War Imagined' in 1991, Bond's work being more accessible to those outside academia, to be easily digested by those reading for general interest. It is certainly a book that will prove required reading for any discerning student of the cultural effects of the Great War on modern British society.

The perfect guide to 20th century Russian politics., 08 Oct 2008
Not much more to say, other than "The perfect guide to 20th century Russian politics."

Physician heal thyself, 30 Apr 2007
This is a very carefully researched book which deserves to be read. It not only covers the involvement by doctors in medical killing but also investigates their psychology. For those interested in medical ethics I'm sure it would be worth reading.

The first half of this book charts the historical progression from direct medical killing of those deemed to be 'life unworthy of life' (often mental patients) through to the most complete expression found in Auschwitz. We see how the medical ideal can be twisted by subverting it to the 'higher' ideal of caring for the health of the social organism by surgically removing the 'ailing' parts.

We are presented with the complex factors involved in this process. The religious, visionary component of the 'world blessing' which the Nazi's have to offer and the purported modelling of the SS on the Jesuits. The scientific component with the interest in eugenics and the 'research' which is carried out. Rudolf Hess declared that National Socialism is 'nothing but applied biology.' And the sense in which some of it is just part of the zeitgeist. The author suggests that there was a fear in Germany that they could fall behind work which was being done in the USA on eugenics. In addition there is the sense of humiliation and disintegration which remains from the First World War. There was a widely accepted right-wing theory that Germany hadn't been militarily defeated but had been undermined by strikes in munitions factories which had been orchestrated by Communists and Jews.

From here, the author offers brief biographies and psychological profiles of Ernst B., Josef Mengele and Eduard Wirths before turning his attention to the psychology of genocide.

There is also an examination of how the development of 'professionalism' results in detachment and objectivity - a psychological 'doubling' which the author has shown to be present in each of his case studies. He suggests that this splitting of the psyche is an important factor in leading towards genocide. Not just doctors but any profession would be advised to reflect on the author's message here and to examine to what extent their professionalism compromises their integrity as a human being.

As you may anticipate, there are moments when this book proves upsetting. It is not an easy read. However, I never felt that the unpleasant incidents were recounted in a gratuitous way. It reminded me of Henry Charles Lea's 'A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages.' You may wish to try to get hold of Lea's book (3 volumes) to compare and contrast.

If you wish to learn about the holocaust, this is the book., 18 May 2000
This book was the best that I have read. It was a required reading and I went into it with a bad attitude. But, as soon as I began to read it I realized that this was a really good book. I recommend it too anyone that wishes to know what Hitler and his men were thinking. It provides an excellent discription and analysis of what the Nazi Doctors were thinking and the emotional stress that they were going through. It is definatly not for the weak.

An Extraordinary Work, 31 Dec 1998
Robert Jay Lifton has written an exceptional work, thoroughly and painstakingly researched, and above all, he presents an analysis of the psychopathology of the Nazi doctors that is so well-thought out and well-presented that I recommend this book above all others for my students of criminal profiling. His discourse on the nature of evil and its place and use in society is unmatched in any book I have read to date. Pat Brown, Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange of Washington DC and Vicinity

A disturbing account of Nazi Germany, 02 Nov 1998
I have not picked up "Nazi Doctors" in years, but just seeing it on my book shelf awakens the images that the book produces. It was so disturbing and descriptive that I was unable to finish it. The book was handed down by my father, a medical doctor, whom couldn't finish it either. It's excellently written, but not for the weak.

A detailed account, 29 Oct 1998
If you only read one book about doctors under Hitler then this is the one. Lifton not only focuses on the leading medical figures in the Third Reich, but also includes eyewitness testimony and disturbing accounts from victims. He offers numerous theories on how medical professionals turned into dispassionate killers in the name of "scientific research." A must read for anyone interested in behavioral pathology.

Valuable and readable., 21 Aug 2002
Subtitled "Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times" this book is not a narrative political history of Stalin. Rather it offers a more complex viewpoint, convincingly offering a portrait of urban dwellers (Fitzpatrick has separately written on "Stalin's Peasants")and a broader power structure. In so doing it manages to question our modern imposed perceptions of "the state" and conventional hierarchies. Both interesting and informative, this book deserves to be read as it provides valuable insight into the reality of the bizarre world of life in 1930's soviet russia.

Interesting stuff, but not a light summer read., 28 Jun 1999
If you want to learn about Joseph Stalin, try something else. Surprisingly, Stalin is reduced to a bit player in this book; the real players here are the bureaucrats staking out their territory and enforcing their small visions of the ideal Soviet society, and ordinary citizens denouncing other citizens for the smallest of gains. Changes resulting from the occasional fiat from on high - although almost never from Stalin himself, who protected his cult of personality by speaking only in the most general of terms - are examined, but the real meat is the lasting damage done by peers and government lackies.

the nazis in their own words and contemporary documents, etc, 01 Feb 2002
This is the first volume in an exemplary series of books by Noakes and Pridham that should satisfy the needs of almost anyone interested in the realities of the Third Reich.

The book is made up of translations of original documents, from newspaper reports to song lyrics, speeches to internal party memos. As such, it is a rich source of evidence of the brutality and self-mythologising stupidity of the Nazis, not to mention their warped understanding of race and culture. Reading this, one is amazed that the Germans could fall for such a bunch of thick-necked, thick-headed bullies. This amazement is dispelled by the writers' commentary, which is a course in Imperial German and Weimar history in itself.

This book and the others in the series are also excellent teaching tools for lessons on the nature of history and the interpretation of historical sources.

A very useful series for readers whose interest in the period has been whetted by Ian Kershaw's Hitler biographies and Michael Burleigh's history of the Third Reich.

What the NSDAP really thought and did, 12 Oct 2000
With a perfect selection and analysis of doccuments, Dr Noakes has shown exactly how the NSDAP controlled its march to power. Not only is this a marvelous selection of primary resources for any student of the period, but the analysis is sharp and incisive, aiding the reader in his or her interpretation of the material. From the early post war years of its inception, through the Munich Putsch and the 1920's, we can see the struggling NSDAP learning how to be a political force. The growth of the SA, challenges to Hitler, and the constant threads of militarism, nationalism and anti-semitism can be seen throughout the sources, culminating in the assumtion to power by Hitler as the Fuhrer of the German nation. This volume is a worthy starting point of a great series. It is necessary to understand what happened before the NSDAP came to power, in order to comprehend how and why they did what we now consider some of the greatest crimes in history. Noakes and Pridham have greatly aided our understanding of a contradictory and sometimes nonsensical movement

Fascinating and thought provoking, 03 Aug 2004
Brian Bond's short (just 128 pages including notes and index) book is based on his views articulated at the 1997 Liddell Hart lecture and further developed for the Lees Knowles lecture at Trinity Collage Cambridge in 2000. I mention this because it's clear that the need to distill his thoughts down to a very focused discussion has allowed Mr.Bond to present a very powerful and cogent argument against the "Futility" school of Great War scholarship.

However, Mr. Bond's major target is the "literary myth" of the Great War - summarised by the "Blackadder Goes Forth" view of events. Here he scores a bullseye as his arguments are both compelling and highly entertaining. His command of his subject matter and his easy to read style captured my attention immediately and kept it until the very end.

Highly recommended.

Professional, sincere, but...?, 03 Oct 2003
An excellent professional work, and an always-useful antidote to the all-too-often emotional response to the Great War. Bond doesn't sneer at the emotionalism of others, but he does take to task those who all too often base their scholarship on such emotive sources yet who would call themselves professional historians.

Bond's target is not the trench poets and other contemporary writers but today's historians. He rightly points out that history, as we understand it--as the historian makes it--is not the stuff of individual experience . This view does not invalidate the suffering of an individual soldier, but it would invalidate any history of the war that limited its subject-matter to the collective suffering of all the soldiers--even if the war for all soldiers had been all suffering, which Bond denies. History must take in the larger picture, which encompasses the larger world beyond the trenches.

This is great stuff. And the book is a brilliant read and a good fund of information (though more of value for its argumentation than for any new information the reader may get out of it). Without being callous (though no doubt some will look for callousness and find it) Bond firmly takes our focus away from the "traditional" treatment of the war and forces us to look at it from a more professional perspective.

Unfortunately he skirts too close to polemicism for comfort. By refuting the traditional view he is all but forced to identify with those we might call, with respect, the "reactionaries"--John Terraine, for instance--whose contention all along is that Britain did a fine job, with all that follows from this thesis, notably, that Haig was a great man or at least a damn good one. And Bond does indeed offer evidence that no one could have done more: that there was a technological gap that only was closed in the Second War and that it was this technological gap--primarily in battlefield communications--that led inevitably to the horror for the soldier that the Great War often was.

Fine. But Bond's stance leads him to weaken his own thesis by rubbishing those who would oppose him. Many of these might deserve to be treated as less than professional historians, but none deserve to be treated with contempt, and a one-line dismissal of Denis Winter simply will not do. In HAIG'S COMMAND Winter raises serious questions (even if that book also raises certain questions about its own thesis). The fact that Winter would disagree with Bond ought to draw out the most professional, not the most dismissive, in Bond's treatment of Winter's disturbing book.

Making way for a new generation, 09 Aug 2002
If you think that the First World War was all mud, blood and poetry, you need to read Brian Bond's latest book 'The Unquiet Western Front'. It is a must for anyone with an interest in the most persistent myths that have contributed to Britain's 'modern memory' of the Great War. Refreshingly short and to the point, Professor Bond has started to peel away the layers that surround Britain’s 'Forgotten Victory'. In doing so, he is paving the way towards a more objective approach that is being developed by a new generation of historians who are now rising through the ranks of British universities.

If you know your History, you may say that the series of battles known as the Great War finished on 11th November 1918. In fact, the fighting over the perception of the war is as old as the conflict itself. Numerous poets, novelists, memoirists, historians, playwrights and scriptwriters, together with film and television directors have sought to portray the war as a futile massacre, where stupid chateau generals led millions of brave Tommy Atkins to certain death in the muddy trenches of the Western Front. The 'Lions Led by Donkeys' approach, beloved of certain 'historical' writers, has resulted in the cult of the ‘million dead’ eclipsing the real reasons why Britain went to war in 1914. Not only that, the futility angle does a great disservice to the five million volunteers and conscirpts of the British Expeditionary Force who grew in strength and expertise to defeat the Germans in 1918. For those who remember Geoffrey Palmer’s Field Marshal Haig sweeping up toy soldiers with his dustpan and brush in the 1989 BBC comedy 'Blackadder' or of battle casualty figures on cricket scoreboards on Brighton Pier in the 1960s film 'Oh! What a Lovely War', Brian Bond will remove the scales from your eyes.

The book is a succinct and comprehensive introduction to this area, deconstructing the development of selected Great War myths in just 101 pages. Professor Bond has successfully attempted to return the war to its rightful historical context, by getting to the root of the most persistent war myths that have been perpetuated by literature, visual art, film and television from the inter-war period via the 1960s and 1990s. In my opinion, it is the most fascinating study of this subject area since Samuel Hynes published 'A War Imagined' in 1991, Bond's work being more accessible to those outside academia, to be easily digested by those reading for general interest. It is certainly a book that will prove required reading for any discerning student of the cultural effects of the Great War on modern British society.

The perfect guide to 20th century Russian politics., 08 Oct 2008
Not much more to say, other than "The perfect guide to 20th century Russian politics."

Portrait of a fractured society., 30 Jan 2008
The theme of this book is that the shattering of the structure of Imperial Germany led to an explosion of innovation and creativity, an optimism that it was possible to create a better and freer world; but that the unbroken old elites in business, the churches, the judiciary and the army hated all these changes, blamed them on the Republic and consistently undermined it where they could. The rhetoric of the conservative Right was widespread long before the Nazis became significant, that indeed `the Nazis invented nothing ideologically or rhetorically'. The crisis of the Depression and the inability of the Reichstag to deal with it brought the conservative and the radical Right together. And although Weitz says a few times at the end that there was nothing inevitable about Hitler coming to power, that it was `the result of a small group of powerful men around the president who schemed to place Adolf Hitler in power', the impression left by the book as a whole is that the tensions inside the Weimar Republic between progress and reaction, tradition and modernity, was so intense that the Republic was doomed almost from the start. One baleful symptom was the militarization of the parties on the left and the right, always ready to march in demonstrations.

The two outside chapters are political. The opening chapter is good on analysis but amazingly sketchy in parts of the narrative: the Spartacist Revolt of 1919 receives the briefest of mentions; the upheavals in Bavaria (1918/1919) none at all; the Beer Hall Putsch and the Communist rebellions in Saxony and Thuringia (1923) are dismissed in two sentences (p.102): `Communists attempted a revolution; the Nazis attempted a march on Berlin to seize power. Both were fiascos.' The concluding chapter is a better narrative account of the death-throes of the Weimar Republic, although I think that Weitz is unduly harsh on Chancellor Brüning, who, he says, `happily deployed' Article 84 of the Constitution which enabled him to govern by emergency decree, because he `wanted to use his office to overthrow the Republic and create some kind of authoritarian political system.' With the Reichstag unable to agree on any measures to deal with the economic crisis, what else could he have done? Of course Brüning wanted a reform of the Constitution, but that is not the same as wanting to overthrow the Republic, and he was after all overthrown because he banned the SA and the SS when Schleicher and Papen wanted to negotiate with the Nazis.

The seven chapters in the middle deal with the social and cultural history of the period. The social history is well done. The role of women - the hardships they suffered during the three great crises (post-war hunger, inflation, and depression) but also their liberation is frequently underlined. The impact of radio, cinema, the gramophone and photography are described in great detail (though those chapters would have applied to most countries in Western Europe and the Soviet Union. The popularity of the Tiller Girls in Germany disturbed the journalist Siegfried Kracauer: `they joined together his two nightmare visions: Prussian militarism and the American factory'. No mention that the Tiller Girls originated in England.) The sexual liberation, though also not confined to Germany, was perhaps greater in Germany - or rather, in Berlin - than it was in other countries, and the cult of nudity and the Body Beautiful was also more pronounced in Germany than elsewhere. The conservative forces, especially the churches, hated all that and blamed the Republic.

The chapters devoted to the arts consist of sometimes rather long essays devoted to a handful of individuals whom Weitz considers representative of the wish to break completely with the traditions of the past. In architecture they are Walter Gropius and the Bauhaus, Erich Mendelsohn, and Bruno Taut; in the theatre Berthold Brecht, also breaking with the traditional forms of theatre and opera. In painting there is Hannah Höch's Dadaism: her collages represent `the cacophony of modern life' and her provocatively trans-gender and trans-racial images predictably caused outrage among conservatives; but there is very little on German expressionist artists apart from the comment that they expressed both the jagged anxiety of the period and also its frenetic joy. There are no examples given of the Neue Sachlichkeit, though the school is referred to. Only in literature is more attention given to conservatives: Thomas Mann is shown as nostalgic about the culture which existed before the age of the masses; Martin Heidegger as expressing his distaste for modernism, technology, the mass culture that stifled authenticity, and the frantic life of the cities by isolating himself in his hut in the forest. Oswald Spengler and Ernst Jünger are shown as using a vocabulary which the Nazis picked up.

I think the book is excessively repetitive, but it does bring out well that life in the Weimar Republic was more fractured and more damaged by the three monumental crises in its short life than were other societies in the West. But I think that, like so many other historians of the Weimar period, Weitz is in danger of reading history backwards from the Nazi period. Perhaps the judgment in 1926 of an outsider, a Harvard specialist on Germany called Kuno Francke, was superficial: `Germany is running with a smoothness as if it has been used to republican government for generations'. Not much awareness of a fractured society there!

Physician heal thyself, 30 Apr 2007
This is a very carefully researched book which deserves to be read. It not only covers the involvement by doctors in medical killing but also investigates their psychology. For those interested in medical ethics I'm sure it would be worth reading.

The first half of this book charts the historical progression from direct medical killing of those deemed to be 'life unworthy of life' (often mental patients) through to the most complete expression found in Auschwitz. We see how the medical ideal can be twisted by subverting it to the 'higher' ideal of caring for the health of the social organism by surgically removing the 'ailing' parts.

We are presented with the complex factors involved in this process. The religious, visionary component of the 'world blessing' which the Nazi's have to offer and the purported modelling of the SS on the Jesuits. The scientific component with the interest in eugenics and the 'research' which is carried out. Rudolf Hess declared that National Socialism is 'nothing but applied biology.' And the sense in which some of it is just part of the zeitgeist. The author suggests that there was a fear in Germany that they could fall behind work which was being done in the USA on eugenics. In addition there is the sense of humiliation and disintegration which remains from the First World War. There was a widely accepted right-wing theory that Germany hadn't been militarily defeated but had been undermined by strikes in munitions factories which had been orchestrated by Communists and Jews.

From here, the author offers brief biographies and psychological profiles of Ernst B., Josef Mengele and Eduard Wirths before turning his attention to the psychology of genocide.

There is also an examination of how the development of 'professionalism' results in detachment and objectivity - a psychological 'doubling' which the author has shown to be present in each of his case studies. He suggests that this splitting of the psyche is an important factor in leading towards genocide. Not just doctors but any profession would be advised to reflect on the author's message here and to examine to what extent their professionalism compromises their integrity as a human being.

As you may anticipate, there are moments when this book proves upsetting. It is not an easy read. However, I never felt that the unpleasant incidents were recounted in a gratuitous way. It reminded me of Henry Charles Lea's 'A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages.' You may wish to try to get hold of Lea's book (3 volumes) to compare and contrast.

If you wish to learn about the holocaust, this is the book., 18 May 2000
This book was the best that I have read. It was a required reading and I went into it with a bad attitude. But, as soon as I began to read it I realized that this was a really good book. I recommend it too anyone that wishes to know what Hitler and his men were thinking. It provides an excellent discription and analysis of what the Nazi Doctors were thinking and the emotional stress that they were going through. It is definatly not for the weak.

An Extraordinary Work, 31 Dec 1998
Robert Jay Lifton has written an exceptional work, thoroughly and painstakingly researched, and above all, he presents an analysis of the psychopathology of the Nazi doctors that is so well-thought out and well-presented that I recommend this book above all others for my students of criminal profiling. His discourse on the nature of evil and its place and use in society is unmatched in any book I have read to date. Pat Brown, Director/Investigative Criminal Profiler/The Sexual Homicide Exchange of Washington DC and Vicinity

A disturbing account of Nazi Germany, 02 Nov 1998
I have not picked up "Nazi Doctors" in years, but just seeing it on my book shelf awakens the images that the book produces. It was so disturbing and descriptive that I was unable to finish it. The book was handed down by my father, a medical doctor, whom couldn't finish it either. It's excellently written, but not for the weak.

A detailed account, 29 Oct 1998
If you only read one book about doctors under Hitler then this is the one. Lifton not only focuses on the leading medical figures in the Third Reich, but also includes eyewitness testimony and disturbing accounts from victims. He offers numerous theories on how medical professionals turned into dispassionate killers in the name of "scientific research." A must read for anyone interested in behavioral pathology.

Valuable and readable., 21 Aug 2002
Subtitled "Ordinary Life in Extraordinary Times" this book is not a narrative political history of Stalin. Rather it offers a more complex viewpoint, convincingly offering a portrait of urban dwellers (Fitzpatrick has separately written on "Stalin's Peasants")and a broader power structure. In so doing it manages to question our modern imposed perceptions of "the state" and conventional hierarchies. Both interesting and informative, this book deserves to be read as it provides valuable insight into the reality of the bizarre world of life in 1930's soviet russia.

Interesting stuff, but not a light summer read., 28 Jun 1999
If you want to learn about Joseph Stalin, try something else. Surprisingly, Stalin is reduced to a bit player in this book; the real players here are the bureaucrats staking out their territory and enforcing their small visions of the ideal Soviet society, and ordinary citizens denouncing other citizens for the smallest of gains. Changes resulting from the occasional fiat from on high - although almost never from Stalin himself, who protected his cult of personality by speaking only in the most general of terms - are examined, but the real meat is the lasting damage done by peers and government lackies.

the nazis in their own words and contemporary documents, etc, 01 Feb 2002
This is the first volume in an exemplary series of books by Noakes and Pridham that should satisfy the needs of almost anyone interested in the realities of the Third Reich.

The book is made up of translations of original documents, from newspaper reports to song lyrics, speeches to internal party memos. As such, it is a rich source of evidence of the brutality and self-mythologising stupidity of the Nazis, not to mention their warped understanding of race and culture. Reading this, one is amazed that the Germans could fall for such a bunch of thick-necked, thick-headed bullies. This amazement is dispelled by the writers' commentary, which is a course in Imperial German and Weimar history in itself.

This book and the others in the series are also excellent teaching tools for lessons on the nature of history and the interpretation of historical sources.

A very useful series for readers whose interest in the period has been whetted by Ian Kershaw's Hitler biographies and Michael Burleigh's history of the Third Reich.

What the NSDAP really thought and did, 12 Oct 2000
With a perfect selection and analysis of doccuments, Dr Noakes has shown exactly how the NSDAP controlled its march to power. Not only is this a marvelous selection of primary resources for any student of the period, but the analysis is sharp and incisive, aiding the reader in his or her interpretation of the material. From the early post war years of its inception, through the Munich Putsch and the 1920's, we can see the struggling NSDAP learning how to be a political force. The growth of the SA, challenges to Hitler, and the constant threads of militarism, nationalism and anti-semitism can be seen throughout the sources, culminating in the assumtion to power by Hitler as the Fuhrer of the German nation. This volume is a worthy starting point of a great series. It is necessary to understand what happened before the NSDAP came to power, in order to comprehend how and why they did what we now consider some of the greatest crimes in history. Noakes and Pridham have greatly aided our understanding of a contradictory and sometimes nonsensical movement

Fascinating and thought provoking, 03 Aug 2004
Brian Bond's short (just 128 pages including notes and index) book is based on his views articulated at the 1997 Liddell Hart lecture and further developed for the Lees Knowles lecture at Trinity Collage Cambridge in 2000. I mention this because it's clear that the need to distill his thoughts down to a very focused discussion has allowed Mr.Bond to present a very powerful and cogent argument against the "Futility" school of Great War scholarship.

However, Mr. Bond's major target is the "literary myth" of the Great War - summarised by the "Blackadder Goes Forth" view of events. Here he scores a bullseye as his arguments are both compelling and highly entertaining. His command of his subject matter and his easy to read style captured my attention immediately and kept it until the very end.

Highly recommended.

Professional, sincere, but...?, 03 Oct 2003
An excellent professional work, and an always-useful antidote to the all-too-often emotional response to the Great War. Bond doesn't sneer at the emotionalism of others, but he does take to task those who all too often base their scholarship on such emotive sources yet who would call themselves professional historians.

Bond's target is not the trench poets and other contemporary writers but today's historians. He rightly points out that history, as we understand it--as the historian makes it--is not the stuff of individual experience . This view does not invalidate the suffering of an individual soldier, but it would invalidate any history of the war that limited its subject-matter to the collective suffering of all the soldiers--even if the war for all soldiers had been all suffering, which Bond denies. History must take in the larger picture, which encompasses the larger world beyond the trenches.

This is great stuff. And the book is a brilliant read and a good fund of information (though more of value for its argumentation than for any new information the reader may get out of it). Without being callous (though no doubt some will look for callousness and find it) Bond firmly takes our focus away from the "traditional" treatment of the war and forces us to look at it from a more professional perspective.

Unfortunately he skirts too close to polemicism for comfort. By refuting the traditional view he is all but forced to identify with those we might call, with respect, the "reactionaries"--John Terraine, for instance--whose contention all along is that Britain did a fine job, with all that follows from this thesis, notably, that Haig was a great man or at least a damn good one. And Bond does indeed offer evidence that no one could have done more: that there was a technological gap that only was closed in the Second War and that it was this technological gap--primarily in battlefield communications--that led inevitably to the horror for the soldier that the Great War often was.

Fine. But Bond's stance leads him to weaken his own thesis by rubbishing those who would oppose him. Many of these might deserve to be treated as less than professional historians, but none deserve to be treated with contempt, and a one-line dismissal of Denis Winter simply will not do. In HAIG'S COMMAND Winter raises serious questions (even if that book also raises certain questions about its own thesis). The fact that Winter would disagree with Bond ought to draw out the most professional, not the most dismissive, in Bond's treatment of Winter's disturbing book.

Making way for a new generation, 09 Aug 2002
If you think that the First World War was all mud, blood and poetry, you need to read Brian Bond's latest book 'The Unquiet Western Front'. It is a must for anyone with an interest in the most persistent myths that have contributed to Britain's 'modern memory' of the Great War. Refreshingly short and to the point, Professor Bond has started to peel away the layers that surround Britain’s 'Forgotten Victory'. In doing so, he is paving the way towards a more objective approach that is being developed by a new generation of historians who are now rising through the ranks of British universities.

If you know your History, you may say that the series of battles known as the Great War finished on 11th November 1918. In fact, the fighting over the perception of the war is as old as the conflict itself. Numerous poets, novelists, memoirists, historians, playwrights and scriptwriters, together with film and television directors have sought to portray the war as a futile massacre, where stupid chateau generals led millions of brave Tommy Atkins to certain death in the muddy trenches of the Western Front. The 'Lions Led by Donkeys' approach, beloved of certain 'historical' writers, has resulted in the cult of the ‘million dead’ eclipsing the real reasons why Britain went to war in 1914. Not only that, the futility angle does a great disservice to the five million volunteers and conscirpts of the British Expeditionary Force who grew in strength and expertise to defeat the Germans in 1918. For those who remember Geoffrey Palmer’s Field Marshal Haig sweeping up toy soldiers with his dustpan and brush in the 1989 BBC comedy 'Blackadder' or of battle casualty figures on cricket scoreboards on Brighton Pier in the 1960s film 'Oh! What a Lovely War', Brian Bond will remove the scales from your eyes.

The book is a succinct and comprehensive introduction to this area, deconstructing the development of selected Great War myths in just 101 pages. Professor Bond has successfully attempted to return the war to its rightful historical context, by getting to the root of the most persistent war myths that have been perpetuated by literature, visual art, film and television from the inter-war period via the 1960s and 1990s. In my opinion, it is the most fascinating study of this subject area since Samuel Hynes published 'A War Imagined' in 1991, Bond's work being more accessible to those outside academia, to be easily digested by those reading for general interest. It is certainly a book that will prove required reading for any discerning student of the cultural effects of the Great War on modern British society.

The perfect guide to 20th century Russian politics., 08 Oct 2008
Not much more to say, other than "The perfect guide to 20th century Russian politics."

Portrait of a fractured society., 30 Jan 2008
The theme of this book is that the shattering of the structure of Imperial Germany led to an explosion of innovation and creativity, an optimism that it was possible to create a better and freer world; but that the unbroken old elites in business, the churches, the judiciary and the army hated all these changes, blamed them on the Republic and consistently undermined it where they could. The rhetoric of the conservative Right was widespread long before the Nazis became significant, that indeed `the Nazis invented nothing ideologically or rhetorically'. The crisis of the Depression and the inability of the Reichstag to deal with it brought the conservative and the radical Right together. And although Weitz says a few times at the end that there was nothing inevitable about Hitler coming to power, that it was `the result of a small group of powerful men around the president who schemed to place Adolf Hitler in power', the impression left by the book as a whole is that the tensions inside the Weimar Republic between progress and reaction, tradition and modernity, was so intense that the Republic was doomed almost from the start. One baleful symptom was the militarization of the parties on the left and the right, always ready to march in demonstrations.

The two outside chapters are political. The opening chapter is good on analysis but amazingly sketchy in parts of the narrative: the Spartacist Revolt of 1919 receives the briefest of mentions; the upheavals in Bavaria (1918/1919) none at all; the Beer Hall Putsch and the Communist rebellions in Saxony and Thuringia (1923) are dismissed in two sentences (p.102): `Communists attempted a revolution; the Nazis attempted a march on Berlin to seize power. Both were fiascos.' The concluding chapter is a better narrative account of the death-throes of the Weimar Republic, although I think that Weitz is unduly harsh on Chancellor Brüning, who, he says, `happily deployed' Article 84 of the Constitution which enabled him to govern by emergency decree, because he `wanted to use his