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1989 The SS Alibi Of A Nation by G. Reitlinger German Military History Book WW2

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1989 The SS Alibi Of A Nation by G. Reitlinger German Military History Book WW2

The SS - Alibi Of A Nation 1922 - 1945
By Gerald Reitlinger
Published by Viking/Penguin Da Capo Press: New York USA 1989

"The SS: Alibi of a Nation, 1922-1945 by Gerald Reitlinger is one of the earliest and most influential postwar examinations of the Schutzstaffel (SS) — the organization that became the driving force behind Nazi terror and genocide. First published in the 1950s and reissued by Viking/Penguin's Da Capo Press in New York, the book traces the SS from its origins as Hitler's small personal bodyguard unit in 1922 to its vast wartime empire of power, privilege, and brutality. Reitlinger meticulously dissects how the SS evolved into an elite ideological army, a political police network under Himmler, and ultimately the chief instrument of racial extermination. His narrative combines documentary evidence, survivor testimony, and analysis of Nazi bureaucracy to expose how ordinary Germans, technocrats, and soldiers became enmeshed in a system of organized murder.

Reitlinger's central argument — that the SS served as both the enforcer and the moral scapegoat of an entire nation — gives the book its enduring relevance. By calling the SS the "alibi of a nation," he suggests that postwar Germany's condemnation of the organization allowed broader German society to disown its complicity in Nazi crimes. The work is not only a historical account but also a moral study of obedience, ideology, and the corruption of conscience under totalitarianism. With its measured tone, depth of research, and absence of sensationalism, The SS: Alibi of a Nation remains a cornerstone of Holocaust historiography — an essential early attempt to understand how an advanced modern society could descend into systematic barbarism."

Light wear and fading to covers. Pages clean and well presented - appears unread. No prior owner marks or inscriptions. Binding in good order with no loose pages. A nice copy in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.

Size 21.5cm x 13.5cm x 3cm - 502 Pages

PRODUCT DETAILS


Condition: Very good
Binding: Softcover, Wraps
Special Attributes: Illustrated
Region: Europe
Subject: Military & War
Original/Facsimile: Original
Seller Notes: Light wear and fading to covers. Pages clean and well presented - appears unread. No prior owner marks or inscriptions. Binding in good order with no loose pages. A nice copy in very good condition overall. Please study photos to further understand condition.
Language: English
Author: Gerald Reitlinger
Publisher: Viking/Penguin Da Capo Press: New York USA
Year Printed: 1989
Sub-subject: Nazi Germany