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Free to Obey

How the Nazis Invented Modern Management
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Free to Obey by Johann Chapoutot explores how bureaucratic organizations and legal frameworks were manipulated to justify and perpetuate authoritarian regimes. It delves into the historical context of obedience and the systems that compel people to conform, reflecting on the complexities of freedom and control within modern societies. The book provides a thought-provoking examination of historical events that have shaped contemporary understandings of authority and governance.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're fascinated by the intersections of ideology and power structures throughout history, particularly regarding how authority can shape and manipulate societal norms. The author delves into historical contexts to explore the relationships between obedience, freedom, and authority, making it an intriguing read for those interested in examining the dynamics of power and control.

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What if the rules of modern management were written during the Third Reich?

"A brilliant, stereotype defying study."-Les Temps

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

What if the rules of modern management were written during the Third Reich?

SS Commander Reinhard Hohn was one of Nazi Germany's most brilliant legal minds, an archetype of the fervid technocrats that built the Third Reich. Gone into hiding after 1945, he survived unscathed and re-emerged in the 1950s as the founder of a management school.

His story wouldn't be too different from that of other prominent Nazis, if not for the fact that the great majority of Germany's post-war business leaders were educated at his school. Is this a coincidence? Or is there a link between the forms of organization of Nazism and the principles of corporate management?

At the core of Hohn's vision was the concept of freedom, as freedom to obey orders from above— to carry out one's mission no matter the cost.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Free to Obey by Johann Chapoutot is praised for its insightful exploration of Nazism and its lingering impact on modern institutions. Renowned historian Timothy Snyder highlights Chapoutot's exceptional talent, while France Culture commends his ability to reveal the Third Reich as more than a historical anomaly. Le Figaro Magazine finds the book a captivating study of Reinhard Hohn's transformation, and Les Temps describes it as a brilliant work that challenges stereotypes.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781787704459

Publisher: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 27 April 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Europa Compass

Contributors:

  • Translated by Steven Rendall
  • Translated by Steven Rendall
  • Translated by Steven Rendall

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 120.0mm

Height: 180.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 128

About the Author

Johann Chapoutot teaches Contemporary History at the Sorbonne, Paris. He is the author of The Law of Blood: Thinking and Acting as a Nazi (Belknap Press, 2018) and Greeks, Romans, Germans: How the Nazis Usurped Europe’s Classical Past (University of California Press, 2016). Steven Rendall has translated more than sixty books from French and German, including The Art and Critique of Forgetting, which won the Modern Language Association of America, Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for a Translation. He was formerly a professor of Romance Languages at the University of Oregon and editor of the magazine Comparative Literature.

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