Scan barcode
littlefoot10's review against another edition
4.0
This novel shows what life was like for Germans during these years...that were not Nazi's, but also were not putting themselves in danger to hide Jewish people in their homes or businesses. Just regular every day people trying to live their lives in fear, always.
Haffner puts into perspective what it was like, day to day; and how the Nazi's were created. This novel was very eye opening and I think that everyone should put it on their reading list.
Haffner puts into perspective what it was like, day to day; and how the Nazi's were created. This novel was very eye opening and I think that everyone should put it on their reading list.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
This book was included in the Audible Plus catalog, which I loved. I did not really care for the narration of this book, however, and would have enjoyed it more with a different narrator. The actual content of the book was a very neat perspective of life between World War I and World War II in Germany. I really enjoyed reading something from this perspective. It gave a clear idea of what the climate was like in and around Nazi territories.
alissabar's review against another edition
5.0
As I have read and studied about World War II through the years, I, too, have had the same questions Haffner's son mentions near the end of this book--How were the Nazis possible? and Why weren't they stopped by the German people? This book does an awesome job of providing some answers. It made it clear to me that Germany and its people were the first victims of Hitler and the Nazis. They were conquered first and then Hitler/Nazis moved on to other countries around them.
I think that Haffner did a great job portaying what it was like for a common German during the Nazi takeover. His confusion, frustration, and helplessness and some of the things he experienced must have been what thousands of other Germans were feeling and going through at the time. What a dark time it must have been as they came to grips with the new realities of their world. I just wish Haffner would have finished writing his whole story before he died. I would have loved to read the rest of his journey. Thanks, Michael, for the recommendation.
I think that Haffner did a great job portaying what it was like for a common German during the Nazi takeover. His confusion, frustration, and helplessness and some of the things he experienced must have been what thousands of other Germans were feeling and going through at the time. What a dark time it must have been as they came to grips with the new realities of their world. I just wish Haffner would have finished writing his whole story before he died. I would have loved to read the rest of his journey. Thanks, Michael, for the recommendation.
hanazet's review against another edition
5.0
Všetci vieme, ako sa to skončilo. Poďme sa pozrieť na to, ako sa to začalo. Čo k tomu viedlo.
Raimund Pretzel alias Sebastian Haffner sa narodil v roku 1907, zažil (a prežil) teda obe svetové vojny. Kým prvú vnímal ako nadšený chlapec, na sklonku druhej bol mladý už, ktorý so zdesením sledoval zmeny okolo seba, v politike, ale najmä v spoločnosti.
Príbeh jedného Nemca mapuje život v Nemecku počas prvej svetovej vojny, po jej skončení a prehre a poodhaľuje, čo viedlo k vzostupu Adolfa Hitlera k moci, prečo mu bolo umožnené zájsť až tak ďaleko. Hoci sme sa v škole učili, že v Nemecku bolo zle, Haffner konkrétne približuje neradostné podmienky, napríklad keď ste celý mesiac pracovali na to, aby ste po výplate nemali ani na kilo zemiakov. Kým mladí ľudia pochopia systém, bohatnú, žijú večierkami a podporujú nechápavých rodičov, dôchodcovia, čo nemajú šťastie na podnikavých príbuzných, umierajú od hladu na ulici. Menia sa vzťahy a kamarástva, zo zohratej partie sa vyčleňujú nacisti. Systém sa snažil urobiť ich zo všetkých.
"Pochodovanie a spevy boli na dennom poriadku, ak človek nechcel hajlovať pred zástavou, musel sa rýchlo niekam pratať. Žili sme ako vo vojnovom stave, ale bola to čudná vojna - víťazstvá sa dobýjali spevom a pochodovaním." ... "Pre istú skupinu Nemcov to bol raj na zemi, akoby zažívali déja vu z augusta 1914. Staré dámy s nákupnými taškami stáli na kraji chodníka a s rozžiarenými očami sa dívali za pochodujúcim a vyspevujúcim hnedým ľudským hadom. 'Veď to musí vidieť aj slepý,' dušovali sa. 'Každý predsa na vlastné oči vidí, že sa všetko zlepšilo, nie?' "
Svojich krajanov muž, ktorý v roku 1938 emigroval do Anglicka, nešetrí. Spomína nedostatky nemeckej povahy a mentality, obviňuje ich z neschopnosti žiť v mieri a bez napätia. Kniha zachytáva roky 1914 - 1933, ale napísal ju na začiatku druhej svetovej vojny, pričom Nemecku neprorokoval dobrý osud. Svet spoznal Haffnerove najosobnejšie myšlienky až po jeho smrti, keď zápisky našiel a dal dokopy syn Oliver. Počas svojho života bol pritom aktívny novinár a spisovateľ, ktorý sa venoval aj téme druhej svetovej vojny. Príbeh jedného Nemca je intímny, tempo je pomalé, ale to knihe rozhodne neuberá na zaujímavosti.
"Prežívali sme rovnaký žiaľ, ale každý z nás si z neho vzal niečo iné - Hitler nenávisť, vzdor a odhodlanie stať sa politikom, ja zasa poučenie, že o platnosti pravidiel netreba pochybovať a že život je hrozne nevypočítateľný. Nemôžem si pomôcť, ale ak to porovnám, reakcia jedenásťročného chlapca sa mi vidí zrelšia než reakcia takmer tridsaťročného muža.
Od toho okamihu bolo vo hviezdach nespochybniteľne dané, že ja s Hitlerovou ríšou nebudem mať priateľské vzťahy."
Raimund Pretzel alias Sebastian Haffner sa narodil v roku 1907, zažil (a prežil) teda obe svetové vojny. Kým prvú vnímal ako nadšený chlapec, na sklonku druhej bol mladý už, ktorý so zdesením sledoval zmeny okolo seba, v politike, ale najmä v spoločnosti.
Príbeh jedného Nemca mapuje život v Nemecku počas prvej svetovej vojny, po jej skončení a prehre a poodhaľuje, čo viedlo k vzostupu Adolfa Hitlera k moci, prečo mu bolo umožnené zájsť až tak ďaleko. Hoci sme sa v škole učili, že v Nemecku bolo zle, Haffner konkrétne približuje neradostné podmienky, napríklad keď ste celý mesiac pracovali na to, aby ste po výplate nemali ani na kilo zemiakov. Kým mladí ľudia pochopia systém, bohatnú, žijú večierkami a podporujú nechápavých rodičov, dôchodcovia, čo nemajú šťastie na podnikavých príbuzných, umierajú od hladu na ulici. Menia sa vzťahy a kamarástva, zo zohratej partie sa vyčleňujú nacisti. Systém sa snažil urobiť ich zo všetkých.
"Pochodovanie a spevy boli na dennom poriadku, ak človek nechcel hajlovať pred zástavou, musel sa rýchlo niekam pratať. Žili sme ako vo vojnovom stave, ale bola to čudná vojna - víťazstvá sa dobýjali spevom a pochodovaním." ... "Pre istú skupinu Nemcov to bol raj na zemi, akoby zažívali déja vu z augusta 1914. Staré dámy s nákupnými taškami stáli na kraji chodníka a s rozžiarenými očami sa dívali za pochodujúcim a vyspevujúcim hnedým ľudským hadom. 'Veď to musí vidieť aj slepý,' dušovali sa. 'Každý predsa na vlastné oči vidí, že sa všetko zlepšilo, nie?' "
Svojich krajanov muž, ktorý v roku 1938 emigroval do Anglicka, nešetrí. Spomína nedostatky nemeckej povahy a mentality, obviňuje ich z neschopnosti žiť v mieri a bez napätia. Kniha zachytáva roky 1914 - 1933, ale napísal ju na začiatku druhej svetovej vojny, pričom Nemecku neprorokoval dobrý osud. Svet spoznal Haffnerove najosobnejšie myšlienky až po jeho smrti, keď zápisky našiel a dal dokopy syn Oliver. Počas svojho života bol pritom aktívny novinár a spisovateľ, ktorý sa venoval aj téme druhej svetovej vojny. Príbeh jedného Nemca je intímny, tempo je pomalé, ale to knihe rozhodne neuberá na zaujímavosti.
"Prežívali sme rovnaký žiaľ, ale každý z nás si z neho vzal niečo iné - Hitler nenávisť, vzdor a odhodlanie stať sa politikom, ja zasa poučenie, že o platnosti pravidiel netreba pochybovať a že život je hrozne nevypočítateľný. Nemôžem si pomôcť, ale ak to porovnám, reakcia jedenásťročného chlapca sa mi vidí zrelšia než reakcia takmer tridsaťročného muža.
Od toho okamihu bolo vo hviezdach nespochybniteľne dané, že ja s Hitlerovou ríšou nebudem mať priateľské vzťahy."
bookpossum's review against another edition
5.0
A brilliant and clear examination of the rise of Hitler and the Nazis to power in 1930s Germany. It is chilling to see how quickly and thoroughly a group of thugs terrorised and subjugated a whole country.
Towards the end of the book, Haffner and his fellow law students were required to undergo some military training and of course indoctrination, before they could take their final exams, an efficient way of ensuring the judiciary was a part of the system.
They were in uniform and of course marching behind a flag with a swastika on it as part of their training.
"When we came through villages, the people on either side of the road raised their arms to greet the flag, or disappeared quickly in some house entrance. They did this because they had learned that if they did not, we, that is I, would beat them up. It made not the slightest difference that I - and, no doubt, others among us - ourselves fled into entryways to avoid these flags, when we were not marching behind them. Now we were the ones embodying an implicit threat of violence against all bystanders. They greeted the flag or disappeared. For fear of us. For fear of me.
I still feel dizzy when I consider my predicament then. It was the Third Reich in a nutshell."
Later when the group of young men is required to listen to one of Hitler's speeches on the radio, and at the end they all raised their arms in the salute while singing Deutschland uber alles and the Horst Wessel song. "... we all sang or pretended to do so, each one of us the Gestapo of the others."
A powerful and gripping book.
Towards the end of the book, Haffner and his fellow law students were required to undergo some military training and of course indoctrination, before they could take their final exams, an efficient way of ensuring the judiciary was a part of the system.
They were in uniform and of course marching behind a flag with a swastika on it as part of their training.
"When we came through villages, the people on either side of the road raised their arms to greet the flag, or disappeared quickly in some house entrance. They did this because they had learned that if they did not, we, that is I, would beat them up. It made not the slightest difference that I - and, no doubt, others among us - ourselves fled into entryways to avoid these flags, when we were not marching behind them. Now we were the ones embodying an implicit threat of violence against all bystanders. They greeted the flag or disappeared. For fear of us. For fear of me.
I still feel dizzy when I consider my predicament then. It was the Third Reich in a nutshell."
Later when the group of young men is required to listen to one of Hitler's speeches on the radio, and at the end they all raised their arms in the salute while singing Deutschland uber alles and the Horst Wessel song. "... we all sang or pretended to do so, each one of us the Gestapo of the others."
A powerful and gripping book.
merixien's review against another edition
5.0
Birinci Dünya Savaşı’ndaki yenilginin ardından Almanya’daki çalkantılı durumundan başlayarak yakın tarihi “sıradan bir vatandaş” gözünden bütün gerçekçiliği ile okuyorsunuz. Örneğin hiperenflasyonun gün gün ülkeyi fakirleştirmesini, bu fakirleşme ve uluslararası arenada kaybedilmiş bir savaşın ardından halkı bir arada tutabilmek için ülkenin içinden bir kurban arayışına girilmesini, günah keçisinin ise yahudiler olarak seçilmesini adım adım görüyorsunuz. Nasyonal sosyalizm tehdidinin ülkede yavaş yavaş yükselişini, saçmalıktan ideale çıkışını, kademeli olarak yönetimden hayatın büyün alanlarına yayılışını ve muhaliflerin direnişlerinin kırılma süreciyle korkularını ve teslimiyetlerini okuyorsunuz. Bir yandan da aşırı sağ ve benzer hareketlerin dünya üzerinde, geçmişte ya da günümüzde hep aynı sistem ile yükselişe geçtiğini ve her seferinde son noktaya gelindiği anda ancak insanlığı şaşırttığını görüyorsunuz. Bu çok acayip bir nokta. Bu sürece bu kadar net bir görgü tanığı raporundan göz atmak çok kıymetli gerçekten. Mutlaka okumanızı tavsiye ederim.
nesetzengin's review against another edition
5.0
İnanılmaz bir anlatı. İnsanlığın yuvarlandığı bu dipsiz çukur, Hitler dönemi Almanya'sı ve Yahudi Soykırımı ile ilgili ne okusam her seferinde şaşırıyorum. Sebastian Haffner, kitabın son bölümlerinde mezun olacağı hakim adayları kampına gidiyor ve çıktıkları eğitimde(içtima) SA taburu gibi yürüyüp Nazi selamı yapmak zorunda kalıyor, tüm ömrü boyunca bu anın utancını yaşayacağını anlatıyor. Haffner, isterse bu kısımları anlatmayabilirdi ama insanlığın geldiği durumu, sindirilmişliği görmek açısından olduğu gibi anlatmış. Özellikle Nazileri ayakta selamlayan ve zaferini alkışlayan sosyal demokratlarla ilgili ayrıntılar gerçekten inanılmaz. İnsanlık, bu kötülük karşısında dik durabilir miydi, bu kıyamete giden sürece engel olabilir miydi? Cevabı geç kalmış ve artık önemini yitirmiş sorular.
Tek bir gücün elinde toplanması, koalisyon hükümetinin bertaraf edilmesi ile ilgili günümüz AKP Türkiye'si ile ilgili şaşırtmayan benzerlikler var. Merkel de bu hafta veda ziyaretinde bunu ısrarla dile getirmişti. Koalisyon
Tek bir gücün elinde toplanması, koalisyon hükümetinin bertaraf edilmesi ile ilgili günümüz AKP Türkiye'si ile ilgili şaşırtmayan benzerlikler var. Merkel de bu hafta veda ziyaretinde bunu ısrarla dile getirmişti. Koalisyon