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The Good Germans: Resisting the Nazis, 1933-1945 Kindle Edition

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 182 ratings

After 1933, as the brutal terror regime took hold, most of the two-thirds of Germans who had never voted for the Nazis - some 20 million people - tried to keep their heads down and protect their families.

They moved to the country, or pretended to support the regime to avoid being denounced by neighbours, and tried to work out what was really happening in the Reich, surrounded as they were by Nazi propaganda and fake news. They lived in constant fear. Yet many ordinary Germans found the courage to resist. Catrine Clay argues that it was a much greater number than was ever formally recorded. Her ground-breaking book focuses on six very different characters. They are not seen in isolation but as part of their families. Each experiences the momentous events of Nazi history as they unfold in their own small lives - Good Germans all.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Historians have long grappled with the question of how popular the Nazis really were ... The Good Germans suggests that there was much more resistance than was ever formally recorded ... The Good Germans shines the spotlight on people who didn't opt for the path of conformity, but instead made often small but nonetheless defiant choices in their everyday lives that put them at risk ... [Clay] is a great story-teller who proves adept at conjuring her characters straight off the page―BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

A brilliant and deeply disturbing account of six individuals, ranging from Prussian aristocrat to law student to factory hand, who risked, and in some cases lost, their lives to oppose Hitler―
THE SPECTATOR 'Books of the Year'

Timely, intriguing and extremely well informed―
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD 'Pick of the Week'

Historians have long grappled with the question of how popular the Nazis really were ...
The Good Germans suggests that there was much more resistance than was ever formally recorded ... The Good Germans shines the spotlight on people who didn't opt for the path of conformity, but instead made often small but nonetheless defiant choices in their everyday lives that put them at risk ... [Clay] is a great story-teller who proves adept at conjuring her characters straight off the page―BBC HISTORY MAGAZINE

A brilliant and deeply disturbing account of six individuals, ranging from Prussian aristocrat to law student to factory hand, who risked, and in some cases lost, their lives to oppose Hitler―
THE SPECTATOR 'Books of the Year'

About the Author

Catrine Clay worked for the BBC for over twenty years, directing and producing award-winning television documentaries. She won the International Documentary Award and the Golden Spire for Best History Documentary, and was nominated for a BAFTA. She is the author of King, Kaiser, Tsar, Trautmann's Journey and Labyrinths. She is married with three children and lives in London.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08P1HXTN3
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Weidenfeld & Nicolson (September 3, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 3, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 15272 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 377 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 182 ratings

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Catrine Clay
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
182 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2021
    It's a Christmas present.
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2021
    A great read which draws you into the realities that existed for those trying to live and oppose an evil regime. For those who are tempted to paint WW2 Germany with one generic brush, this provides a great perspective of how many German people did all they could to oppose the evil of their day
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good to know about the resistance to Nazism
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2024
    A good, rather solid, read. I was aware from an ex-POW that there was resistance to the Nazi regime, but this book goes into considerable detail.
  • David K.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Exciting investigative unfolding to offer insight
    Reviewed in Germany on January 23, 2023
    Well researched, empathic and clearly formulated. Offers hope in times of unrest and international conflicts to recognise there are alternatives to military intervention by committed and courageous individuals who seek ethical solutions to tear at the fabric of weaponry, hate and prejudice
  • H.A.B.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and well written ...
    Reviewed in Germany on April 11, 2021
    after a fascinating Zoom session which I was invited to , where the author was introducing the book, the thoughts behind the book etc , I immediately ordered it ....

    and I am delighted I did ... it is well written , informative and corrects certain perceptions people might have had about Germans from a certain age ...
  • Margaret Sercombe
    5.0 out of 5 stars book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 8, 2021
    This story is very interesting and well worth reading.
    I received this book within a couple of days of ordering, excellent service.
  • A Word In Your Ear
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating insight into German resistance in Third Reich
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2020
    This book, serialised on BBC Radio 4 recently fills much-needed gap in our knowledge of the Third Reich. To be honest my own view of the German population during this period was rather jaundiced, given the apparent enthusiasm with which they embraced one of the worst regimes in history. Catrine Clay's narrative goes a long way towards correcting that impression. There were in fact an astonishing number of dissidents operating in Germany and attempting to undermine the regime, either by counter-propaganda, plotting its overthrow or sabotage of the German war machine.

    Clay structures her book around the stories of several individual protagonists, interweaving their tales of resistance over a period from 1933 to the end of WW2. These individuals covered a wide spectrum of political ideology and all they had in common was their contempt of the Nazi party and its leader. They included aristocratic Prussians, a dissolute best-selling novelist, Communists, and members of the defeated Social Democrats. The author brings these characters alive with quite a skillful use of fictional dialogue. Otherwise the rest of the book is factual.

    The author draws on many interesting connections between her protagonists and players in other countries who were not happy about Hitler's rise to power and who saw the dangers long before their governments finally realised what a threat Hitler was to peace in Europe EG the journalist Ian Colvin and a few politicians in the British government who resisted the call for appeasement.

    This book is a fitting tribute to ordinary Germans who showed astonishing courage in the face of overwhelming brutality and who stayed true to their principles. However Clay is not shy about a warts-and-all portrayal of fallible, flawed people - philanderers, gluttons, addicts. Not all her protagonists were shiny do-gooders or even ideal members of society, but they refused to lie down under the weight of Nazi oppression.

    A really enjoyable read - though if I'm being picky I would have cut out certain sections where the separate story lines were repeated almost verbatim. I think this was done for continuity but for me they were unnecessary. Style-wise I found some of the phrases and story-telling techniques a bit cliched and amateurish. Just my personal taste, otherwise I can't fault this impressive and meticulous piece of research.

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