Ordinary Germans in extraordinary times : the Nazi revolution in Hildesheim

Hildesheim is a mid-sized provincial town in northwest Germany. Ordinary Germans in Extraordinary Times is a carefully drawn account of how townspeople went about their lives and reacted to events during the Nazi era. Andrew Stuart Bergerson argues that ordinary Germans did in fact make Germany and Europe more fascist, more racist, and more modern during the 1930s, but they disguised their involvement behind a pre-existing veil of normalcy. Bergerson details a way of being, believing, and behaving by which "ordinary Germans" imagined their powerlessness and absence of responsibility even as they collaborated in the Nazi revolution. He builds his story on research that includes anecdotes of everyday life collected systematically from newspapers, literature, photography, personal documents, public records, and especially extensive interviews with a representative sample of residents born between 1900 and 1930. The book considers the actual customs and experiences of friendship and neighborliness in a German town before, during, and after the Third Reich. By analyzing the customs of conviviality in interwar Hildesheim, and the culture of normalcy these customs invoked, Bergerson aims to help us better understand how ordinary Germans transformed "neighbors" into "Jews" or "Aryans."

Hildesheim is a mid-sized provincial town in northwest Germany. Ordinary
Germans in Extraordinary Times is a carefully drawn account of how townspeople went
about their lives and reacted to events during the Nazi era. Andrew Stuart Bergerson
argues that ordinary Germans did in fact make Germany and Europe more fascist, more
racist, and more modern during the 1930s, but they disguised their involvement
behind a pre-existing veil of normalcy.

Bergerson details a way
of being, believing, and behaving by which "ordinary Germans" imagined
their powerlessness and absence of responsibility even as they collaborated in the
Nazi revolution. He builds his story on research that includes anecdotes of everyday
life collected systematically from newspapers, literature, photography, personal
documents, public records, and especially extensive interviews with a representative
sample of residents born between 1900 and 1930.

The book
considers the actual customs and experiences of friendship and neighborliness in a
German town before, during, and after the Third Reich. By analyzing the customs of
conviviality in interwar Hildesheim, and the culture of normalcy these customs
invoked, Bergerson aims to help us better understand how ordinary Germans
transformed "neighbors" into "Jews" or
"Aryans."

This Book Is A Carefully Drawn Account Of How Townspeople Went About Their Lives During The Nazi Era, Reacting To And Shaping Events. Andrew Stuart Bergerson Argues That Ordinary Germans Did In Fact Make Germany And Europe More Fascist, More Racist, And More Modern During The 1930s, But They Disguised Their Involvement Behind A Pre-existing Veil Of Normalcy. Ordinary Germans In Extraordinary Times Considers The Actual Customs And Experiences Of Friendship And Neighborliness In A German Town Before, During, And After The Third Reich. By Analyzing The Customs Of Conviviality In Interwar Hildesheim, And The Culture Of Normalcy These Customs Invoked, Bergerson Aims To Help Us Better Understand How Ordinary Germans Transformed Friends And Neighbors Into Jews Or Aryans.--jacket. Eigensinn -- Civility -- Niveau -- The Stroll -- A Moral Community -- Herrschaft -- Coordination -- Polarization -- Administration -- Epistemologies -- Conclusion: Dangerous Deeds. Andrew Stuart Bergerson. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 287-305) And Index. "This book is a carefully drawn account of how townspeople went about their lives during the Nazi era, reacting to and shaping events. Andrew Stuart Bergerson argues that ordinary Germans did in fact make Germany and Europe more fascist, more racist, and more modern during the 1930s, but they disguised their involvement behind a pre-existing veil of normalcy." "Ordinary Germans in Extraordinary Times considers the actual customs and experiences of friendship and neighborliness in a German town before, during, and after the Third Reich. By analyzing the customs of conviviality in interwar Hildesheim, and the culture of normalcy these customs invoked, Bergerson aims to help us better understand how ordinary Germans transformed "friends and neighbors" into "Jews" or "Aryans.""--BOOK JACKET. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Illustrations......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgments......Page 14 Abbreviations......Page 16 Introduction: New Manners......Page 20 1. Civility......Page 32 2. Niveau......Page 64 3. The Stroll......Page 86 4. A Moral Community......Page 116 Part II: Herrschaft......Page 148 5. Coordination......Page 150 6. Polarization......Page 188 7. Administration......Page 222 8. Epistemologies......Page 252 Conclusion: Dangerous Deeds......Page 272 Appendix: A Ringing Tour......Page 276 Notes......Page 300 Sources......Page 306 Index......Page 326 Describes how the townspeople of Hildesheim went about their lives and reacted to events during the Nazi era, arguing that ordinary Germans made Germany and Europe more fascist, more racist, and more modern.