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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 Europe Germany Military Politics & Government Sociology United States War

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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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The first part was excellent, featuring parts of interviews with ten ordinary Germans who were members of the Nazi party.
The second part lost it's way somehow and was not so informative.

A tale of two halves

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I liked this book a lot. I have read a great deal about the influences that the Germans were subject to from the late 19th century to post war. This is one of the most interesting and varied points of view.

Worth Reading

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An eye-opening insight insight into the totalitarian period in Germany and the people who lived under it.

A must listen

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see above. too much German not necessary just tell us the translation! very interesting back story though

too much geran. it's an English language reading

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The similarities of 1933-45 and now are rather striking - but people do either not want to see it or are so fear-condituoned they don't even notice.

A must listen/read!

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The sections based on interviews with ten "Ordinary Germans" who lived through the Nazi years are fascinating but the later analytical sections (written in late 40s and revised in mid-50s) are tedious and setentious. The speculation as to how Germany (and the strategic in Europe) looks seriously wrong in retrospect - a warning about predicting the future without recognising how random events and developments elsewhere can change the course of history. An unpleasant undertone in the book is the impression that the writer is embarrassed by being an American. The accents used for several characters when their words are reported echo those of cliché Germans and Nazis who hail from Hollywood.

Fascinating as regards personal interviews but ...

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This is very interesting book and we should always remember that it was written just a few years after the WWII. After the stunning introduction, the part one is one of the best studies of German society before the war began. Parts two and three are a bit philosophical, but again, we shouldn't forget that the author wrote it shortly after the Europe entered Cold War period, Germany was divided and nobody expected that borders from 1955 will remain unchanged for another 35 years.

Very interesting voice from the past

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