J. Adam Tooze · 2006
An economic history of Nazi Germany arguing that the regime's aggressive expansion was driven by systemic financial desperation.
Dan Carlin notes that Adam Tooze explains the seemingly crazy maneuvers of the Nazi regime by viewing them through the lens of Hitler's fanatical worldview.
The Nazi regime operated under a fanatical, conspiracy-theorist worldview that drove their military and economic maneuvers, while major German industrial firms heavily backed the party from the moment it took power.
History readers who already know the broad strokes of World War II and want a perspective-shifting framework that permanently alters how they view the period's decision-making.
Skip if you want a casual overview rather than dense economic and historical analysis requiring years of contemplation.
Summarized from what was said in 3 conversations; the quotes are below.
A speaker recommends a book written by someone else.
“Adam Tews' The Wages of Destruction did that. I remember, I mean, I spent the next three years, I think in a daze continually thinking about how now this new overlay of my perspective…”
Why: It completely changes your perspective and makes you think about history in a new way.
Dan Carlin, Host on Dan Carlin's Hardcore HistoryEP34 Atomic Accountability
“in his fantastic book economic historian adam twos in the wages of destruction talks about a very famous meeting between the nazis when they first come to power and the great industrial firms in germany on february 20th 1933…”
Why: It is a fantastic book detailing financial backing of the Nazis.
Dan Carlin, Host on Dan Carlin's Hardcore HistoryEP28 Superhumanly Inhuman
“and this is what Tuse was so good at in his 2006 work the wages of destruction I mean you have to understand that it explains so much of the crazy stuff that they did…”
Why: It explains the seemingly crazy maneuvers of the Nazi regime by viewing them through the lens of Hitler's fanatical worldview.
Dan Carlin, Host on Dan Carlin's Hardcore HistoryImperial Germany vs Nazi Germany
Other books cited in the same episodes.
Death by Government
R. J. Rummel
Discussed together in: EP28 Superhumanly Inhuman (Dan Carlin's Hardcore History)
German Voices
Frederic C. Tubach
Discussed together in: EP28 Superhumanly Inhuman (Dan Carlin's Hardcore History)
Inside the Third Reich
Albert Speer
Discussed together in: Imperial Germany vs Nazi Germany (Dan Carlin's Hardcore History)
Nazis and Nobles
Stephan Malinowski
Discussed together in: EP28 Superhumanly Inhuman (Dan Carlin's Hardcore History)
Soldaten
Sönke Neitzel
Discussed together in: EP28 Superhumanly Inhuman (Dan Carlin's Hardcore History)
The Doomsday Machine
Daniel Ellsberg
Discussed together in: EP34 Atomic Accountability (Dan Carlin's Hardcore History)
The Holocaust
Nora Levin
Discussed together in: EP28 Superhumanly Inhuman (Dan Carlin's Hardcore History)
The Pity of War
Niall Ferguson
Discussed together in: Imperial Germany vs Nazi Germany (Dan Carlin's Hardcore History)