Review of A Free Nation Deep in Debt: The Financial Roots of Democracy (Hardcover)

"A Free Nation Deep in Debt" is James Macdonald's first literary contribution to the field of political economy and it is rich in historical detail, a fact which may make it a challenging read for anyone unacquainted with ordinary economic history and its specific historiography. Macdonald, an investment banker for many years who now lives in Oxford, England, discusses the idea that the way a country borrows its money is associated with what kind of government it has. In his discussion, Macdonald traces the evolution of public debt from antiquity to the present, arguing that public finance and political freedom are more closely interrelated than most people realize.

For those who like some structure in a book of this complexity, it can easily be divided into an introduction and four main sections. The first seven pages, with the title "Introduction: The Financial Roots of Democracy," sketches out what is to come, providing the reader with a framework for the coming text and raising the essential questions with which the author will wrestle.

The first section traces the history of public finance and political freedom from the end of the Bronze Age to the end of the Dark Ages, contrasts two different types of finances -- tribal and imperial, explains the historic advantages of autocratic government, considers the critical period when some of the emerging societies settled down and civilized themselves without losing their political freedom, and, in regard to the so-called Dark Ages, asks why they had a more intense and enduring effect in western Europe than in other places. This initial section sets the stage for a comprehensive description of the relationship of public finance and political freedom in the Middle Ages and modern times.

The second section deals with medieval Europe. It was to be the role of medieval Italian city-states to bring back the idea of democratic public financing and modify it so it could become a workable plan for public financing. According to Macdonald, "The system that they created, although in one way fatally flawed, set off a chain of events with results that no one could have predicted." The third section of the book continues the discussion of public finance by looking at the attempts of other European states to come to terms with the implications of the Italian strategy.

The fourth and final section considers events after the French Revolution, and the author suggests that "The outcome of the Napoleonic Wars demonstrated the superiority of a political system based on the alliance of parliamentary government and public debt, but now there was a new question: Would a system created in a world of restricted citizenship and limited franchise prove compatible with universal suffrage. It was the role of the nineteenth century to find a solution to this problem. In the devastating wars of the first half of the twentieth century, this solution was put to the test." And Macdonald concludes that "The First World War was the apotheosis of 'democratic' public finance, the Second its swan song."

Throughout the reading of "A Free Nation Deep in Debt," one is struck continually by both the historical detail the author has uncovered and the factual surprises which he springs on the reader. How many of us realize, for instance, that the problem of public financing was intimately related to the fall of Rome or that in the eighteenth century it was commonly accepted that public debt and political liberty were intimately related? Regarding our own time and country, how many of us realize that the role played by the United States in World War I was funded with public debt?

I will leave it to the experts in economic theory and history to evaluate what appear to be Macdonald's conclusions in this romp through political economy from ancient Mesopotamia to the United States in the twentieth century. Has public borrowing from citizens in times of war gone hand in hand with modern democracy, as Macdonald argues? Does he present a compelling case showing why a democratic government is able to borrow more cheaply from its citizen-lenders than an autocratic state who does not consider its citizens to be equals? Was, in fact, World War II the "swan song" of democratic public financing? And, if true, has this occurred as a result of a decline in the public's trust of government, particularly in Western nations, combined with increasing globalization of the economy?

Readers can decide for themselves whether Macdonald adequately answers the above questions, as well as the other questions he tackles. Suffice to say, "A Free Nation Deep in Debt" is a comprehensive and detailed consideration regarding a certain aspect of economic history, specifically the relationship between public financing and political freedom. Certainly an interesting read, but let the reader beware. This scholarly book is definitely not Sunday afternoon "leisure" reading.

Fortunately for the reader, this book is enhanced with a detailed appendix of notes on currencies which describes them and sets out their relationships in historical context. Furthermore, a helpful glossary is provided which explains the technical terms used in the text, although the educated reader will not have much difficulty with the terms as they are used since they are explained as they occur within the text itself. The author has also provided thirty-five pages of notes, a 21-page bibliography, and a useful index with both major and minor topics listed.



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Review of This Changes Everything: The Relational Revolution in Psychology (Hardcover)

The philosopher Ken Wilber first alerted to the work of Carol Gilligan. I was already aware of some of the work of Jean Baker Miller and Judith Lewis Herman and the revolution in psychology that they had spawned. But some of the details I did not known and they are captured in the remarkable narrative of Christina Robb's book.

Almost thirty years ago, Carol Gilligan wrote an essay entitled "In a Different Voice," that was subsequently expanded into a book that I recommend highly. She described the marked discrepancies in morality and self-expression between men and women. For women, the whole notion of self tends to be inextricably bound up in a web of close relationships. Women tend to be more diligent about maintaining and nurturing these relationships, and inter-personal details tend to be more important to them, than they are for most men. At the time that she started writing about this, much psychological thinking in the United States had not yet dragged itself out of the confines of the post-Freudian theorizing that had dominated American psychology for decades. Gilligan and her co-workers identified relationships as the foundation of our psychological and physical states. At the time, the idea that men and women might tend to think and relate in different ways was anathema. I did a brief stint in Boston around that time, and it was pretty clear what could and could not be thought about. Despite the incredible liberal and intellectual traditions at Harvard, there were clearly some "no go" areas in psychology; gender differences being just one of them. Gilligan's work was courageous, and taken together with the findings of psychiatrists Judith Lewis Herman and Jean Baker Miller, would ultimately lead to radical alterations in the way that we understand the psychology of women. Are these gender differences social, political or biological? The answer is, I think, yes: all of the above.

Christine Robb has managed to capture the quiet revolution that these scientists introduced, and which is still being felt today. Though it is surprising how often discussion of gender differences are still omitted from much work on self-psychology. In an otherwise wonderful book - The Self in Neuroscience and Psychiatry, edited by Tilo Kircher and Anthony David - there is scarcely any mention of gender.

I would not normally expect to get through a 450-page book at one sitting: I'm not a speed-reader! But this is so well written and the biographies and interviews so enthralling, that I did indeed polish it off at one sitting. Though I feel sure that I shall return to it in the future.

Though this is a big juicy book with pages of references and a bibliography, I'm going to make a prediction that it is going to be one of those rare cross-over books that will be read not just by academics and psychology students, but also by people who really are interested in knowing more about themselves and understanding relationships. It wouldn't surprise me at all if this one gets featured on Oprah! It's that good.

Highly recommended!



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Review of Kansas City : An American Story (Hardcover)

Excellent book. I actually bought this book after glancing through someone else's copy that was a gift. I already had a dvd about Kansas City as told by some its oldest residents that I thought this book was a good read to go along with great video and personal accounts and I was right.



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Review of The Bureau: The Secret History of the FBI (Hardcover)

Ronald Kessler's book, "The Bureau:The Secret History of the FBI" is the most detailed and
well-sourced book about the FBIthat I have ever read. As a kid, I wanted to be an FBI agent and
went to law school solely for that purpose. But, an FBI agent in the Minneapolis office dissuaded
me from my goal and suggested that I become a Treasury agent, which I did. I worked some with
- and was around - the FBI for several years, as well as several other Federal law-enforcement
agencies. Then, I joined the CIA and served mostly overseas. In private security practice in
Dallas, I came to know several former FBI agents.

This book is probably a fair assessment of the FBI, an agency of mostly intelligent and dedicated
employees with a history of disastrous management. We all knew how maniacal J. Edgar Hoover
was about the Bureau's image and his own image. Kessler documents this very well with story
after story. And he documents the many violations of the law Hoover committed, from illegal
entries to wiretaps.

If there was any doubt that Hoover had personal files on celebrities and politicians, which he
used to keep everybody "in line," Ron Kessler provides ample proof. From personal contacts in
the FBI, I had heard about the files many years ago. Hoover was untouchable because of those
files. His private files kept him in office for nearly 48 years! Plain and simple.

Kessler brings us through the inept leadership of Director Sessions, to the tenure of Louis Freeh,
whom he describes as having "... left the FBI in a shambles."Before reading this book, I had no
doubt that the policies of Louis Freeh had handcuffed the FBI in the area of intelligence and
analysis.In the book, you can see decision after decision by Freeh which weakened, almost
destroyed the FBI. That the FBI was using 386 and 486 computers is unpardonable. Congress
was willing to appropriate the money, but did not think Louis Freeh had a clue as to what to do

with it. He had the computer taken out of his office and did not use e-mail. How do such
incompetents as Freeh stay on the job for nearly eight years? Ron Kessler explains.

The culture within the FBI was that "none of us would ever betray our country." That kept
polygraph exams from being administered and periodic background investigations from being
done. So, for many years, Robert Hanssen, who had access to our greatest secrets, betrayed his
country. It is improbable that this will happen again, with the new Security Division and the
checks that are in place. Louis Freeh said at a congressional hearing that he had scheduled a
polygraph for himself, but he left the FBI without ever taking one.

The author was granted the first interview with Robert S. Mueller III, the new director. I had
already formed a very positive and hopeful opinion of Mueller, an ex-Marine and prosecutor.
Kessler reinforces that perception. But the book shows you what a horrendous mess Director
Mueller inherited.

I have a couple of quibble points. In his discussion of Ruby Ridge, I thought Ron glossed over
the FBI's role and actions there. When he spoke of the fatal shooting of Vicki Weaver by an FBI
sharpshooter, which was probably an accident, he says "...second shot blasted through the cabin's
wooden door and into the face of Vicki Weaver." Actually, there were glass panes in the door,
which leaves more open to question the judgement of the sharpshooter - who was looking though
a high-powered scope.I have written at length about Ruby Ridge on my Web site.I had been an
ATF agent. I knew exactly what this case was all about. In ways, it was perhaps a greater tragedy
than Waco, because it was built from the start on a bad premise. Randy Weaver was entrapped by
the ATF.

Perhaps the FBI should have let the ATF stew in its own juices and stayed out of Ruby Ridge.
Nobody had to die over this case! But a U.S. Marshal, Weaver's teenage son, and his wife all
died from gunshots. Eventually, the Justice Department paid Randy Weaver $3.1 million dollars
to settle his wrongful death suit.

In several places, the author speaks of the many clandestine entries (black-bag jobs) made into
foreign embassies in Washington, D.C. by the FBI. I don't think so. Not many, anyway.That
was what I did for the CIA overseas. Embassies are sacred ground and are normally guarded
around the clock. Most electronic penetrations are by wiretap or a bugging device carried in by a
recruited person - or bugs planted before the occupants take possession of the building. Sneaking
into an occupied embassy is mostly the stuff of movie fiction. With rare exceptions.

Every American who cares about our national security ought to read this book. Then, you can
understand what all the shouting is about, and what all the posturing is about that you see in
those congressional hearings about the FBI. And how the FBI fits into the Homeland Security
effort. You also can see what a horrendous mess Director Mueller inherited.

As Ron Kessler seems to suggest, I am optimistic that the FBI will get back on track and will
regain the reputation it once had as the premiere law enforcement agency in the world. If I were a
younger man, I would ignore my FBI friend's original advice. I would apply to become a Special
Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is a worthwhile and honorable career. Now
more than ever before.



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Review of A History of the English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900 (Hardcover)

Reviewers who've disparaged this author refuse to accept the objective facts discussed in his book and the inevitable conclusion that arises from these facts: uniquely among great powers, the US and Britain have mostly been a force for good in the world.Simply compare, as the author does, the overall progress and freedom of the American sphere during the Cold War to the terror and privation of the Soviet bloc.Or the fact that the legacy of Britain's Empire is, predominantly, a series of countries with freely-elected parliaments (versus the blood-thirty dictatorships that have taken root in France's ex-colonies).Or recall the genocides comitted over the years by other world powers (Russia, Germany, Japan, China, Turkey, etc.).Unless you're incurably hostile to democracy and capitalism (capitalism being the economic manifestation of democracy), or to the use of military force to defend democracy against fascists (of any stripe or religion), this book will resonate with you.



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Review of The Crisis: The President, the Prophet, and the Shah-1979 and the Coming of Militant Islam (Hardcover)

The Crisis is a must read for anyone interested in the situation in the Middle East today.David Harris has written an insightful, informative book on the three leaders who were involved in the Iranian hostage take-over.It is the best written book I have read on the subject.The book isclearly written and with such sensitivity that I didn't want to put it down.By focusing in on the personalities of President Carter, the Ayatollah Khomeinni and the Shah of Iran, I came away with a much better understanding of the three men and the incredible mistakes and misunderstandings that can happen in the world of international politics.Harris writes with a dramatic and visual flare that makes it a pleasure to read.

Judith Dwan Hallet
Documentary Filmmaker



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Review of Hitting the Jackpot: The Inside Story of the Richest Indian Tribe in History (Hardcover)

I was 80 pages into this book the first time I picked it up. And I don't even like gambling! While seemingly a factual account of the creation of the Foxwoods casino, Fromson's book is also superb America story. It opens with a historic battle -- very interesting -- and Fromson cleverly utilizes the sordid legal trail this is America's relationship with its indigenous people, as a way to trace how Foxwoods came to be. In fact, what is ultimately a story behind the best payoff in history -- nearly vanished Conn.-based Indian tribe cashes in to the tune of billions -- is also a document that testifies to social and cultural issues. While it is a must read for those interested in gambling, it is absolutely a must read for lawyers (due to the superb tracing of Foxwood's legal right to exist) as well those interested in American history and Native Americans. I'd advise college professors to give the book a whirl in the classroom. Given Fromson's financial writing background, this book is best describe as being in the genre of Michael Lewis (Liar's Poker/Moneyball). Factual history made interesting thanks to superb storytelling skills from the author.



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Review of The South under siege, 1830-2000: A history of the relations between the North and the South (Hardcover)

An exhaustive and often eye-opening review of relations between the northern and southern states and between the US government and the states of the south. This should be a "must read" for all those of southern ancestry.



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Review of Miami: A Backward Glance (Hardcover)

Even if you're not from Miami (and I'm not), Miami: A Backward Glance is fascinating. It paints an insider's picture of a place and a lifestyle that are, sadly, now gone. The architecture, the way of life are vividly portrayed -- they come to life and make you long to visit, if only to see the remnants of what once was. Highly recommended.



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Review of Sun, Sin And Suburbia: An Essential History Of Modern Las Vegas (Hardcover)

Geoff Schumacher's "Sun,Sin,Suburbia" is a well written book that takes a look into the history of Las Vegas over the last twenty years.Written with a historians attention to detail, "Sun, Sin, Suburbia" is also a very fun read for any who are interested in Las Vegas and the rise and domination of corporations lead by men like Steve Wynn.



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Review of Georgia: A State History (Making of America) (Hardcover)

I've recently moved to Georgia and decided that I wanted to know more about my new state.This book is very interesting and well written.I found it to be a gold mine of information.



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Review of Delaying the Dream: Southern Senators and the Fight Against Civil Rights, 1938-1965 (Making the Modern South) (Hardcover)

This is a story that needed to be told, but until now has only existed in snippets in dozens of southern and civil rights history books. The legislative history of the modern civil rights era is all here. The study is significant because it details how southern U.S. Senators obstructed the struggle for racial equality for more than a generation. Along the way, Finley demonstrates that even 'moderates' whom some historians have labeled 'reluctant racists' , participated wholeheartedly in beating back Senate efforts to attack white supremacy. By taking the story back to the 1930s, Finley clearly shows an evolving southern strategy in the Senate that forestalled civil rights legislation and built coalitions with conservatives elsewhere. The author's judgments are always measured and his treatment is balanced, though he's not afraid to call the Senators to task when their hypocrisy and contradictions require it. Political junkies will especially love Finley's careful treatment of the nuances of Senate rules and regulations.



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Review of Riot and Remembrance: The Tulsa Race War and Its Legacy (Hardcover)

I had only heard of the Tulsa race riot of 1921 a few years ago, even though I went to high school in the early 1980s in Bartlesville, OK, 45 miles north of Tulsa (and have driven on the highways that now run through the Greenwood section more times than I can count). I remember the fear that was passed on to me about that section of Tulsa and the dread of facing students from its high school whenever we played them in football, a darker fear than seemed warranted for a city of its size. Now, knowing the history of the race riots and the fears both sides had of sparking another one, I understand why.

Hirsch does an amazing job of piecing together from both "official" and oral history the story of the riot, as well as what led up to it, and the racial climate surrounding the event. While he clearly favors the "black" side of the story, he doesn't give in to the most extreme views, and he does give the "white" views time and space. He also points out the difficult questions of reparations, and why there are no easy answers. Most importantly, "Riot and Remembrance" shows the readers why history can never be neatly tied up and packaged. We will probably never know the details of what happened on the ugly night and day of May 31-June 1, 1921, in Tulsa. We'll never know for sure the death toll, or what exactly was in the hearts of the African-Americans, the "ruffian" white, or the city leaders who coveted the Greenwood land. But at least with Hirsch's book, we have a chance to ponder all sides and draw our own conclusions.

And, by the way, this is one Oklahoman who thinks the state and city SHOULD pay reparations in the form of scholarships and economic development in North Tulsa. I suspect I am in the minority, though!



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Review of The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday (Life in The Bronx Series) (Hardcover)

Compiled by the Bronx Historical Society, "The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday 1935-1965" chronicles the development of the northernmost borough of New York City before it became the area that many know it as today. From Wakefield to Mott Haven, from Riverdale to Co-op City, most of the borough's major neighborhoods are captured here in photographs and words, allowing past and present Bronxites to see the changes that have occurred in the thirty-year span that the book covers.

It was nostalgic to see photographs of the Alexander's department store on Fordham Road, seeing that it shut it doors in the late 1980's. Other interesting facts I didn't know before was that the largest amusement park in the eastern United States, "Freedomland" was located on the land where present-day Co-op City stands. It was closed in the late 1960's when word of a major theme park that was to arise out of the marshes of Orlando, Florida was being planned (yep, DisneyWorld brought an end to the Bronx's only amusement park).

Truly this is a must have if you are a past or present Bronxite who is very interested in learning about the borough's past. This book might also appeal to urban planning students who are interested in the development of one of New York City's last frontiers. Overall, "The Bronx: It Was Only Yesterday 1935-1965" is a well-organized book that takes full advantage of the borough's historical archives. Once I opened its' pages I was taken on a journey to memory row, where memories of life back then only reside.



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Review of The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World (Hardcover)

Niall Ferguson has written an easily accessible and very entertaining history of finance, ranging from the clay tokens of Mesopotamia 5,000 years ago to the hedge funds of today.The title of this book has apparently been modelled on Jacob Bronowski's "The Ascent of Man,"and like that book it will be made into a television series.Being a television celebrity is not something that wins the admiration of one's peers in the history profession, to say the least.But those little rebukes are relatively mild compared to the scorn he received for his political views in Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order and the Lessons for Global Power and Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire.In those works he argued that empire was beneficial not only to the mother country but the dominated countries as well.In this work he chronicles not only the history of money but also makes a case for liberalized finance.

Ferguson examines the financial subplot behind some of the major historical powers such as the role of money in ancient Mesopotamia, the denarius in Roman society, and gold and silver in the civilization of the Incas.He is very good in his descriptions of financial families like the Medicis and the Rothchilds, and how they became banking dynasties.Another memorable episode was the rise of Amsterdam as the world's financial center and the center's subsequent shift to London.

History is also filled with financial disasters of which we are well aware today.Ferguson tells the story of John Law and how he became France's head of finance.He engineered a financial bubble that took them several generations to overcome.Making matters worse, it occurred at the same time as the British South Sea Bubble.

Also instructive is the history of the first great globalization (1870-1914).(For this period also read Jeffrey Frieden's Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century.)The world had become so economically interdependent that the pundits believed the possibility of war between great powers had been eliminated.This sentiment was famously expressed in "The Great Illusion" by Norman Angell.

Although this book was written before the current economic crisis, the last chapter is very prescient."From Empire to Chimerica" tells of the symbiotic relationship between China and America.The combined country "accounts for just over a 10th of the world's land surface, a quarter of its population, and a third of its economic output, and more than half of the global economic growth of the last eight years".This relationship, in which China saves and America spends, and in which China's savings is used to enable America to spend even more, is clearly unsustainable.Ferguson sees this savings glut as the cause of the current subprime crisis.That, in my humble opinion, was one of the causes; there were many bad actors involved in this catastrophe, citizen-borrowers included.

Although it is not obvious to everyone in the midst of a crisis,Ferguson correctly points out that financial engineering is one of the great forces behind human progress.The history of finance is a process of creative destruction.Financial risk-taking is necessary for economic expansion and human development, and Ferguson does a good job in making the case.Too bad it reads like a script made for the History Channel.



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Review of Bold Endeavors: How Our Government Built America, and Why It Must Rebuild Now (Hardcover)

I lived through the bankruptcy of New York City.It was a very disturbing experience.At one point garbage was piled high on the streets.

The author of this book helped save New York City.He chaired what was called the Municipal Assistance Corporation ("Big Mac") that forced all parties, including rich bankers, to sacrifice to save New York.It worked.

This book should help bury once and for all the fantasy that "big government" played no role in U.S. history.It details how government intervention again and again shaped U.S. economic policy.

Today, as the author points out, America is literally falling apart as result of a 28 year fantasy that "government was the problem".

Read this book.It's not written by an abstract intellectual.It's written by somebody who actually worked with real people to help one of America's biggest cities recover from a disaster produced by excessive government borrowing. American has had "credit card government" since 1981.Now we face a day of reckoning.This books gives insights on a way out of today's mess.





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Review of The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the Greatest Texas Oil Fortunes (Hardcover)

This book takes on a subject that has been neglected for far too long.To understand conservative Texas today, you really need an education on the men that shaped it, namely ..Hunt, Cullen, Murchison, and Richardson.All four of these men are uniquely Texan, good and bad.Cullen is by far the most philanthropic, but in many ways the least enteresting, he lived a mostly quite life in Houston's enclave of wealth, River Oaks, and gave away 90 percent of his fortune.What I find most interesting, is that this most conservative of men, gave millions to Texas Southern, Houston's traditionally African American university; he also funded the University of Houston, it's not an understatement to call him Mr. Houston.H.L. Hunt is by far the most interesting, but by far the least philanthropic, Im not sure he ever gave to anything but the Klan, but his three families and all his silly ideas are so hilarious, you really have to give it to the guy for being colorful..Hurt's book on H.L. Hunt is fantastic..his meantion of H.L.'s "creeping" is the limit.As for Richardson, he was in may ways the quenticential Wildcatter, he had the look, the charm, and the bravado, and his collection of Western memorabilia is amazing.Murchison, on the other hand, was more like a brilliant accountant, and look liked one, he was the least like a traditional Wildcatter.This book also delves into the lives of the offspring of these iconic men.Murchisons son, of course founded the Dallas Cowboys, the subsequently, partied all the money away, Richardson's Bass family, has had their share of scandel, divorces et.al. and of course Hunts son's tried to corner the silver market in the 80's..talk about chutzpa and his son Lamar co founded the American Football League and owned the Kansas City Chiefs. Even the staid Cullen had an interesting grandson, the simply ridiculous Baron "Ricky" Di Portenova, he claimed to be an Italian Count on his father side, nobody bought it in Houston, but alas he was colorful, and threw some amazing parties at his mansion in River Oaks and his palace on a hill in Acapulco.Overall, this is a fun read, well written and researched, if you have any interest in Texas history and the Texas Oil Rich, then I cant imagine you not loving this book...as for the unhelpful vote..it just shows that on Amazon there is always at least one person who will find a black cloud on a sunny day..I mean how on earth is this review not helpful?



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Review of Daily Life in Hitler's Germany (Hardcover)

I must agree with with other two reviews of this book about the rather poor text.While it does occasionally bring up an interesting point, a number of its arguments are discredited by a large number of contrasting studies.

That said, what is important are the photographs.Here is the face of Nazi Germany.One of the most frightening pictures was of the young men, students and SA, burning books outside the university in Berlin in May of 1933 (page 94).The expressions of pure predatory joy are typical of ideological "true believers."The thuggish brutality of the SA is brought out in another photo, which at the same time hints at the more subtle evil of the SS (page 90).Pages 47 and 51 give evidence of the deadness, normally seen in revolutionary art, of Nazi high art.An entire chapter is devoted to the Hitler Youth; showing the indoctrination of the young by dressing them the same, having them beat drums, and march chanting political slogans.

Hitler came to power promising to save Germany's middle class, though his base was initially among the prolitariat.In the beginning the laboring class was largely split between left and right.The National Socialists started as a rightist labor union.Attaining power, they outlawed all other unions.While working conditions before the Nazis weren't good,from the pictures, one gets the impression that they slipped even before the Allied bombing campaign.

Buy this book for the pictures and buy "The Nazi Seizure of Power: The Experience of a Single German Town 1922-1945" by William Sheriden Allen (available from Amazon.com) for the text.

Product Description
ritten by historical experts, Daily Life in Hitler's Germany offers a chilling portrayal of the Third Reich to bring Germany's most harrowing era to life. Topics include: -The Nazi indoctrination of children through the Hitler Youth -The subversion of the arts to serve National Socialist ideology -The Nazi obsession with sports as a means of creating a super-fit Aryan race -The role of women in Germany in the 1930s -The fate of those individuals and races who had no place in the Thousand Year Reich. Illustrated with over 270 black and white period photos, Daily Life in Hitler's Germany examines fully how Hitler influ-enced the everyday lives of millions of ordinary Germans.

About the Author
Dr. Matthew Seligmann is an expert on the foreign and colonial policy of Wilhelmine Germany, as well as the origins of World War I. He is the author of Rivalry in Southern Africa 1893-1899: the Transformation of German Colonial Policy, co-author of Germany from Reich to Republic 1871-1918: Politics, Hierarchy and Elites; and co-editor of Leadership in Conflict 1914-1918. He currently lives in Great Britain.

Dr. John McDonald is a former teacher and an expert on twentieth-century European history. He currently lives in Great Britain.

Dr. John Davison is an expert on twentieth-century European history. He currently lives in Great Britain.


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