An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

405. The Nazis in Power: The Nuremberg Rallies (Part 2)

January 04, 2024

Description

“We did not lose the war because our artillery gave out, but because the weapons of our mind didn’t fire” In September 1934, the Nazis held their sixth annual party conference in the Bavarian city...
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Books Referenced

On the Jews and Their Lies

Author: Martin Luther

Context:

Mentioned as a 'notoriously anti-Semitic pamphlet' that was on display at the 1934 Nuremberg rally showroom, where the Nazis were making explicit connections to historical anti-Semitism

A Social History of the Third Reich

Author: Richard Grunberger

Context:

Explicitly described as 'a brilliant book' - quoted multiple times regarding the Hitler salute as 'one of the most potent forms of totalitarian conditioning conceivable' and later about mathematics teaching under Nazi ideology

1984

Author: George Orwell

Context:

Referenced when discussing how radios were placed in offices, factories, restaurants, cafes, and stairwells of apartment blocks - described as 'very 1984' with mention of 'Winston Smith hearing Big Brother shout out' and Orwell's concept of 'newspeak'

The Third Reich

Author: Michael Burleigh

Context:

Explicitly described as 'his great book' - quoted regarding how parents found their children 'became strangers, contemptuous of monarchy or religion, and perpetually barking and shouting like pint-sized Prussian sergeant majors'