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They Thought They Were Free

The Germans, 1933-45

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They Thought They Were Free

By: Milton Mayer
Narrated by: Michael Page
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About this listen

First published in 1955, They Thought They Were Free is an eloquent and provocative examination of the development of fascism in Germany. Milton Mayer's book is a study of 10 Germans and their lives from 1933-45, based on interviews he conducted after the war when he lived in Germany.

Mayer had a position as a research professor at the University of Frankfurt and lived in a nearby small Hessian town which he disguised with the name "Kronenberg". "These ten men were not men of distinction," Mayer noted, but they had been members of the Nazi Party; Mayer wanted to discover what had made them Nazis.

©1955 The University of Chicago (P)2017 Tantor Germany Military Politics & Government Sociology United States War

Critic Reviews

"Among the many books written on Germany after the collapse of Hitler's Thousand Year Reich, this book by Milton Mayer is one of the most readable and most enlightening." ( New York Times)

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Profile Image for Pat Feige

eyeopener

was a hard read but excellent point of view of the german people post ww2

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Good concept but difficult to listen to

some really good points and perspectives but very difficult to engage with the narration and story telling.

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