The Nazi Mind

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
'I will recommend to everyone' Alastair Campbell
'World-renowned historian Laurence Rees lays out a past that is also eerily a cautionary tale for our future if we are not careful' Anthony Scaramucci
'There are lots of moments when you can't help but have a shudder through the spine . . . a really novel, interesting book.' Lewis Goodall, The News Agents podcast

A groundbreaking narrative history of the motivations and mentalities behind the Nazis and their supporters, from the bestselling author of THE HOLOCAUST and President Zelenskyy's most-read book, HITLER AND STALIN.
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Rees uses previously unpublished testimony from former Nazis and those who grew up in the Nazi system, and in-depth psychological insights including cutting edge work on obedience, authority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.

'A brilliant piece of work: learned, compelling and frankly terrifying' James Holland, Daily Telegraph
'You know when a book reaches parts that other books cannot reach . . . extraordinary' James O'Brien
'This disturbing book is timely, relevant and important' Sir Ian Kershaw

Laurence Rees is the author of several acclaimed books on the Second World War and is a former Head of BBC TV History programmes. His work includes the television series and bestselling books The Nazis: A Warning from History, Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution', World War II: Behind Closed Doors, The Dark Charisma of Adolf Hitler and The Holocaust: A New History, which was a Sunday Times bestseller. Rees holds honorary doctorates from the University of Sheffield and the Open University. His many and varied awards include a British Book Award, a BAFTA, a George Foster Peabody award, a Broadcasting Press Guild award, a Grierson award, a Broadcast award, two International Documentary awards and two Emmys.