On the road to the wolf's lair: German resistance to Hitler
Hamerow, Theodore S.
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The failed attempt on Hitler's life in July 1944 was the work of members of Germany's conservative elite, who sought to save their country from the disaster brought about by Hitler and the Nazis. Examines the ideals and motives of German resisters, many of whom were army officers, upper-level civil servants, or religious leaders. Ch. 4 (pp. 65-79), "That Perennial 'Jewish Question', " contends that most of the resisters supported racial antisemitism and believed that it was necessary to reduce Jewish influence in Germany. The most vocal antisemites among them were the Protestant clergy, and especially Otto Dibelius. The Catholic clergy were less hostile toward Jews, since they also suffered from discrimination, but they would not support the Jews for fear of endangering the Catholic community. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was the only resister who condemned Nazi antisemitism, but even he felt that there was a need to solve the "Jewish question." Most of the resisters were repelled by the Nazis' brutal treatment of the Jews, but their primary concern was for the future of Germany.
Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
1997
442 pages