Description
Book SynopsisAfter the Anschluss (annexation) in 1938, the Nazis forced Austrian Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg to resign and kept him imprisoned for seven years, until his rescue by the Allies in 1945. Schuschnigg’s privileged position within the concentration camp system allowed him to keep a diary and to write letters which were smuggled out to family members.
Drawing on these records, Prison Elite paints a picture of a little-known aspect of concentration camp history: the life of a VIP prisoner. Schuschnigg, who was a devout Catholic, presents his memoirs as a confession, expecting absolution for any political missteps and, more specifically, for his dictatorial regime in the 1930s. As Erika Rummel reveals in fascinating detail, his autobiographical writings are frequently unreliable.
Prison Elite describes the strategies Schuschnigg used to survive his captivity emotionally and intellectually. Religion, memory of better days, friendship, books and mus
Trade Review
"Rummel brilliantly describes and analyzes how Schuschnigg attempted to cope psychologically with his personal plight and to explain to himself why he had failed as chancellor." -- Evan B. Bukey, University of Arkansas, emeritus * Central European History *
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments Introduction 1. In Isolation: Living under the Enemy’s Eye 2. The Sachsenhausen Household: Living en famille 3. The Comfort of Religion 4. The Consolation of Books 5. Music to His Ears 6. The Use of Wit 7. Cherishing Memories 8. Schuschnigg’s Political Reminiscences Conclusion Appendix Bibliography
