Suicide in Nazi Germany
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Author Description
The suicides of Hitler, Goebbels, Bormann, Himmler, and later Goering at the end of World War II were only the most prominent in a suicide epidemic that has no historical parallel and that can tell us much about the Third Reich's peculiar self-destructiveness and the depths of Nazi fanaticism.Looking at the suicides of both Nazis and ordinary people in Germany from the end of World War I until the end of World War II, Christian Goeschel shows how suicides among different population groups, including supporters, opponents, and victims of the regime, responded to the social, cultural, economic, and political context of the time. Richly grounded in gripping and previously unpublished source material Suicide in Nazi Germany offers a new perspective on the central social and political crises of the era, from revolution, economic collapse, and the rise of the Nazis, to Germany's total defeat in 1945.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the historical phenomenon of a suicide epidemic in Germany between the end of World War I and the conclusion of World War II to understand the self-destructive nature of the Third Reich. Christian Goeschel, a historian specializing in modern German history, utilizes previously unpublished archival materials and statistical data to analyze how political, social, and economic crises influenced suicide rates across various demographics. The work argues that these acts of self-destruction provide a unique lens through which to view the fanaticism, collapse, and total defeat of the Nazi regime.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of suicide trends from the Weimar Republic through the fall of the Third Reich in 1945.
- Comparative study of suicide motivations among Nazi party members, regime opponents, and marginalized victims.
- Integration of primary source documents, including police reports, personal diaries, and state records.
- Examination of the cultural and political pressures that contributed to the normalization of self-destruction within German society.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Historians and scholars of the Third Reich recognize this work as a significant contribution to the social history of Nazi Germany. Readers frequently note the meticulous research and the author's ability to synthesize complex archival data into a coherent narrative regarding the regime's internal collapse.
Page Count:
264
Publication Date:
2015-12-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0199606110
ISBN-13:
9780199606115
History
Nazi Germany
Suicide
Germany
Social History
European History
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