Peter Phillips (7)

Peter Phillips is a history professor but also spent much of WW II in prisoner-or-war camps and in a concentration camp, so he speaks with authority. His references include over one thousand books and articles, many that have never been translated from German.

He attempts to explain why and how the German people allowed Nazism to take contol of their country. He describes the political, economical, and cultural climate prior to Hitler taking power. And he expounds on the six basic features which are generally common to totalitarian dictatorships. He discusses the moral collapse of the German population after WW I, and how that contributed to the depth of evil that occurred during WW II. And he compares the horrors of Nazi Germany with the ruthless Stalin liquidations in the Soviet Union, citing many examples of similarities in human behavior. If one is to believe Phillips theory, there is a great possibility that such organized, massive, cruel animalistic behavior can, and will, happen again someday elsewhere in the world.

I found the book very interesting, thought provoking, and informative. Also, I appreciated Peter Phillips extensive bibliographical list of suggestions for further reading.… (mer)