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They Thought They Were Free
- The Germans, 1933-45
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
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They Thought They Were Free
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Summary
First published in 1955, They Thought They Were Free is an eloquent and provocative examination of the development of fascism in Germany. Milton Mayer's book is a study of 10 Germans and their lives from 1933-45, based on interviews he conducted after the war when he lived in Germany.
Mayer had a position as a research professor at the University of Frankfurt and lived in a nearby small Hessian town which he disguised with the name "Kronenberg". "These ten men were not men of distinction," Mayer noted, but they had been members of the Nazi Party; Mayer wanted to discover what had made them Nazis.
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Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- davidjh
- 06-04-24
Worth Reading
I liked this book a lot. I have read a great deal about the influences that the Germans were subject to from the late 19th century to post war. This is one of the most interesting and varied points of view.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Richard Charrosin
- 18-05-23
A tale of two halves
The first part was excellent, featuring parts of interviews with ten ordinary Germans who were members of the Nazi party.
The second part lost it's way somehow and was not so informative.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joseph Dawes
- 17-03-23
A must listen
An eye-opening insight insight into the totalitarian period in Germany and the people who lived under it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- The Introcentric
- 22-04-21
A must listen/read!
The similarities of 1933-45 and now are rather striking - but people do either not want to see it or are so fear-condituoned they don't even notice.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Antoine Vanner
- 01-06-23
Fascinating as regards personal interviews but ...
The sections based on interviews with ten "Ordinary Germans" who lived through the Nazi years are fascinating but the later analytical sections (written in late 40s and revised in mid-50s) are tedious and setentious. The speculation as to how Germany (and the strategic in Europe) looks seriously wrong in retrospect - a warning about predicting the future without recognising how random events and developments elsewhere can change the course of history. An unpleasant undertone in the book is the impression that the writer is embarrassed by being an American. The accents used for several characters when their words are reported echo those of cliché Germans and Nazis who hail from Hollywood.
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