The Nazi Mind

A propulsive narrative history of the motivation and mentality behind the Nazis and their supporters.

How could the Nazis have committed the crimes they did? Why did commandants of concentration and death camps willingly—often enthusiastically—oversee mass murder? How could ordinary Germans have tolerated the removal of the Jews? In The Nazi Mind, bestselling author Laurence Rees combines history and the latest research in psychology to help answer some of the most perplexing questions surrounding the Second World War and the Holocaust.

Ultimately, he delves into the darkness to explain how and why these people were capable of committing the worst crime in the history of the world. Rees traces the rise and eventual fall of the Nazis through the lens of 'twelve warnings'—from talk about 'them' and 'us' to the escalation of racism—whilst also highlighting signs to look out for in present day leaders.

Rees uses previously unpublished testimony from former Nazis and those who grew up in the Nazi system, and in-depth psychological insights including cutting-edge work on obedience, authority, and the brain. The Nazi Mind is a revelatory new way of understanding how so many people committed the most appalling crime of the 20th century.