The Fourth Reich

The Fourth Reich: The Specter of Nazism from World War II to the Present is an incredibly detailed history of the concept of the Fourth Reich. The fear of the Nazi return to Germany was real after World War II. The war did not end suddenly, and resistance continued even after the German surrender. The partition of German was also a result of the fear that any German government would lead to a return of the Nazis and war.

The Fourth Reich became boogeyman in post-war history, and its meanings were varied. A German Jew, Georg Bernhard, helped draft the constitution for the Fourth Reich. His Germany was committed to peace and equality. Reich in its most basic sense means realm, and it had no adverse connotation before WWII. When West Germany was allowed self-government in 1949, it chose "Federal Republic of Germany" instead of Reich. Naming itself a republic, however, did not stop the elements on the right from wanting to reestablish a Nazi-like regime.

The idea of a new German Reich rose and fell in public view. By the 1970s, West Germany was seen safe enough that American entertainment took hold of the Nazi return. The Boys from Brazil and The Odessa File became hit books. Who could forget the German dentist in Marathon Man? There were real and fictionalized stories of Nazi hunters. There was also a rise in Neo-Nazism in the US during the 1970s making national news with the Stokie Supreme Court case.  Today, the threat seems more serious as right-wing parties are gaining strength in Europe.  In the US, the far right wing and the far left clashed in the streets of Charlotte and other cities.  Internet publications like The Daily Stormer and Breitbart spread the word to a worldwide audience. 

Author, Gavriel D. Rosenfeld is Professor of History and Director of the Undergraduate Program in Judaic Studies at Fairfield University.  He received his Ph.D. in History from UCLA in 1996.  The Fourth Reich is a detailed history of a movement that has not materialized.  Over one-third of the book is reserved for documentation and source material.  An extremely well-done and well research history. 

Available March 31, 2019

This is clearly a book for those interested in WW2 and it is a heavy read. The author has clearly done his research and discusses the possibility of a Fourth Reich. The book is well written and has a lot of history.

The depths of hell in a persons soul are terrifying. Every time I read a book that touches on any speck of Nazism my head keeps shaking and I repeatedly as myself WHY? I think Gavriel Rosenfeld did a very good job tackling a subject that needs to keep being written about until everyone asks, "how did this happen?"

This book explores the concept of a Fourth Reich and what it would have meant had it happened. We see things in everyday politics that make many afraid. Could this happen again? Yes, history does repeat itself sometimes. Will it happen again? The possibility of this is a frightening idea. As part of the baby boomer generation after WW2, a lot of the story of what was happening in Germany was told first hand from family who were there. This book is well written and the sources are included which is always a plus. I received this book from Net Galley and Cambridge University Press for a honest review.