Theory and Practice of Hell, the: The German Concentration Camps and the System

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By the spring of 1945, the Second World War was drawing to a close in Europe. Allied troops were sweeping through Nazi Germany and discovering the atrocities of SS concentration camps. The first to be reached intact was Buchenwald, in central Germany. American soldiers struggled to make sense of the shocking scenes they witnessed inside. They asked a small group of former inmates to draft a report on the camp. It was led by Eugen Kogon, a German political prisoner who had been an inmate since 1939. "The Theory and Practice of Hell" is his classic account of life inside. Unlike many other books by survivors who published immediately after the war, "The Theory and Practice of Hell" is more than a personal account. It is a horrific examination of life and death inside a Nazi concentration camp, a brutal world of a state within state, and a society without law. But Kogon maintains a dispassionate and critical perspective. He tries to understand how the camp works, to uncover its structure and social organization. He knew that the book would shock some readers and provide others with gruesome fascination. But he firmly believed that he had to show the camp in honest, unflinching detail. The result is a unique historical document—a complete picture of the society, morality, and politics that fueled the systematic torture of six million human beings. For many years, "The Theory and Practice of Hell" remained the seminal work on the concentration camps, particularly in Germany. Reissued with an introduction by Nikolaus Waschmann, a leading Holocaust scholar and author of Hilter's Prisons, this important work now demands to be re-read.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Publisher Description

By the spring of 1945, the Second World War was drawing to a close in Europe. Allied troops were sweeping through Nazi Germany and discovering the atrocities of SS concentration camps. The first to be reached intact was Buchenwald, in central Germany. American soldiers struggled to make sense of the shocking scenes they witnessed inside. They asked a small group of former inmates to draft a report on the camp. It was led by Eugen Kogon, a German political prisoner who had been an inmate since 1939. The Theory and Practice of Hell is his classic account of life inside. Unlike many other books by survivors who published immediately after the war, The Theory and Practice of Hell is more than a personal account. It is a horrific examination of life and death inside a Nazi concentration camp, a brutal world of a state within state, and a society without law. But Kogon maintains a dispassionate and critical perspective. He tries to understand how the camp works, to uncover its structure and social organization. He knew that the book would shock some readers and provide others with gruesome fascination. But he firmly believed that he had to show the camp in honest, unflinching detail. The result is a unique historical document--a complete picture of the society, morality, and politics that fueled the systematic torture of six million human beings. For many years, The Theory and Practice of Hell remained the seminal work on the concentration camps, particularly in Germany. Reissued with an introduction by Nikolaus Waschmann, a leading Holocaust scholar and author of Hilter's Prisons, this important work now demands to be re-read.

Author Biography

Nikolaus Wachsmann is a professor of Modern German History at the University of London and the author of Hitler's Prisons: Legal Terror in Nazi Germany. Dr. Eugen Kogon was a political prisoner at Buchenwald from September 1939 to April 1945. After the war, he wrote "The Theory and Practice of Hell."

Review

"The best of the many books on Nazi concentrations camps and the society behind them." --C. Wright Mills "Kogon omits nothing and spares no one. His account, magnificently controlled and dispassionate . . . achieves a devastating impact." --The Nation "A description of the closest thing to hell in human history." --Reinhold Niebuhr

Details ISBN0374529922 Author Heinz Norden Short Title THEORY & PRAC OF HELL REV/E Language English Translator Heinz Norden ISBN-10 0374529922 ISBN-13 9780374529925 Media Book Format Paperback Year 2006 Residence US Birth 1903 Series Farrar, Strauß and Giroux Subtitle The German Concentration Camps and the System Behind Them Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States DOI 10.1604/9780374529925 AU Release Date 2006-09-19 NZ Release Date 2006-09-19 US Release Date 2006-09-19 UK Release Date 2006-09-19 Pages 368 Publisher Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc Edition Description Revised ed. Publication Date 2006-09-19 Imprint Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc DEWEY 940.53185 Audience General Illustrations Illustrations We've got this

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