The logic of evil : the social origins of the Nazi Party, 1925-1933 / William Brustein.

Author/creator Brustein, William
Format Electronic
Publication InfoNew Haven : Yale University Press, ©1996.
Description1 online resource (xiv, 235 pages) : illustrations, map
Supplemental ContentJSTOR
Subjects

Contents 1. Who Became Nazis and Why? -- 2. Weimar Political Parties -- 3. The Middle Class and Weimar Political Parties -- 4. The Working Class and Weimar Political Parties -- 5. Selective Incentives and Disincentives for Joining the Nazi Party -- Appendix A: Social Ranking and Occupational Standing -- Appendix B: Brustein-Falter BDC Membership Sample Variables -- Appendix C: A Chronology of Significant Weimar Events.
Abstract Why did millions of apparently sane, rational Germans support the Nazi Party between 1925 and 1933? In this provocative book, William Brustein argues that the Nazi Party's emergence as the most popular political party in Germany was eminently logical and was largely a result of its success at fashioning economic programs that addressed the material needs of a wide range of German citizens.
Summary Brustein has carefully analyzed a huge collection of pre-1933 Nazi Party membership data drawn from the official files at the Berlin Document Center. He argues that Nazi followers were more representative of German society as a whole - that they included more workers, more single women, and more Catholics - than most previous scholars have believed. Further, says Brustein, the patterns of membership reveal that people joined the Nazi Party not because of Hitler's irrational appeal or charisma or anti-Semitism but because the party, through its shrewd and proactive program, offered more benefits to more people than did the other political parties in Weimar Germany. According to Brustein, Nazi supporters were no different from citizens anywhere who select a political party or candidate they believe will promote their economic interests. The roots of evil, he suggests, may be ordinary indeed.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 195-228) and index.
Source of descriptionPrint version record.
Issued in other formPrint version: Brustein, William. Logic of evil. New Haven : Yale University Press, ©1996 0300065337
Genre/formHistory.
ISBN0585344868 (electronic bk.)
ISBN9780585344867 (electronic bk.)
ISBN9780300167283 (electronic bk.)
ISBN0300167288 (electronic bk.)
ISBN(alk. paper)
ISBN(pbk.)
Standard identifier# 9780300074321
Stock number22573/ctt1bhjhqj JSTOR

Availability

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Electronic Resources Access Content Online ✔ Available