The Nazi Mind

From an award-winning historian, a fresh analysis of the rise of Nazi extremism, how such thinking gained popularity, and why it is vital to fight burgeoning extremist movements today.

“Extremely timely … Rees divides his book into ‘Twelve Warnings,’ or red flags to look for in governments and societies today. Although some seem mercifully historic, the majority are disturbingly relevant.” —Air Mail

Why did commandants of concentration camps willingly—and enthusiastically—oversee mass murder? How could the SS commit the crimes they did? What made ordinary Germans tolerate the removal of Jews? In The Nazi Mind, historian Laurence Rees seeks answers to the most perplexing questions surrounding World War II and the Holocaust.

Delving into the darkness, Rees explains how and why these people were capable of committing some of the worst crimes in history. From the late 1910s to the 1940s, Rees charts the rise and fall of Nazi mentalities—including the conditions that allowed this violent ideology to flourish and the sophisticated propaganda effort that sustained it.

Using previously unpublished testimony from former Nazis and those under the Nazi system, and in-depth insights from new psychological research, The Nazi Mind brings fresh understanding to one of the most appalling regimes in history.

• "Why were individuals, often from cultured and well-educated backgrounds, prepared to commit mass atrocities, culminating in genocide? That is the central issue that Laurence Rees tackles. He asks good questions and has good answers. This disturbing book is timely, relevant and important."
  Professor Sir Ian Kershaw, author of Hitler: Hubris and Hitler: Nemesis