Summary of William Sheridan Allen's The Nazi Seizure of Power

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The town of Northeim was the center of prewar Germany. It was a small town with a population of about ten thousand in 1930. The town was surrounded by walls that enclosed the medieval inner core. The most desirable area was on the hillside above the old town, where you could see town and valley.

#2 The town of Northeim was built around a medieval city, with three areas where it had expanded: up the hill and toward each of the two rivers. The center and essence of Northeim remained the old medieval city, surrounded by the slowly crumbling walls.

#3 The town of Northeim was able to recover slowly from the Black Death. It was not until the French Revolution that the town regained its population, about 2,500 people. The town was able to acquire a variety of technical academies and college preparatory schools in the 1870s.

#4 Northeim was a center for the violently right-wing Jung Deutsche Orden in the 1920s. The town was torn apart by strife and division, and it would experience the death agony of German democracy within a few years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Aug 27, 2022
• ISBN: 9798350018097

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on William Sheridan Allen's The Nazi Seizure of Power

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The town of Northeim was the center of prewar Germany. It was a small town with a population of about ten thousand in 1930. The town was surrounded by walls that enclosed the medieval inner core. The most desirable area was on the hillside above the old town, where you could see town and valley.

#2

The town of Northeim was built around a medieval city, with three areas where it had expanded: up the hill and toward each of the two rivers. The center and essence of Northeim remained the old medieval city, surrounded by the slowly crumbling walls.

#3

The town of Northeim was able to recover slowly from the Black Death. It was not until the French Revolution that the town regained its population, about 2,500 people. The town was able to acquire a variety of technical academies and college preparatory schools in the 1870s.

#4

Northeim was a center for the violently right-wing Jung Deutsche Orden in the 1920s. The town was torn apart by strife and division, and it would experience the death agony of German democracy within a few years.

#5

Northeim was a small, seemingly integrated community, but it had elements of strain and disintegration. In normal times, these may balance, but in times of stress they may pull the community apart.

#6

The town of Northeim was made up of two groups of people. The rural hinterland, with its strongly traditionalistic prejudices, had made a considerable impression on the town. The majority of the town’s residents were Lutheran, and they were united in religion.

#7

In 1930, the town of Northeim seemed to be doing well, despite the Great Depression, because there was so little industry. The rural-connected industries, the many governmental offices, and the good road and railroad connections all drew farmers to Northeim and made it a center for retail trade.

#8

The city of Northeim was dominated by the government service industry, which employed about a thousand people. The city itself maintained a considerable bureaucracy, which added hundreds of civil servants.

#9

The petite bourgeoisie in Northeim was extremely strong, and Hitler was able to draw from it to form his movement. The working class there had a strong community, and the SPD provided them with a common ideology and organization.

#10

In Northeim, there were 161 separate clubs, on average, for every sixty people in the town. The majority of these were middle class-oriented, and gave support to the German Nationalist party or the Nazis.

#11

There were many military clubs in Northeim, and they were primarily responsible for whipping up patriotic fervor and keeping militarism popular and vital in the town. The most important social group was the special interest and hobby groups, which functioned essentially as occasions for social gatherings.

#12

The town of Northeim had many clubs and societies that cemented the individual citizens together. The public school system was the most clear example of this, as it embraced the various divisions of the town.