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Travellers in the Third Reich

The Rise of Fascism Through the Eyes of Everyday People

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Travellers in the Third Reich

By: Julia Boyd
Narrated by: Stephanie Racine
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About this listen

The Sunday Times top three best seller.

One of the Daily Telegraph's Best Books of 2017.

A Guardian 'Readers' Choice' Best Book of 2017.

The events that took place in Germany between 1919 and 1945 were dramatic and terrible, but there were also moments of confusion, of doubt - of hope. How easy was it to know what was actually going on, to grasp the essence of National Socialism, to remain untouched by the propaganda or predict the Holocaust?

Travellers in the Third Reich is an extraordinary history of the rise of the Nazis based on fascinating firsthand accounts, drawing together a multitude of voices and stories, including students, politicians, musicians, diplomats, schoolchildren, communists, scholars, athletes, poets, journalists, fascists, artists, tourists, even celebrities like Charles Lindbergh and Samuel Beckett. Their experiences create a remarkable three-dimensional picture of Germany under Hitler - one so palpable that the listener will feel, hear, even breathe the atmosphere.

These are the accidental eyewitnesses to history. Disturbing, absurd, moving, and ranging from the deeply trivial to the deeply tragic, their tales give a fresh insight into the complexities of the Third Reich, its paradoxes and its ultimate destruction.

©2017 Julia Boyd (P)2019 Hachette Audio UK
20th Century Europe Germany Military Modern War Holocaust Imperialism Thought-Provoking Celebrity Inspiring Soviet Union Socialism Royalty Interwar Period
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This is a fascinating account of life in Nazi Germany, through the eyes (and diaries) of foreign travellers, mostly from English-speaking countries, which raises questions of personal awareness and responsibility of individuals choosing to travel to Germany, while at the same time offering a pre-war perspective that was trying to make sense of the new world and maintain peace. It is at once narrated like a novel and full of testimonies, which makes the period come to life.

Fascinating

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I absolutely loved this book. It is very accessible and lends its self well to an audiobook.
The history is super and the range of sources are woven into a compelling narrative.
The reader has a nice voice to listen to and the pronunciation of German words and words from other languages is useful. A few (very few) parts are mis-read - significant errors made in a couple of places - significant in that mis-read words changed the meaning of the text. But this did not spoil the enjoyment of the book as a whole.

Great book, great story, great history

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This is a wonderfully broad and balanced look at many outsider's accounts of travelling in Germany during the 30s and the war. The range of nationalities is impressive and the collection of different perspectives shows how fascism manifested in a lot of different ways. My favourite chapter was probably on the 1936 Berlin Olympics and how other countries like America were also anti-Semitic but Germany managed to cover up their problematic views. The narrator was excellent and really kept me engaged.

Absolutely Fascinating

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This is so interesting because it is how foreigners saw the Nazis before the truth about them became evident. Some were naïve, some were astute and some were bigots. The book is really well written and the narration is stunningly good. The narrator even does a very creditable job with German proper names. I can't remember enjoying an audio book so much. Highly recommended

Fascinating and enjoyable

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Having read a lot about the War recently . It was a interesting to read about the German civilians life and the transformation of German society under the Nazis.
Julia Boyd covers a lot and paints a picture of prewar Germany culturally and why it was attractive to visitors . Much reference to middle class and aristocrats but I suppose really it was only the wealthy that could afford to travel and send their children to study etc in Germany . Colourful and easy to listen to . I can recommend it .

Interesting and absorbing

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