The Nazis: A Warning from History (1997)
BBC

Description

How could a political party as fundamentally evil and overtly racist as the Nazis come to power? This remains one of the most enigmatic questions of the last century. Acclaimed historian Laurence Rees examines what led a cultured nation at the heart of Europe to commit the atrocities it did. In so doing, he exposes popular myths and encourages understanding of the real forces that led to one of the darkest chapters in modern history. Was it simply the hypnotic power of Hitler's rhetoric? Did the Gestapo really impose themselves by terror on an unwilling population? Through interviews with witnesses and perpetrators, along with archive film and records, this six-part series unveils a more chilling reality.

Tags

1940s, 1930s, Germany, Nazism

Collected reviews and ratings

10 Amazon user reviews | Mark Walker

Arguably one of the most important documentary series ever made, 1997's The Nazis: A Warning from History sets out to show that, far from being a uniquely German aberration, Nazism fed upon and was fostered by the prejudices and lemming-like inclinations of ordinary people.
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10 Off The Telly | Ian Jones

The level of research that went into this series was astonishing. Not only had countless rare and archive footage been assembled, but the people in that original footage had been tracked down and interviewed today
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10 The Digital Bits | Barrie Maxwell

... a highly acclaimed documentary that utilizes interviews with surviving witnesses and participants along with archival film and records. The material is presented with thoughtfulness and vigour, and provides essentially the definitive current thinking on Nazi history.
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