社会不安の扇動、大衆に訴える政治運動、反対意見の受け皿となる「対抗勢力」の欠如など、民主主義は状況次第で独裁制に転じうるのだという歴史の教訓を見つめ直す一冊です。国家社会主義ドイツ労働者党（ナチス）の醸成とこれを支持した大衆の構造、理念、同意、恐怖の関係性について、ヒトラー自身が果たした役割も含め考察します。迫害政策や大量虐殺からも目を背けずにナチス・ドイツの12年を解き明かし、批判的な目を持って物事の裏側を見抜く大切さを読者に訴えます。
　　　

• Offers an insightful and compelling account of Nazi Germany
• Draws on the author's lifetime of publication and teaching in the history of Nazi Germany, focussing on issues that continue to demand our attention and provoke debate
• Integrates up-to-date research that has modified received views about this most compelling of historical eras

         
Any consideration of the 20th century would be incomplete without a discussion of Nazi Germany, an extraordinary regime which dominated European history for 12 years, and left a legacy that still echoes with us today. The incredible force of the destructive vision at the heart of Nazi Germany led to a second world war when the world was still aching from the first one, and an incomprehensible death count, both at home and abroad.
   
In this Very Short Introduction, Jane Caplan's insightful analysis of Nazi Germany provides a highly relevant reminder of the fragility of democratic institutions, and the ways in which the exploitation of national fears, mass political movements, and frail political opposition can lead to the imposition of dictatorship. Considering the emergence and popular appeal of the Nazi party, she discusses the relationships between belief, consent, and terror in securing the regime, alongside the crucial role played by Hitler himself. Covering the full history of the regime, she includes an unflinching look at the dark stains of war, persecution, and genocide. At the same time, Caplan offers unexpected angles of vision and insights; asking readers to look behind the handful of over-used images of Nazi Germany we are familiar with, and to engage critically with a history that that is so abhorrent it risks seeming beyond interpretation.