New Books in Sociology

Richard J. Evans, "Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich" (Penguin, 2024)

Dec 8, 2024

Richard Evans, a leading expert on Nazi Germany and author of the acclaimed The Third Reich Trilogy, discusses his latest work, *Hitler's People*. He delves into the intricate lives of key Nazi figures, revealing their personal ambitions and failings. The conversation touches on the evolution of Holocaust discourse and the moral responsibilities of historians today. Evans highlights how the ordinary backgrounds of these individuals fueled extraordinary horrors, drawing parallels with contemporary populism and the complexities of historical interpretation.

01:05:44

Episode guests

Richard J. Evans

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Evans emphasizes that many key figures of the Nazi regime were ordinary individuals, challenging the narrative that they were merely monstrous outsiders.

The podcast warns against today's resurgence of populism and authoritarianism, highlighting the need to protect democracy from extremist ideologies.

Deep dives

The Origins of Historical Interest

The speaker describes how personal experiences in post-World War II London, particularly the visible remnants of bombed neighborhoods, sparked a fascination with German history and the Nazi era. Growing up in a working-class area with a lively discussion surrounding the war influenced this interest, especially as many adults were wartime figures. Academic pursuits at Oxford further fueled this passion as a new generation of historians sought to explore Nazi Germany's complex origins and ideologies. This evolutionary journey exemplifies how personal and collective memories can shape historical scholarship.

Intro

2min

Unraveling Nazi Germany: A Personal Journey

13min

The Ties That Bind: Nazi Loyalty and Leadership

2min

Ordinary Men in Extraordinary Times

33min

Navigating the Tension Between Free Speech and Historical Accuracy

4min

The Integrity of Historical Interpretation: Balancing Evidence and Belief

3min

Unveiling the Complexity of Nazi Figures

4min

Richard Evans, author of the acclaimed The Third Reich Trilogy and over two dozen other volumes on modern Europe, is our preeminent scholar of Nazi Germany. Having spent half a century searching for the truths behind one of the most horrifying episodes in human history, in Hitler's People: The Faces of the Third Reich (Penguin Press, 2024), he brings us back to the original site of the Nazi movement: namely, the lives of its most important members.

Working in concentric circles out from Hitler and his closest allies, Evans forms a typological framework of Germany society under Nazi rule from the top down. With a novelist's eye for detail, Evans explains the Third Reich through the personal failings and professional ambitions of its members, from its most notorious deputies--like Goebbels, the regime's propagandist, and Himmler, the Holocaust's chief architect--to the crucial enforcers and instruments of the Nazi agenda that history has largely forgotten--like the schoolteacher Julius Streicher and the actress Leni Riefenstahl. Drawing on a wealth of recently unearthed historical sources, Hitler's People lays bare the inner and outer lives of the characters whose choices led to the deaths of millions.

Nearly a century after Hitler's rise, the leading nations of the West are once again being torn apart by a will to power. By telling the stories of these infamous lives as human lives, Evans asks us to grapple with the complicated nature of complicity, showing us that the distinctions between individual and collective responsibility--and even between pathological evil and rational choice--are never easily drawn.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/sociology