Description
Book SynopsisAn American labor leader's eyewitness perspective on the rise of Nazi power in Weimar-era Berlin
Trade Review“[Plotkin] is an astute observer and captures everchanging moods.”--
Jewish Book World"A harrowing picture of Berlin ravaged by the Depression, the Weimar Republic's last months and the onset of Nazism. . . . A rich subtle and extremely readable account of a crucial moment in German history."--
European Journal of American Studies."A rare jewel. . . . An extremely valuable source for comparative labour historians and for historians of the Weimar Republic and of National Socialism."--Revue Francaise D'etudes Americaines
"Once I started reading this work, I could not put it down. Plotkin's diary is a remarkable analysis 'from the bottom up' of German society, working-class institution, and politics in the period of transition from the Weimar Republic to the rise of Hitler. A very important book."--Fraser Ottanelli, University of South Florida
"Plotkin's writing is lively and conveys a vivid portrayal of German political and economic life on the eve of the Nazi takeover. It also provides an excellent sense of the impact of the Great Depression on German society. A valuable contribution to German history, labor history, and Jewish history."--Vicki Caron, author of
Uneasy Asylum: France and the Jewish Refugee Crisis, 1933-1942"We have almost no eyewitness accounts of this period from nonjournalist observers and certainly none from the perspective of an American working-class observer. This work adds significantly to our knowledge on the history of internationalist trade unionism in the U.S. during the 1920s and 1930s, which is under-researched for this period. Highly recommended."--Dorothee Schneider, coauthor of
"My Life in Germany before and after January 30, 1933": Refugee Memoirs and ExperiencesTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii
Abbreviations xi
Introduction xiii
Catherine Collomp and Bruno GroppoAbraham Plotkin's Diary October-November 1932 3
December 1932 31
January 1933 85
February 1933 137
Abraham Plotkin The Destruction of the Labor Movement in Germany 175
Brief Chronology of Political Events in Germany, 1930-33 197
Index 201
Illustrations follow page 136
