History of the Third Reich cover

History of the Third Reich

Rating 4.4
Word count
514K words
Chapters
89
ISBN
9787214238719

Tags

Summary

Over the past two hundred years, Germany has been a central force on the European continent. The war launched by Hitler's Third Reich profoundly shaped the course of the world. This book, the product of thirty years' work by Professor Zheng Yinda, a leading Chinese authority on German history, and Dr. Chen Yang, a historian, represents the highest level of Chinese scholarship on the Third Reich. From the birth of the Nazi Party's predecessor in 1918 to the Allied takeover of Germany in 1945, it provides a complete anatomy of the "Third Reich," revealing the absurd nature of the Nazi system like a hologram. Barbarism has its limits; it will inevitably be destroyed in the face of humanity.

Editor's review

This book, the product of thirty years' work by Professor Zheng Yinda, a leading Chinese authority on German history, and Dr. Chen Yang, a historian, represents a high level of Chinese scholarship on the Third Reich. It does not settle for narrating the course of the war; beginning with the birth of the Nazi Party's predecessor in 1918 and ending with the Allied takeover of Germany in 1945, it provides a complete anatomy of how the Nazi system emerged, operated, and revealed its absurd nature, presenting a holographic historical picture. With solid sources and a clear structure, the authors trace the multiple threads of politics, society, and ideology. The book suits readers seeking a systematic understanding of the Third Reich's origins and trajectory, and helps readers grasp how an extreme system could expand in modern society and ultimately destroy itself. Readers should hold to two main threads—chronology and institutional analysis—and consult maps and a timeline for best results.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers seeking systematic reading on modern German and World War II history
  • History enthusiasts who want to understand the rise and fall of Nazism at the institutional level
  • University students of history and political science using it as a topical reference
  • Readers who want a relatively complete Chinese general history rather than fragmented knowledge

Not a good fit for

  • Readers who only want battle details and stories of military command
  • Readers seeking light, casual reading or short historical stories
  • Purely literary readers with no interest in political-institutional analysis

Reading tips

  1. Read the table of contents and introduction first to establish the 1918–1945 time frame before entering the main text
  2. Keep a map of Europe and a timeline at hand to locate events and phases as you read
  3. After each stage, summarize in a few sentences how the Nazi system changed, to build an overall understanding
  4. Take notes on the institutional analysis chapters, paying attention to how the author gradually reveals the system's absurd nature

About the publisher

Jiangsu People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1953

Jiangsu People's Publishing House is known for works in history, literature and the social sciences. Judging from its catalog, it focuses on modern Chinese history, classical literary appreciation and scholarly research. Representative titles include historical works such as Kuomintang-Communist Cooperation and the National Revolution, 1924–1927 and A Record of Combat on the Front Lines of China's War of Resistance Against Japan, literary and visual documents such as Sun Wen's Illustrated Complete Dream of the Red Chamber, and scholarly collections such as Chen Yinke's Collected Works of Hanliu Hall. Translations such as The Dust Bowl and Anti-Intellectualism in American Life reflect an interest in overseas social and cultural studies. Its authors include historians Wang Qisheng, Huang Yuzhang and Guo Rugui, as well as figures associated with classical literature such as Cao Xueqin and Sun Wen. Common categories include history, literary appreciation, essays and miscellaneous writings, and social-science and cultural titles, showing a balance between historical scholarship and literature and between academic and popular publishing. Because public information is limited, this overview is based only on the books in the catalog.

Contents

  1. 版权信息
  2. 前 言
  3. 第一章 希特勒上台执政暴力夺权还是挤占国会?
  4. 第一节 纳粹党诞生
  5. 第二节 “向柏林进军”
  6. 第三节 纳粹党内两派争斗
  7. 第四节 两刃利剑冲锋队
  8. 第五节 在政坛阴谋中挤进政府
  9. 第二章 德国的纳粹化
  10. 第一节 纳粹党的改造蓝图
  11. 第二节 1933年3月国会选举
  12. 第三节 国会纵火案
  13. 第四节 强行通过“授权法”
  14. 第五节 确立一党制
  15. 第六节 单一制中央集权国家的建立
  16. 第七节 清洗冲锋队
  17. 第三章 极权主义政治体制
  18. 第一节 领袖原则与领袖国家
  19. 第二节 党国一体
  20. 第三节 司法纳粹化
  21. 第四节 党卫队与党卫队保安处
  22. 第五节 盖世太保与德国中央保安局
  23. 第六节 集中营制度
  24. 第四章 统制经济
  25. 第一节 纳粹党的经济主张
  26. 第二节 摆脱经济危机
  27. 第三节 四年计划
  28. 第四节 保护中小企业与经济集中化
  29. 第五节 国家干预机制
  30. 第六节 企业领袖—追随者模式的“企业共同体”
  31. 第七节 农业政策
  32. 第五章 纳粹文教体制
  33. 第一节 纳粹宣传思想与手段
  34. 第二节 文化控制与宣传机构
  35. 第三节 文化荒漠
  36. 第四节 纳粹教育思想
  37. 第五节 学校教育
  38. 第六节 校外教育与特种学校
  39. 第六章 纳粹种族与人口政策
  40. 第一节 “纽伦堡法”
  41. 第二节 “水晶之夜”
  42. 第三节 迫害吉普赛人
  43. 第四节 鼓励生育
  44. 第五节 绝育与淘汰
  45. 第六节 妇女政策
  46. 第七章 社会统制与社会协调
  47. 第一节 纳粹社会政策思想
  48. 第二节 社会组织网络
  49. 第三节 德意志劳动阵线
  50. 第四节 社会政策
  51. 第五节 宗教政策
  52. 第八章 抵抗活动
  53. 第一节 共产党的抵抗活动
  54. 第二节 社会民主党的抵抗活动
  55. 第三节 其他社会集团的抵抗活动
  56. 第四节 地下文化
  57. 第九章 富国强兵还是图谋战争
  58. 第一节 摆脱国际组织的束缚
  59. 第二节 中立波兰,染指奥地利
  60. 第三节 实施普遍义务兵役制
  61. 第四节 进军莱茵非军事区
  62. 第五节 扩军计划与军队指挥系统改组
  63. 第六节 总体战与闪击战思想的确立
  64. 第七节 为毁约扩军服务的纳粹外交
  65. 第十章 不流血的扩张
  66. 第一节 《霍斯巴赫备忘录》
  67. 第二节 德奥合并
  68. 第三节 《慕尼黑协定》
  69. 第十一章 征战得手
  70. 第一节 外交战
  71. 第二节 闪击波兰
  72. 第三节 闪击西欧
  73. 第四节 入侵苏联
  74. 第十二章 纳粹体制的调整与扩展
  75. 第一节 国内政策的调整
  76. 第二节 纳粹欧洲新秩序
  77. 第三节 走向“大屠杀”
  78. 第十三章 败退与灭亡
  79. 第一节 东线的战略转折
  80. 第二节 大西洋之战
  81. 第三节 东西受困
  82. 第四节 谋刺希特勒事件
  83. 第五节 第三帝国覆灭
  84. 附 录
  85. 一、大事年表
  86. 二、专有名词对照表
  87. 三、人名、地名对照表
  88. 四、参考文献
  89. 后 记

FAQ

Is this book suitable for readers with no background in German history?
It is readable, but readers are advised to first learn about the situation in Germany after World War I and the basic outline of World War II. The book starts in 1918 and is complete in its narrative, but it is information-dense. Readers with no background can start with the introduction and table of contents to establish a time frame, then proceed chapter by chapter, consulting the timeline for unfamiliar names and events.
How does this book differ from common military histories of World War II?
The book's focus is not on the course of battles but on how the Third Reich's system emerged and operated. It runs from the birth of the Nazi Party's predecessor to the Allied takeover of Germany, providing a complete anatomy of the Nazi system's absurd nature. It is a work of German history for readers who want to understand the deeper structure of history, not for those seeking only military details.
How long does it take to read this book?
It depends on how deeply you read. A straight read-through at about a chapter a day takes roughly two to three weeks; reading with notes and cross-referencing maps and the timeline takes longer. Don't rush—reread key chapters as needed, for clarifying the lines of institutional change matters more than finishing.

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About the author

郑寅达 Author

Zheng Yinda is an author about whom limited public information is available. The three works held in the collection indicate that he has long been engaged in research and writing on world history, especially modern and contemporary German history and twentieth-century world history. His representative works include A History of the Third Reich, A General History of Germany, Volume 5: Years of Crisis (1918–1945), and A General History of the World, Part Three: The Development and Choices of Modern Civilization: Twentieth-Century World History. These books focus respectively on the rise and fall of Nazi Germany, the crisis years from the Weimar Republic to the end of World War II, and the development and choices of modern civilization in the twentieth century. Serious in subject and clear in structure, they demonstrate a solid command of historical sources and general historical narrative. The works are commonly classified under world history and examination categories, suggesting that they combine scholarly value with usefulness for teaching and reference, and are suitable for students and general readers.

陈旸 Author

Public information about Chen Yang is limited; all that is known is that three works appear under this name, spanning world history, social fiction, and discourse research on English translations of the classics. The historical works A History of the Third Reich and the fifth volume of A General History of Germany: The Age of Crisis (1918–1945) show a sustained interest in modern and contemporary German history, especially the period from the Weimar Republic to the Nazi era; written within the framework of general history, they emphasize tracing developments and setting events in their historical context. The other work, A Functional Discourse Analysis Approach to English Translations of the Analects, turns to the translation of Chinese classics, examining English versions of the Analects through functional discourse analysis and revealing an interest in language and translation beyond historiography. As biographical details are unavailable, the author's identity and personal background remain unclear, and readers should look to the works themselves for an understanding of their writing.

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