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They Thought They Were Free

The Germans, 1933-45

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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 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)
All stars
Most relevant
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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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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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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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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